dfariswheel
Member
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2002
- Messages
- 6,653
I've recently updated my stock finishing technique for getting an old style oil finish.
Link to the original post on using Minwax Antique Oil Finish to do a tougher old style oil finish.........
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/how-to-do-the-worlds-best-oil-finish.240961/
I haven't had to do any stock refinishing for some time, but recently I needed to refresh the finish on my 1950 Marlin 39-A.
One complaint of using 0000 steel wool to buff off the surface is that particles can embed in the wood and rust, making an unsightly stain in the wood.
I was out of steel wool for this job and thought I'd try Scotchbrite synthetic scrubbing and polishing pads.
Years ago I tried this but it didn't work well with the heavier coats of Minwax I was using at the time.
Since this refresh job only needed very thin coats I gave the Scotchbrite a try and it worked extremely well.
The pads I used are the green synthetic "pot scrubber" pads sold in grocery stores.
I used this on a sanding block to insure a flat surface, and it worked very well to buff off the thin surface coat down to the bare wood surface.
The surface layer will turn "muddy" looking and is easy to see so you get it all off.
To do a full finish job I now recommend applying very thin coats of the Minwax and allowing it to dry.
Note that as with a lot of stock finishes, the first couple of coats on unfinished wood never seem to dry completely and stay sticky a long time.
Just let it dry a day or two to however dry it gets and buff it off.
As the wood grain fills the coats dry faster and faster.
Oil finishes are a matter of time, so I recommend spending as long and as many coats as necessary to get the grain totally filled.
Once the last coat is on and the grain is totally filled you can leave a thin coat on as a surface finish, or do as the old oil finished stocks were and buff off the last coat, leaving a stock with the old "egg shell" luster look.
This finish is IN the wood, not ON it.
If you go with the bare surface, allow the wood to fully cure and harden for a few days then buff it to bring out the classic luster of the wood.
Originally I used the old timers method of buffing the bare surface with clean burlap, but on this job I discovered that Scotchbrite Non-abrasive "blue" grocery store scrub pads do an excellent job.
After buffing, you can apply a couple of coats of wax to further protect the wood.
Johnson's Paste Wax or Renaissance Museum wax work very well.
The old oil finishes are slow and time consuming to do, but they're a once in a lifetime stock finish that never needs a strip and refinish like more modern wood finishes..
If, like my Marlin the finish gets scratched from use, simply apply another coat of two to restore it.
Here's my Marlin stock with the Minwax oil finish. There's nothing on the surface, it's all in the wood.
Link to the original post on using Minwax Antique Oil Finish to do a tougher old style oil finish.........
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/how-to-do-the-worlds-best-oil-finish.240961/
I haven't had to do any stock refinishing for some time, but recently I needed to refresh the finish on my 1950 Marlin 39-A.
One complaint of using 0000 steel wool to buff off the surface is that particles can embed in the wood and rust, making an unsightly stain in the wood.
I was out of steel wool for this job and thought I'd try Scotchbrite synthetic scrubbing and polishing pads.
Years ago I tried this but it didn't work well with the heavier coats of Minwax I was using at the time.
Since this refresh job only needed very thin coats I gave the Scotchbrite a try and it worked extremely well.
The pads I used are the green synthetic "pot scrubber" pads sold in grocery stores.
I used this on a sanding block to insure a flat surface, and it worked very well to buff off the thin surface coat down to the bare wood surface.
The surface layer will turn "muddy" looking and is easy to see so you get it all off.
To do a full finish job I now recommend applying very thin coats of the Minwax and allowing it to dry.
Note that as with a lot of stock finishes, the first couple of coats on unfinished wood never seem to dry completely and stay sticky a long time.
Just let it dry a day or two to however dry it gets and buff it off.
As the wood grain fills the coats dry faster and faster.
Oil finishes are a matter of time, so I recommend spending as long and as many coats as necessary to get the grain totally filled.
Once the last coat is on and the grain is totally filled you can leave a thin coat on as a surface finish, or do as the old oil finished stocks were and buff off the last coat, leaving a stock with the old "egg shell" luster look.
This finish is IN the wood, not ON it.
If you go with the bare surface, allow the wood to fully cure and harden for a few days then buff it to bring out the classic luster of the wood.
Originally I used the old timers method of buffing the bare surface with clean burlap, but on this job I discovered that Scotchbrite Non-abrasive "blue" grocery store scrub pads do an excellent job.
After buffing, you can apply a couple of coats of wax to further protect the wood.
Johnson's Paste Wax or Renaissance Museum wax work very well.
The old oil finishes are slow and time consuming to do, but they're a once in a lifetime stock finish that never needs a strip and refinish like more modern wood finishes..
If, like my Marlin the finish gets scratched from use, simply apply another coat of two to restore it.
Here's my Marlin stock with the Minwax oil finish. There's nothing on the surface, it's all in the wood.
