Skip to main content
Help Center Community Shop

M1carbine stock refinish

Comments

9 comments

  • nmyers
    This stock also had a gloss finish. After stripping the old finish with Formby's furniture stripper, I applied 4 coats of (thinned) tung oil, rubbing with 0000 steel wool between coats, & after the final coat.

    M1carb225333g.jpg

    Neal
    0
  • mcaso
    "return it to the originsl finish"

    No of-fence, but I find it difficult to believe that even our Uncle would pay Olive the oilier to do that much of a hand job.
    0
  • fishkiller41
    Tung is gonna be the way to go...As stated above.
    0
  • 45er
    Howdy Bartman45,

    Per your original question on original finish for an orginal G.I. stock finish-- manufacturer's dipped the wood into barrels of linseed oil.

    Many, (and myself) have used both boiled linseed oil and tung oil with great success on military wood.

    However, a good nod goes to tung oil for the following reason: as with Nmyers photo, one cannot tell the difference whether tung or linseed; tung oil is in preference as it is less flammable, is more water/chemical resistant, will not bleed with age, etc. as will linseed.

    That said, boiled linseed is still kept around to satisly my Irish heritage, and because it smells better when wet, my opine. Your choice, of course. Give google a google with "linseed oil vs tung oil" for a ton of info to get more confused! Either way, you cannot go wrong with these two options.

    45er
    0
  • wpage
    Go with the tung oil...
    0
  • Michibay
    For YEARS I have used regular Mineral Oil on gun stocks. At first, I rub it in using a very fine steel wool...it seems to work great! Mineral oil has no smell, it's non-toxic and will not hurt anything! People can drink it and do for medical purpose. My house is made of Redwood and I have serious intent to purchase mineral oil commercially in five gallon containers and re-finish my house in it.
    0
  • SoreShoulder
    The military finish is often confused with BOILED linseed oil because of the similarity of the name. They achieved that dark, chocolate brown finish by using BOILING linseed oil and putting it on piping hot. It was mixed with an equal amount of turpentine and kept very hot and turned dark brown after a while. I would definitely do this outside away from anything flammable. Perhaps they also kept the stocks in the dunk tank for a while, searing the wood a bit, I don't know.

    I read some military rifle manual which stated the stock was to be maintained with an occasional application of linseed oil. If they really gave you a bit of linseed oil to put on the stock in the service, then a hand-rubbed finish wouldn't be too inauthentic because something very like a hand-rubbed finish would naturally build up if you kept the weapon out of the rain and mud.
    0
  • SoreShoulder
    quote:Originally posted by Michibay
    My house is made of Redwood and I have serious intent to purchase mineral oil commercially in five gallon containers and re-finish my house in it.All levity aside, a house finished in mineral oil could reach its flash point just from being in the hot sun. Then, any spark could set it alight like a gasoline soaked rag. Maybe it wouldn't happen in 20 or 50 years but it seems like just too little of a margin of safety.
    0
  • bartman45
    quote:Originally posted by nmyers
    This stock also had a gloss finish. After stripping the old finish with Formby's furniture stripper, I applied 4 coats of (thinned) tung oil, rubbing with 0000 steel wool between coats, & after the final coat.

    M1carb225333g.jpg

    Neal
    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Recent Activity