A suitable finish for m39 finnish mosin nagant new forearm, to match old stock?
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Dave DeLaurant
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Have you seen these discussion threads?
https://www.ar15.com/forums/armory/Finnish-M39-Stock-Finish-/14-503095/
https://www.gunboards.com/threads/observations-on-finnish-rifle-stock-oil-kiväärintukkiöljy.226756/
Kiväärintukkiöljy is evidently the compound used for the original finish. Here's one fellow's comments on trying to reproduce it today:
"1. the finishing oil is an equal mixture of beeswax, tung oil and turpentine (edited to add, the original source I am quoting later changed his statement and said it was linseed oil, this will become important when one reads Alan Longmire's post later).
"2. Bad news - the Finnish turpentine of those days was a by-product of pine tar manufacture or concentration or whatever, so it still had some pine tar dissolved in it (your observation about color was spot-on).
"3. So, in order to duplicate it, you would need modern turpentine, beeswax, tung oil, and a spec of pine tar (edited: use linseed instead of tung oil)."
Source: https://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?/topic/20362-kiväärintukkiöljy-finishing-oil/
https://www.ar15.com/forums/armory/Finnish-M39-Stock-Finish-/14-503095/
https://www.gunboards.com/threads/observations-on-finnish-rifle-stock-oil-kiväärintukkiöljy.226756/
Kiväärintukkiöljy is evidently the compound used for the original finish. Here's one fellow's comments on trying to reproduce it today:
"1. the finishing oil is an equal mixture of beeswax, tung oil and turpentine (edited to add, the original source I am quoting later changed his statement and said it was linseed oil, this will become important when one reads Alan Longmire's post later).
"2. Bad news - the Finnish turpentine of those days was a by-product of pine tar manufacture or concentration or whatever, so it still had some pine tar dissolved in it (your observation about color was spot-on).
"3. So, in order to duplicate it, you would need modern turpentine, beeswax, tung oil, and a spec of pine tar (edited: use linseed instead of tung oil)."
Source: https://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?/topic/20362-kiväärintukkiöljy-finishing-oil/
Random 8
Member
I have replicated it for sauna accessories and hand tools using roughly equal parts yellow beeswax, boiled linseed, and modern turpentine with carbonized sap of Jack Pine. I believe one could use pine tar available in the veterinary medicine section of the feed store also.
I produce the carbonized resin myself, by sanding dried resin pockets with a rasp to produce a coarse powder, then scorching on a flat piece of aspen wood with a torch. The whole stick of wood, scorched sap and all is immersed in a jar of turpentine while still hot and allowed to "flavor" the turpentine for some time. I usually have a couple pints of tinted turpentine in my shop at any given time, so soak has varied from 1-5 years. Does a wonderful job of bringing out the grain, similar to using bone black as a stain enhancer. That product might also be worth experimenting with.
Haven't tried it on a rifle stock.
I produce the carbonized resin myself, by sanding dried resin pockets with a rasp to produce a coarse powder, then scorching on a flat piece of aspen wood with a torch. The whole stick of wood, scorched sap and all is immersed in a jar of turpentine while still hot and allowed to "flavor" the turpentine for some time. I usually have a couple pints of tinted turpentine in my shop at any given time, so soak has varied from 1-5 years. Does a wonderful job of bringing out the grain, similar to using bone black as a stain enhancer. That product might also be worth experimenting with.
Haven't tried it on a rifle stock.
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Dave DeLaurant
Member
Way off-topic here, but I gotta ask: do you make this kind of stuff for sale, or can you recommend a place for authentic Finnish sauna accessories?
My sister's family lived in Helsinki for a year and had a custom sauna built as soon as they got back to Indiana. I'm thinking ahead for possible Christmas gifts.
Random 8
Member
I usually buy unfinished wooden items, then give them the pine tar finish treatment and sometimes antique or torch them. No time for me until after Xmas. I usually just find stuff on Amazon. There are some "stores" from Ukraine that have some pretty rustic crafts in both the Russian Banya and Finnish style. Mealey's gift and sauna from Ely MN will have some more high end items. Now if you need a birch twig flail or something of that sort, I could make that happen!
Dave DeLaurant
Member
Thanks dude! I'll give Mealey's a shot.
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