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Has anyone done a hand rubbed wood finish?

Yup, done it many times. Boiled Linseed Oil is what you're looking for, they sell it at pretty much any hardware store, usually in big cans next to the acetone and paint thinners. It gives a really nice finish, but keep in mind that it really doesn't protect the wood very well. It can be damaged very easily, but luckily, it can be fixed by simply applying more oil. I usually give a coat or two of varnish over the top, either spar varnish or polyurethane, that gives more protection. The more that it will be used, the more protection it needs.
 
polgara said:
American Wormy Chestnut.
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That's very cool. Chestnut is relatively soft, and will take a very nice finish. The finish I mentioned is time consuming, but very forgiving. I'll find a link for you which will give you some of the particulars. I can tell you what materials you'll need, with particular attention given to specific steel wool and the type of rags you will need. I'll get back to ya.
 
justabubba said:
while i see you have used shellac in the past, wonder if you applied a french polish. if not, here are the directions that i used to refinish a guitar neck that had lost its finish over the years:
How to French polish for a fast finish without spraying | stewmac.com

given the amount of time required to achieve a great finish, i would not attempt this on a large project. one excellent feature of french polish is that it is easy to reapply to a marred area at a later date without being able to see that the finish was repaired
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I have never done that, I have just done plain shellac with a brush to restore my great aunts furniture to how she bought it, and brush on shallac is hideous, did not know people could actually make it look that nice.

I chose the hand rubbed tru oil or boiled linseed oil method simply because I do not have a precision workshop to do this. The hand rubbed oil method is very forgiving, and even if I get some runoff, I can wet sand it with a lighter amount of oil to clear it up. The only thing bugging me is if you go up close you can see pits even when it has a glossy shine, I am sure they can be polished out, or fixed without polishing, but this is my first attempt at a hand rubbed finish.
 
VanceMack said:
I have...but nothing as complicated as what you have already done. Love to see the finished product on the MN stock.
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I thought I was going to be finished today, then I found the back of the stock had some imperfections and needed more coats. Afer the final coat has dried it can be used but not polished until it has cured for a week.

I can get a pic of the stock in it's unfinished state, arctic birch is not the greatest wood for a hand rubbed finish, but it looks miles better than what those idiots before me did piling non matching finishes.
 
beerftw said:
I thought I was going to be finished today, then I found the back of the stock had some imperfections and needed more coats. Afer the final coat has dried it can be used but not polished until it has cured for a week.

I can get a pic of the stock in it's unfinished state, arctic birch is not the greatest wood for a hand rubbed finish, but it looks miles better than what those idiots before me did piling non matching finishes.
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ive got a couple of OLD rifles...I was told the best thing I could do with both of them is absolutely nothing. The old Remington has almost a resin buildup on the stock from use and its got a petina...my temptation is to restore it. But...the gun guys recoiled with horror when I suggested that. Same as the old Winchester.
 
VanceMack said:
ive got a couple of OLD rifles...I was told the best thing I could do with both of them is absolutely nothing. The old Remington has almost a resin buildup on the stock from use and its got a petina...my temptation is to restore it. But...the gun guys recoiled with horror when I suggested that. Same as the old Winchester.
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The stock on mine was modified and the original shellac which the russians just dip everything wood in had been stained over numerous times where non matching stains were bubbling up. I agree if it had been original or even a military factory refurb I would have left it alone, however it was not.

I am thinking in the future of buying a non molested 91-30 mosin stock and handguard to put back on there, but what it has now had no value even if I never changed it. Btw the unfinished product. after I update flash:doh
 
beerftw said:
The stock on mine was modified and the original shellac which the russians just dip everything wood in had been stained over numerous times where non matching stains were bubbling up. I agree if it had been original or even a military factory refurb I would have left it alone, however it was not.

I am thinking in the future of buying a non molested 91-30 mosin stock and handguard to put back on there, but what it has now had no value even if I never changed it. Btw the unfinished product. after I update flash:doh
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Most of my guns are shooters. Even the Winchester, I take it out pretty often. I have an old Stevens 311 Side by Side that didnt have a serial number...it had a hand driven proofing stamp. Kicks like a mule but its a great old gun. I like the old guns, but I like the new ones too.
 
VanceMack said:
Most of my guns are shooters. Even the Winchester, I take it out pretty often. I have an old Stevens 311 Side by Side that didnt have a serial number...it had a hand driven proofing stamp. Kicks like a mule but its a great old gun. I like the old guns, but I like the new ones too.
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My mosin has the refurb stamps on it for the upper and lower, can't spell it now but it was not the tula plant but the other in russia. My brothers was better than mine, an m-44 never issued but did have a correction stamp on it when we looked it up meant it was a factory defect, and was sent in for repair with the force match stamp, which was to show it was the original parts but repaired before leaving the factory.

Now flash is updated I can upload the pics
mosin 1.jpgmosin2.jpg
 
beerftw said:
My mosin has the refurb stamps on it for the upper and lower, can't spell it now but it was not the tula plant but the other in russia. My brothers was better than mine, an m-44 never issued but did have a correction stamp on it when we looked it up meant it was a factory defect, and was sent in for repair with the force match stamp, which was to show it was the original parts but repaired before leaving the factory.

Now flash is updated I can upload the pics
View attachment 67218004View attachment 67218005
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very nice. Good job on that!
 
My Mother who grew up in the depression in desperate poverty had all sorts in interesting
tricks. At some point she thought the finish on our old Piano needed updating,
and had us kids redo it with pecan oil.
We just took fresh pecans crushed up in rags, rubbed it in into the wood until it looked shiny.
That was in the late 60's some time, The last time I saw the piano was about 2010,
and it still looked good.
I have also used Tru-oil on gunstocks, and almost always had good results.
(The time I did not was my using a cheap brush.)
 
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