[5672]

I have a new Fajen thumbhole sporter (coffee) laminated stock that is unfinished.

I need some tips or ideas on what type of finish to use and general procedures. I've never finished a laminated stock before (have done regular wood including furniture).

The grain looks very tight, so I am hoping I can just finish sand it and use BW Casey Tru-Oil....

Any ideas or experience to share ? I don't want a shiny finish.


Thanks,

Ben Reinhardt
Pocatello, ID

 

[eliseo]

hi ben,
i just re-finished a boyd's blaster, and refinished my fajen thumb-hole. besides sanding, sanding, and sanding some more - it was a lot of fun. i used fairly coarse sandpaper(60-80) to get rid of the router marks, then 150-180 grit foam backed sanding squares to clean that up. then a little oil stain to bring out the grain, sand again and use the sinthetic steel wool (3m stuff). then stain again and tung oil. i rubbed the tung oil in for a satin finish, and applied several coats.
take a look at this thread - there's a picture

http://rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=26207

 

[Moorespeedr]

I have never finished any kind of wood except for the deck. I am certain that the Fajen I have ordered will not allow my right hand to fit correctly. After ordering mine, I tried one, and it was too tight. I will need to remove a little bit of the wood, but not too much. The one I ordered will arrive already finished. How do I fix this with a minimum of difficulty and a maximum of looks?

 

[5672]

hi ben,
i just re-finished a boyd's blaster, and refinished my fajen thumb-hole. besides sanding, sanding, and sanding some more - it was a lot of fun. i used fairly coarse sandpaper(60-80) to get rid of the router marks, then 150-180 grit foam backed sanding squares to clean that up. then a little oil stain to bring out the grain, sand again and use the sinthetic steel wool (3m stuff). then stain again and tung oil. i rubbed the tung oil in for a satin finish, and applied several coats.
take a look at this thread - there's a picture

http://rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=26207

Thanks for the advice, eliseo. My stock really is quite smooth, and doesn't have any router marks on the outside, even the barrel channel and action area are pretty smooth excpet in tight corners, where some router marks are visible...not bad, though.

In fact, it looks like it will need minimal sanding, which is good (makes it easier).

Your stocks look great, BTW!

Looks like I don't really need to do any filling. maybe I'll get it done this weekend (if I can force myself not to go fishing ! ).

Ben Reinhardt

 

[stratcat]

I tried Arrow Wood finish on a couple of stocks, I personally like this stuff.

http://www.shootersolutions.com/arwoodfin.html

here's pics of the finished stocks here -

http://www.shootersolutions.com/stratcat.html

it's some really nice stuff to work with and Jonathan at Shooters Solution is a great guy to deal with, he's also a sponsor of the forums.

 

[4097]

I have seen eliseo's work and it is very nice. I plan to order an unfinished stock so I can modify it for my small hands and he has offered to finish it.

 

[5672]

Upon closer inspection I found more router marks and rough spots than I thought. I worked them all out with coarse foam backed sanding pads and some 80 grit sand paper. Took 1.5 hours but I finally got them out.

I've got to buy some 120-180 grit paper tomorrow morning, my next step up was 220 and that was to fine to easily take out the coarser sandpaper work.

I'm going to go with Eliseo's Tung oil technique and see what happens.

Thanks for all the advice, guys, I'll let you know how it turns out!

Ben Reinhardt
Pocatello, ID

 

[5672]

I got the stock sanded down this morning and applied low gloss tung oil finish. I sanded it to 360. It took a while, but is very, very smooth.

First coat of oil (rubbed it in by hand) went on easily and soaked in...took a couple of applications to get it saturated. I let it set 5 hours (it's VERY dry in SE Idaho, even out of the sun), then hit it with fine bronze wool. Put another coat on (it didn't absorb nearly as much this time.

Still waiting for it to dry. I thing two coats may be enough at this point.

I didn't use stain, as the Fajen coffee stock is plenty dark without stain, and the sanding really brought out the grain.

