What to use on gunstock wood?
I've always wondered what others used on the wood if their firearms.
I used to use a silicon spray on mine but it's been gone for quite some time. The directions for it were to shake the can well, spray it on a the cloth provided with it, wait five minutes, then wipe the whole firearm down with it.
I used this religiously for 40 years on all my firearms but I ran out of it and can't find it anymore.
So, is there a particular wax and/or other product that you can recommend?
I used to use a silicon spray on mine but it's been gone for quite some time. The directions for it were to shake the can well, spray it on a the cloth provided with it, wait five minutes, then wipe the whole firearm down with it.
I used this religiously for 40 years on all my firearms but I ran out of it and can't find it anymore.
So, is there a particular wax and/or other product that you can recommend?
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Check with a woodworkers supply catalog, silicone spray is often used to treat saw and other machine tables to keep them slick.
Other than that I know a lot of users like Ballistol.0 -
Not knowing the specific formulation of factory stock finishes makes anything except Renaissance Wax risky..... 0 -
Ballistol Is great for wood leather and all metals also Bio DEGRADEABLE non toxic can even be used for wound medicine 0 -
For collectible guns, I use Renwax on everything except for original military oiled finishes. Those get the appropriate oil. Great for metal too. 0 -
The curators at the Springfield Armory National Museum advise that gunstock wood needs no oil. They use a high grade paste wax on the wood & metal for long term storage.
My experience is that the greatest danger to gunstock wood is Forced Hot Air heating without a humidifier; in near zero humidity homes, the moisture in wood will dry out & the wood will crumble. (I'm talking about 30-40 years.)
Neal0 -
Proper % of humidity is a factor in proper storage of any wood (and for that matter, metal) products.
Too high a humidity and the wood dry rots (the term "dry" rot has NEVER made sense to me when it's caused by high humidity!!!).
TOO low a humidity will cause wood products to loose their natural moisture levels which will cause damage = shrinkage and/or splitting.
You were correct about forced air heating systems drying the air in a structure out but that was before they started over insulating structures with high R value insulation (R33 and up) which stopped a structure from breathing = holding moisture in and not letting it out causing high levels of condensation from too much moisture in the air.
As a result, they've had to add venting systems (to the attic and to the walls) to pull the moist air out which defeats the higher R value insulation!
Given all of that, one must monitor the humidity levels and either inject moisture into the structure if it's too low or dehumidify the air if the humidity is too high. OBTW, all dehumidifiers loose their efficiency below 72 F. The lower the area's temperature below 72 F, the lower the efficiency of the dehumidifier.
IF my memory hasn't failed me, a humidity level of between 35% to 45% should be maintained. Any lower and the house will feel cold (due to water evaporating from your skin). Any higher and you'll have mold problems from moisture buildup.0 -
Back to the original topic of what to use on a firearm's wood.
From my pole of local sporting goods stores (can't call them "gun shops" as it's not PC in New Yuck State anymore!), they all use carnauba wax (not polish as polish contains abrasives!) on their wood stocks. Most all of them use a paste and none of them recommenced a liquid carnauba wax.
I'm going to the auto parts store in the next couple of days and will look for carnauba paste wax.
I'll report back on the results.0 -
Renissance is the best for wood and metal but it is not cheap. Johnsons Paste Wax is good for wood and metal and relatively cheap. 0 -
After many opinions given (internet, local gun shops, fellow firearm owners, etc.) it boiled down to using a qood quality carnauba wax.
I found Advance Auto stocks Meguaire's Gold Class Carnauba Wax.
I have a piece of walnut threshold that I had refinished in parallel whole process of refinishing a rifle stock.
I experimented with applying the Mequair's wax on the threshold and it turned out GREAT! On to the rilfe stock and it too turned out FANTASTIC! NO wax buildup. Not slippery and not sticky. Just right.
I'm VERY pleased with the Mequiar's Gold Class Carnauba's finish.
Not the best picture but the best that I can do for now as it doesn't really show how nice the finished finish is:
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I have been using Johnson's Paste Wax for at least 40 years on my guns. It resists moisture and will protect from rusting. I have a few of my Dad's guns that never get shot in my safe, and the paste wax has protected them for a long time, with just an occasional wipe down and reapplication. 0
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