Beeswax and linseed oil ?

[Bart]

Has anyone ever experimented with finishing a gun using a combination of beeswax and linseed oil? How is it done? any help would be appreciated.

Bart

[Dphariss]

Has anyone ever experimented with finishing a gun using a combination of beeswax and linseed oil? How is it done? any help would be appreciated.

Bart

If you have properly prepared linseed oil the beeswax is not necessary.
There are a number of threads in the archives concerning converting store bought LS oil into stock finish.
I have a friend who knows a lot about beeswax and uses it it by the ton I suspect. He can't figure why anyone would put it on a stock.

Dan

[Daryl]

Taylor's .62 S. Hawken, just finished this year, has only a Beeswax finish. We shot it for the first time a couple weeks ago.

[caliber45]

Bart -- Don't know about beeswax and linseed oil, but I use beeswax/turpentine to finish my rifles. Looks good, works fine, waterproofs well, leaves a "glow" finish, rather than the shiny, varnishy look I don't care for. Melt the beeswax, stir in the turpentine, paint it on the whiskered stock. It'll go on thick. Then melt it into the wood with the low setting on a heat gun. (High setting can burn the wood!) I refresh it periodically with either jojoba oil or Johnson's Paste Wax. -- paulallen, tucson az

[B Shipman]

Yes, you can actually finish a gun with hot beeswax. I suspect the guys from Williamsburg have done it.  Way back when, I used to finish with oil and beeswax. You simply heat the oil until the wax melts and aply it liberally and let it sink in. A number of coats and scrub with something rough like burlap and a toothbrush around carving then a final coat buffed with a cloth. OK finish. Dulls and gets lifeless over time.

[satwel]

Bart,

I have achieved great results with the following stock finish:

1 part melted beeswax
1 part turpentine
1 part boiled linseed oil
1/2 part Johnsons paste wax
1/2 part white vinegar

Melt the beeswax in a double boiler. Stir in the linseed oil first then the turpentine. Keep stirring until mixed thoroughly. Then stir in the paste wax. Add the vinegar last, again mixing it in well.

The finish goes on easier if it is heated first. Make sure you apply it in thin layers and let it dry thoroughly between coats. If you are in a hurry, this is not the finish for you as it takes days for each coat to dry. I like this finish because it is not glossy and can easily be touched up. I apply a new coat once a year.

Good luck.

[elk killer]

i have only used beeswax and linseed oil oil for the last 40 yrs,,
i put a little japan dryer in the linseed,,rub a few coats of that on and let it dry,,
key word is dry,,!!then simply warm the beeswax and rub it in hard,,
as many coats as you want,,its just builds up over time..when you get a scratch or a ding
just rub some beeswax on it
metal parts and all.
makes the sick well,,,and the well weller..!!!
been on several wet raining and snowing elk hunts,
with the rifle no worse for wear..
of course finishes are like women,,we ALL have our tastes....

[Bart]

Thanks to everyone for the advice and comments.

Bart