Ben Reinhardt

 

[eliseo]

hi ben,
post a picture when you're done. there's something almost addicting about working with good wood, the smooth curves, graceful arches ... well any way, it sure can be fun. i find myself looking at different stocks for my other guns, just for the fun of finishing them. i've said this in other posts, but i repeat, i'm nore of a COLLECTOR/shooter than a SHOOTER/collector.
take a look here - there's a lot of potential.

http://www.reamerrentals.com/elkridge2.htm;)

 

[mikey t]

Ben, I don't know how many gunstocks you have done but it sounds like to me you are already ahead of most folks. When you said you used bronze wool I knew you either knew something about finishing or someone gave you some good advise. Most folks use steel wool and if allowed to get very much moisture will rust over time. I never use steel wool to level a finish on wood nor do I ever use it on my gun surfaces because the same thing can happen there too. I personally mix my own formula of oil finish buying over the counter products. I have yet to see one I like as much as the mix, although I have never tried the Arrow finish that stratcat mentioned. If interested my mix is quite simple.

1- part Min-wax Spar Urethane [ note: not polyurethane ]
1- part pure Tung oil. [Do not use a modified tung product]

Apply just like you wood any oil finish. I would recommend that you sand the second coat in using 400 grit wet/dry to fill the pores a little.

Mikey T

 

[techshooter]

mikey t:

Not only is Arrow Wood Finish far better in performance than your mixture (not knocking your concoction, but rather stating it is far superior from a chemical point of view) but it is also at least as inexpensive per square foot of coverage.

Why is it as inexpensive while being superior by far at the same time?

It performs like a concentrate, because it is not polished off.

16 ounces of Arrow Wood Finish will finish as many square feet of wood from Raw to final finish as 1 Gallon of the finest Urethane: In this case Spar. Now compare the aking price of 16 ounces of Arrow Wood Finish with the discount price of the World's finest Urethane: comperable you will see.

Plus: resistance to sunlight is on par with the best non-darkening pure Urethane over 30 years in time BUT it won't chip, turn white, crack due to pulling in and out-of-doors, etc. as pure urethanes and synthetics are known for. I'm not saying yours is: it is just a generalization.

It will also bond to existing Urethanes wheter Poly or Spar, Polymers, and Varnishes as well as be an oil-based finish.

Customers report excellent 3-dimension results in beautification of the wood - as in adding depth the sunlight brings out.

Because it is a powerful formula, it does not harden in the bottle, and never needs any type of abrasive after the finish has set (solvent evaporation). After years in a plastic bottle it gradually thickens, but will never harden - even if you leave the cap off overnight on occassion. You never remove ANY of it with steel wool or bronze wool. What you see is what you get.

I posted Stratcats' pictures on shootersolutions.com per his request, as well as an elm tree-slice testimonial that has been to hundreds of gun shows, dropped a number of times and shows no cracking or checking whatsoever even though Elm always checks quickly - which shows how good it allows SLOW transitions of water vapor through it, while being a hard finish. There is another group of pictures from another Forum contributor I believe, but he couldn't post it to Rimfire due to not being a member.

You will find it a great value for the money - there was consideration from within Guitars 'n Concepts to private label it for musical instrument use, since it is "kick b**t" for guitars 'n violins, etc. water vapor passes through to preserve the richness of the wood tonal quality years later, yet doesn't require special spraying booths. Gun Stocks, preserved in this way will keep them from cracking even years later.

So that is my story. Stratcat is not the only one who positiviely reviewed it, and no one reviewing it thus far received any for free. It was purchased on the strength of Moly-Fusion being a good product. It does have many years of great results behind it.

For discounts to paid-members, check out the specials - if one is active. Again, Mikey t I am not knocking your invention - just saying you will find this one chemically superior probably at the same cost and probaby far less per square foot of coverage - the chemical at least. It is better, partly because it also fills and bonds. I know you are a sponsor too, and use the most superior materials known to you. For those who don't know Mikey t, here is credit where credit is due, click on his banner (Turner Customs) or click: http://turnercustoms.com
Thanks Stratcat, as a vocal member of these fine forums. 1179 posts since November: that's fairly active

 

[Moorespeedr]

I have to say that even though my stock is being sent to me already finished, I want to order some of that stuff techshooter is talking about. I don't really care about his arguement of quality (although it was very convincing), it was the way it was presented. My hat is off to you for the way you handled that. It seems that everybody in these forums holds Mikey T in the highest regard, and techshooter showed proper respect.

I love this place! Very cool people!

