Correct Rifle stock finish

[1stMo Drummer]

After recently aquireing a civilian rifle in kit form I was pondering, to what type of finish would be period to apply to the stock of said rifle.
I know ive read of boiled linseed oil being finger rubbed into the stock in multiple layers but was wondering if their are any other period methods that would have been available to somebody.
If this thread has already been addressed please dis-regard and kindly direct me to it.
Thanks in advance.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Correct Rifle stock finish

Hallo!

Typically, stocks were "oiled."
In brief and to over-generalize...
That usually meant "varnished" whether by some version or variation of linseed oil OR linseed oil with blended in gums and resin type additives (modern boiled linseed oil being a different product than the 19th or 18th century versions due to the way it is made which removes most all of the "impurities" that give it a "hard-shell' type finished when dried by polymerization rather than evaporation).
The same for musical instruments.

However, there were, among civilian gun makers, alternatives, such as a mix of yellow pine pitch, turpentine, and beeswax.

Again, still being brief and over-generalized...

Modern products such as Linspeed Oil, Tru-oil, and Laurel Mountain Forge Stock Finish are all basically 'linseed oil" with additives READDED to the oil to give a hard-shell finish and dryers to speed up drying time.

You may want to use the SEARCH feature to explore stock refinishing methods in greater detail.

Curt

[1stMo Drummer]

Re: Correct Rifle stock finish

Many thanks Curt....anyone else out there have ideas?
Thanks

[ACo.]

Re: Correct Rifle stock finish

While Herr Schmidt gives a good, brief suggestion, it is much more common to find true varnish finishes that were vastly superior to those he mentions on civilian arms. Varnish making was an art developed over many centuries and is hard to relearn today. IF you have a rifle kit that will build you something that is better in its field than our current crop of Italian military muskets, then you want a true, period finish. Prepare to do some serious (and to an extent, dangerous) work to duplicate their finishes. The linked article was written by Eric Kettenburg, an exceptionally fine gun maker of 18th and early 19th Century civilian (so-called Kentucky) rifle reproductions and his research into the finish making process is the best you will find anywhere. Here is a short article giving some idea about what you are asking for:

http://www.muzzleblasts.com/archives/vol5no2/articles/mbo52-1.html

To see examples of Mr. Kettenburg's work:

http://web.mac.com/kettenburgs/iWeb/Site/Home.html

(I should add that varnish finishes were not widely used on American military firearms, Herr Schmidt' oil finishes were commonly used there.)

[Jack Enright]

Re: Correct Rifle stock finish

Travis; ref. your mention of finger-rubbed oil finishes:-

if it helps at all, a friend of mine was a highly skilled amateur gunsmith who did a lot of custom shotgun stocks and target pistol grips - he always used a hand-rubbed oil finish. Pat used raw linseed oil, VERY sparingly, and rubbed the wood, not with his fingertips, but with the palm of his hand. He moved his hand in long strokes, pretty fast, and with a fair bit of pressure. He said the warmth generated by the friction thinned out the oil, and helped it to work deep into the grain, rather than just sit on the surface. His motto was, "Be mean with the oil, but lavish with the elbow grease."

It never set hard, like a varnish or lacquer would, but having shot a number of his shotguns, on typically damp English autumn days, I can vouch for the fact that, though the stocks were never sticky, even in hot weather, they didn't slip in your hands, either - even when your hands were cold and clammy. And, as far as I could see, it appeared to be pretty water-proof - I never saw any of his gunstocks affected by damp. It lasted well, too. Pat shot his guns very regularly, in all sorts of weathers, and his target pistol shooting customers shot 3 or four times a week - and even with that amount of use, he only needed to top it up every two or three years.

I couldn't say whether or not this was the system used on military rifles in the War period; but if it appears that a rubbed oil finish is appropriate, I hope this may be of help.

Best regards,

Jack Enright

[1stMo Drummer]

Re: Correct Rifle stock finish

Jack,
Many thanks...Unfortuantly the rifle kit did not work out so I was forced to buy a pre-made one. But its of no loss...
But I am thinking of working on another one so thank you for the info...

[dirtyshirt]

Re: Correct Rifle stock finish

I have restored a few '16s and '22s using dunlop stocks. I always did what Mr. Enright was toalking about. Also, after applying the boiled linseed oil (with the palm of the hand) I would crush the grain down with a piece of bone. This smoothed the wood out (it raises a bit when you apply the oil even after sanding) and gives it a slight sheen. Hope that helps if you take on a kit in the future-

Brandon Jolly

[Jack Enright]

Re: Correct Rifle stock finish

Travis:

you're welcome. Keep us posted on how it works out.

Brandon:

many thanks for the tip about using bone as a burnisher. I recall that my friend's gunstocks did have a slightly raised grain. Of course, on the target pistols that was an advantage, as it gave the user a steady grip with minimum hand pressure.

Conversely, on the shotguns, being used under field conditions, it made the surface pick up and hold a fair bit of dirt, and made them harder to clean - which for re-enactors is worth thinking about.


Best regards,

Jack

[BCIDick]

Re: Correct Rifle stock finish

I have used a formula of 50% boiled linseed oil and 50% turpentine on stocks I have built. It is a very dark finish just about identical with plain linseed oil, but the turpentine makes it easier to apply and penetrate the wood.