First attempt to rub oil into wood. No kidding here.

[Ignition Override]

Two LE "Jungle Carbines" and three #4 Mk 1 rifles are on hand.
I finally learned that with no Raw linseed oil (only BLO) in woodworking shops and Loews, a lady at Loews told me that the raw version is the same as flaxseed oil, carried by Whole Foods. We now have a bottle of flaxseed oil.

So how much oil is rubbed into a stock? Is it done in very light applications?
I've never done any sort of treatment to any type of wood in my life, but have heard, read a fair bit about it.

One rifle in particular -a "Jungle Carbine (yes, the #5)- has the yellowish wood and has appeared very bone dry since I acquired it in '09.

 

[rcmodel]

Just a little dab on your finger, rubbed into the wood until it is gone.
Then another little dab, and do it again until the whole stock is covered and all the oil is rubbed in.

Then wait a week, and do it again.

Then wait another week and do it again.

The oil should not build up on the surface and get shiney.

It should be rubbed in until the wood will not accept any more.
On military stocks it should not be applied until the grain is filled and the stock becomes glossy.

You can speed up the process a little by applying it with a peice of burlap or rough cloth.
Then keep rubing till you rub all you can in, and then off.

Then keep doing it again giving the oil time to dry between applications.

Rc

 

[Ignition Override]

Thanks very much for the detailed steps. Just rubbed it onto the small grips of the WW2 Mauser Hsc handgun using cloth cleaning patches. Did my best to avoid touching the metal components with the raw linseed oil.

The grips have looked like dry chocolate cookies, almost dusty, when it was acquired three months ago.
I learned the first day with that Mauser to never remove the grips, especially the right grip which keeps the trigger bar and its tiny retainer piece under tension.

 

[beag_nut]

If you are applying raw linseed/flaxseed oil to wood, it will never dry. It will soak in, yes, but it will never dry. That's why they "boil" it, or do the modern equivalent of a chemical treatment to cause the oil to eventually dry.

 

[J-Bar]

I prefer Tung Oil to Linseed Oil. Tung oil dries fairly quickly if it is the only finish on the stock.

I strip the old finish with Citrustrip; usually takes several applications, then smooth the wood with 600 grit paper and 4/0 steel wool. Stain, allow to dry for at least 24 hours, then rub in the Tung oil. It gives a nice satin finish with the grain highlights clearly visible.

 

[mxbob]

The standard finish for military stocks for years was BLO or Boiled Linseed Oil.
It was mostly just smeared on let stand for a few days then wiped off as much as possible. Just repeat as needed. I have found that BLO thined by about half with mineral spirits and rubbed in as well as possible works well and gets rid of the stickyness of plain BLO. If you repeat this enough times and maybe use 4/0 steel wool in between you end up with a nice satin finish. It won't make an old beat up stock look new but pretty good.
Bob Ray

 

[Longhorn 76]

You do not want to put raw oil on the stock.

 

[DeanDallas]

Yes, use raw linseed oil, but mix it with a bit of turpentine. Hand rub it in with the heel of your hand until its hot, go over the stock. But wipe up any excess oil, do it once a day for 6 or 7 times.
And yes it will dry, it just tales longer. We used to finish new walnut replacement stocks on shotguns with a hand rub oil finish.
You can find raw linseed oil in any full service hardware store like Ace or online.
I am telling you this because it is the way we used to do it in stock work.

But I have discovered high grade simple pine tar works great & is even better on wood.
Because of one simple fact, that fact is. It is a multitude of wood oils in one.

You have to see it to believe it, just do a search for pine tar stock finish.
And it is even here on the board.

I just counted 26 pictures of mine on the search that is posted below.

 

[Liberty1776]

An old standard was rubbing oil in once every day for a week, once every week for a month, once every month for a year and once every year for life...

 

[MartinS]

The boiled linseed oil at the hardware store is not boiled linseed oil. Heavy metal salts instead of the steam heating, nasty stuff, nothing I want to establish a cheek weld with.

 

[Laphroaig]

...there's more than one way to skin a cat...

I discovered a gallon of RLO while cleaning out my parents house several years ago. I'm pretty sure that was the go-to finish in bygone years, and my parents must have used it when they built their house in the 1950's. If fact, one of my kids just bought a Franchi shotgun and the instructions said to rub RLO on the wood if it begins to dull, so that tells me that's what they used.