 

[mikey t]

Hey Techshooter!! You will find that for the most part I have a very thick skin. Just don't get under it! I have only heard good things about the Arrow finish and my concoction will for sure harden in the can. I waste more that way than I use. I will try some of the Arrow shortly to test it against the mix! I really do like the satiny sheen and feel of the mix that I use and it has only come about by adding the pure tung oil. Btw you sure do sound like a salesman!

Mikey T

 

[marble8]

Arrow Finish

Techshooter,
Sorry to have taken so long to post this but I've been a tad busy lately.
I refinished an old Savage 24H .22/.410 O/U 2 piece stock and it came out beautifully! :t It is the easiest finish I have ever used, and lots faster than anything but tru-oil. I have used tungoil, linseed oil, linspeed, Birchwood-Casey, and probably a couple of other ones long forgotten. I can safely say Arrow is the best I've ever used for ease and looks too. That old stock looks like it has 1/4" of glass plating on it. I don't think I'll ever want to use any other finish.
I put about 10 coats on it, each on only taking about 5 to 10 minutes to apply and I can hardly tell that any has been used out of the bottle. Alittle bit sure goes a long way.

 

[5672]

hi ben,
post a picture when you're done. there's something almost addicting about working with good wood, the smooth curves, graceful arches ... well any way, it sure can be fun. i find myself looking at different stocks for my other guns, just for the fun of finishing them. i've said this in other posts, but i repeat, i'm nore of a COLLECTOR/shooter than a SHOOTER/collector.
take a look here - there's a lot of potential.

http://www.reamerrentals.com/elkridge2.htm;)

I got it done (two coats) but I think it may need some more work. The finish isn't very deep into the wood. I got a couple of scratches on it shooting Sunday, but they just rubbed out.

I can't post attachements according to what I see under "options". I''ll try to borrow a digital camera from a friend of mine and see what I can do.

Those are some fancy stock at the sight you suggested !

Ben Reinhardt
Pocatello, ID

 

[techshooter]

mikey t:

I hope my compliments weren't over-done as to getting under your thick skin (Of course you deserve the praise.)

You will notice eventually people will report the feel of Arrow being uniform without regard to whatever the sheen is: anything from flat to even mirror-gloss since there is no need to go after with wool - an unexpected surprise to not needing it. While it has proven to be too good for floors: unless no throw rugs are to be used: The gymnasium floor was another story - the surface was so uniform a throw rug slides aggressively - it is "just right" for stocks. Sorry about the ridiculous comparing a gymnasium floor with a stock, but then again it completes the knowledge of it. After a number of years you would expect someone to get a "hair-brained" idea to try it on something it is not marketed for (Innovation related?)

As to salesman - well, just like you "knows" what you like about your results, I "knows" what I like about this one.

 

[TimW]

I know this will probably sound a little stupid. I finished my Fajen stock with Minwax Polyurethane. My local gunshop owner likes it so well, he wants me to do his 10/22 stock. This statement below confuses me a little:

For maximum filling on raw wood, do not raise the grain for "whiskering." Apply ARROW to the wood and allow it to sit for 10 15 minutes without rubbing. Grain will rise. NOW buff the finish in (as above). The whiskers become part of the filler (and they have to match...it's the same wood).

The whiskers become part of the filler and they have to match, its the same wood? We are talking about a laminated piece of wood with various colors present. It looks to me like filling the wood in this way on a laminated stock might show lighter or darker spots on the stock. Am I wrong?

Tim

 

[techshooter]

TimW: That is a good point: Those are general woodworking directions. While I am not sure if it will have a major impact, you could use a more gentle approach with it, unless someone else who is using is using a better idea.

Depending on what you have, you could pre-whisker the wood, so peaks become sheared off ahead of time. This would/could then be added to the "more gentle" approach. This presumes Prewhisker won't change anything.

Alternatively, or with the "prewhisker" plan, you could use the more gentle approach of putting 2-3 quick applications by hand, 4-5 applications with 600 grit sandpaper to get the volume of filling, and then the final finishing per the directions, for about 10 applications total.

With the "reverse directions" it will take approx. 10 applications total on stained wood. On stained wood, you don't want to remove the stain. Pre-whisker 2-3 times before the stain and reverse directions, to avoid removing stain.

"General" directions on raw wood take much fewer applications.

I hope the above makes the directions you are reading make more sense.

I apologize for the confusion. I hope I have not made your confusion worse.

If there is anything else I can do, let me know.

There is a special on it under techshooter at the usual spot.