Needless to say I've finished several stocks with RLO in the last couple of years. I'm doing a CMP Garand stock now.

My method is to mix 1 part RLO with 2 parts gum turpentine. I heat the mixture slightly and rub on by hand, trying to get enough pressure so that it starts to feel warm from friction. I hang the wood to dry and steel wool when its not too tacky anymore. That takes from a week to 2-3 weeks per coat. It seems subsequent coats take longer, which tells me the first few coats are "soaking in" to the wood and later coats can't get in as deep and more stays on the surface. I did a birch stock last year. Birch must be tight grained because it took over a month for each coat to dry (I quit after 2 coats).

I'm on the 4th coat with that Garand stock and its still a little bit tacky after 3+ weeks. I plan to wait until its not as tacky and lightly steel wool and call it quits. I think RLO drys eventually.

As other posters have said, there are other methods that are probably just as nice of a finish and not as big of a PIA.

Laphroaig

 

[bainter1212]

The standard finish for military stocks for years was BLO or Boiled Linseed Oil.
It was mostly just smeared on let stand for a few days then wiped off as much as possible. Just repeat as needed. I have found that BLO thined by about half with mineral spirits and rubbed in as well as possible works well and gets rid of the stickyness of plain BLO. If you repeat this enough times and maybe use 4/0 steel wool in between you end up with a nice satin finish. It won't make an old beat up stock look new but pretty good.
Bob Ray

I also mix it using this method. This method will clean grime off of a stock while lightly re-oiling it at the same time. Also will not change the look of the stock if you want to clean it and protect it without destroying the collector value by "refinishing".

 

[HankB]

Some of the Enfield forums discuss this - their resident experts are adamant that Enfields should be done with RAW linseed oil. Their assertion is that the stocks have to fit a certain way and as they dry out they'll shrink a little, reducing accuracy; RAW linseed will swell them up a bit and tighten the fit.

I recently got an unissued No.4 Mk.2 - in storage since the '50s, the stock was pretty dry. After disassembly I lightly sanded and whiskered the stock, being careful not to round off the edges or obliterate the numerous stamps and cartouches. Then I applied a warm 50/50 mix of RAW linseed and mineral spirits liberally inside & out, including the trap in the buttstock; the wood absorbed a LOT, especially wherever end grain was exposed. After a half hour, I repeated this application. Wiped off the excess, let it dry overnight.

Next day, repeat, but added a little Japan drier to the linseed. Wiped off and set it aside for a week.

After that, I began rubbing in smaller amounts by hand, using plain oil (no mineral spirits) and a little Japan drier.

By the time I had 6 or 8 coats on, a few drops, rubbed in by hand, would cover the entire stock. I'm now applying this once a month. (Pure raw linseed - I've dispensed with the Japan drier.)

The main thing is, don't let drips and runs remain on the surface - they'll make a gummy mess. AND . . . be careful how you dispose of the oily wipe rags, they may spontaneously combust.

It's looking really good now.

 

[DeanDallas]

...there's more than one way to skin a cat...

I discovered a gallon of RLO while cleaning out my parents house several years ago. I'm pretty sure that was the go-to finish in bygone years, and my parents must have used it when they built their house in the 1950's. If fact, one of my kids just bought a Franchi shotgun and the instructions said to rub RLO on the wood if it begins to dull, so that tells me that's what they used.

Needless to say I've finished several stocks with RLO in the last couple of years. I'm doing a CMP Garand stock now.

My method is to mix 1 part RLO with 2 parts gum turpentine. I heat the mixture slightly and rub on by hand, trying to get enough pressure so that it starts to feel warm from friction. I hang the wood to dry and steel wool when its not too tacky anymore. That takes from a week to 2-3 weeks per coat. It seems subsequent coats take longer, which tells me the first few coats are "soaking in" to the wood and later coats can't get in as deep and more stays on the surface. I did a birch stock last year. Birch must be tight grained because it took over a month for each coat to dry (I quit after 2 coats).

I'm on the 4th coat with that Garand stock and its still a little bit tacky after 3+ weeks. I plan to wait until its not as tacky and lightly steel wool and call it quits. I think RLO drys eventually.

As other posters have said, there are other methods that are probably just as nice of a finish and not as big of a PIA.

Laphroaig

The standard finish for military stocks for years was BLO or Boiled Linseed Oil.
It was mostly just smeared on let stand for a few days then wiped off as much as possible. Just repeat as needed. I have found that BLO thined by about half with mineral spirits and rubbed in as well as possible works well and gets rid of the stickyness of plain BLO. If you repeat this enough times and maybe use 4/0 steel wool in between you end up with a nice satin finish. It won't make an old beat up stock look new but pretty good.
Bob Ray

If in a military container some people just assumed it was BLO, when in fact it was raw linseed oil.

 

[jcwit]

To those that think that RLO dries completely, take a look if you can on an opened can and see the gummy residue left.

I've always used Min Wax Antique Oil Finish and used it as a rub in finish. Rub it in as you would BLO with your palm. Dries overnight or in 18/24 hours ready for the next coat. Stop when you get the finish you wish.

 

[DeanDallas]

I would never believe a commerical synthetic finish would be better then a natural oil on wood. Nor linseed oil better than natural wood oils.
No matter what it needs to be in the stock not on the suface.
The beauty of wood is the wood itself, the grain, the figure and the wear surface.
There is not one product that meet all of the rules except one, pine tar

 

[Ignition Override]

Dean Dallas, or any other experienced people: Do all of those listed products help preserve the original appearance and value of various (milsurp) wood types, but also protect, without requiring a beginner to handle an advanced -if any- application process?

It has been a while, but Moderators on Enfield forums at Gunboards etc seem to always recommend only Raw linseed (unless I'm mistaken), at least to preserve the original looks/value. Five Enfields (#4/#5), Garand from '55, Spanish FR8 Mauser or WW2 Mauser Hsc handgun, no idea. These are partly collector types, but most get used now and then for the enjoyment.

A buddy living nearby will be able to show me very basic steps.

 

[mr wack]

I like to put a couple of drops on two finger tips and rub until you can feel the warmth from friction , it's a lot of rubbing but it gets good wood penetration and wears your wrists out to boot , then repeat until all wood is covered then do it again and again.

I use the "once a day for a week , once week for a month ,, ect,ect, " rule.
Time consuming ,yes ,,, worth it, absolutely,,,,,

 

[DeanDallas]

The old rules were raw linseed oil rub in with the palm of your until hot. Then wipe up the excess And do it again & again. I hated the look of BLO on wood.
One of the many reasons pine tar surprised me so much, it took the hard work out of the natural finish.

 

[GAMEOVER44]

Wouldnt oil on a wood stock swell the wood? If so thats a NO NO

 

[BBBBill]

Wouldnt oil on a wood stock swell the wood? If so thats a NO NO ...

You're kidding, right? ....... Right?

 

[HankB]

. . . There is not one product that meet all of the rules except one, pine tar

Pine tar is what they put on baseball bats to provide a good grip . . . in your experience, is there any tendency for a pine-tar treated rifle stock to get sticky or tacky, especially in hot weather?

 

[DeanDallas]

Pine tar is what they put on baseball bats to provide a good grip . . . in your experience, is there any tendency for a pine-tar treated rifle stock to get sticky or tacky, especially in hot weather?

It works just like any wood finish & drys up on the surface. It will give you a stain plus a wood preservative all in one.

 

[DeanDallas]

Wouldnt oil on a wood stock swell the wood? If so thats a NO NO

If soaked in pine tar if the wood is dry & abused. You will have a some wood regaining its former shape. On old military stocks that were dry & abused I have had to even refit the stocks to the metal. Encluding the actions and redrill screw holes. When you mess with a real wood fountain of youth and it is strong enough to close weather cracks in wood. You can expect crazy little things to pop up.

 

[bangswitch]

The last three stocks I've refinished, I used teak oil with awesome results. It is thinner than tung oil, made to fill dense grains like ebony, teak, and mahogany. Walnut will take several coats to fill the grain, hard maple not as many. I hand rub the first couple of coats, as described above, let it sit 30 minutes or so, then wipe the excess and let it dry 24-36 hrs. Once I have two or three coats on and dry, the next coat goes on, and I wet sand it instead of rubbing it, using 800-1000 grit paper. I keep sanding until the oil has made a sort of paste with the wood dust from sanding, and then wipe the wood and let it dry. It almost looks polished, and feels like glass.