Gloss finish on stock

[Boompa]

   I've seen a couple contemporary guns finished in a very buffed high gloss, near flawless.  I admire the skill and patience of those builders. To achieve a truly nice looking high gloss on wood it requires a near flawless surface under the wood...lots of time invested.

 I've seen very few original antique rifles and the guns I've seen were so tired the finish had mostly worn away.
    Do we know what level of gloss the old masters achieved on their nicer guns?
   What finish do you normally use, linseed, tru-oil, tung oil, poly, or? And, do you prefer a satin sheen, medium or high gloss?

[Mark Elliott]

I normally use an oil finish applied to semi-gloss (several coats) and then rubbed back to a satin finish.   I have seen original guns with their original finish intact.   They are either an oil finish or spirit varnish.   They were all a satin finish.   They could have been a little glossier originally, but that is impossible to know.  Given that they had scraped surfaces,  I suspect they wouldn't have wanted a gloss finish.   As a general rule, you really need to use sandpaper to achieved a good looking gloss finish.   I wouldn't even try to do that, but that is personal preference.    

[EC121]

I scraped(to learn how) the last one I built(plain TN style) then stained and burnished it.  After that I put two coats of Tru-oil on it to seal the wood.  I try to seal it some to avoid those accidental stains from gunk running out the touchhole.  It also helps keep the wood behind the pan from burning/rotting.  After that you could rub some oil on it as desired.  Two coats doesn't fill the grain.

[Mikecooper]

I would use homemade varnish.  Made with cooked rosin and good quality linseed oil.   That tends to be kind of glossy but would dull some with wear I suppose. 

[SingleMalt]

I also use a vanish I made myself with resin and lead dryer.  Adding some mineral spirits helps with drying.  Tru-Oil is pretty close off of the shelf to that.

[Boompa]

I also use a vanish I made myself with resin and lead dryer.  Adding some mineral spirits helps with drying.  Tru-Oil is pretty close off of the shelf to that.

    I like Tru-oil, using 5-7 coats for build then steel wool between the last 2-3 coats to bring it to a satin finish. A shortcut is doing the final coat with a satin varnish, it seems to seal better too.
           A problem I've had with Tru-oil is that no matter how tight I seal the container after using, the driers are active and it eventually coagulates to a jell. I went to spray cans of tru-oil and spray it on a clothe to use it as I would out of the small bottle.  Doing it this way I'm able to use the entire can.

[Robby]

I've experimented with a variety of home made finishes, both varnish and shellack. they all dry with a high shine. They aren't a hard finish like most of todays varnishes and with use soon loose that hard shine.

[EC121]

I store the Tru-oil bottle upside down, and it seals itself.  Mine has to be 8-10yrs old and stored in an outside building.  I've also read that putting small rocks or marbles in the bottle to keep the level up to the neck will help.

[Boompa]

Thanks for the tip!

[Daryl]

I store the Tru-oil bottle upside down, and it seals itself.  Mine has to be 8-10yrs old and stored in an outside building.  I've also read that putting small rocks or marbles in the bottle to keep the level up to the neck will help.

Yes ---exactly!!

[Mikecooper]

you can drop marbles in the bottle of tru-oil to raise the level back up to the top,  less air in the bottle so doesn't start to dry out in the bottle.   Oops I just noticed someone else posted that.     

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

My experience is that when TruOil reaches the end of it's shelf life, it's best to throw it away and replace it.  I went the route of the marbles thing, and ended up with a jar full of marbles and glue.

[Joe S]

I just finished a gun with some brown varnish made in 2009.  The bottle it was in was only about 1/3 full, and there was no gelling or other signs of deterioration of the varnish.  Perhaps if I live long enough, I will find out what the shelf life of this varnish is.

For those not familiar with brown varnish, it was a common 1700's varnish.  Makes a fine gun finish, much better than most modern finishes.

[Mikecooper]

Maybe the tru-oil has more of a chemical hardening process than an oxidation process. 

Chick Walla do you have a recipe for that brown varnish you could share?   Rosin oil varnishes are fairly simple but there are lots of variations.  I think long oil varnishes are probably tougher and more durable than short ones.   

[Boompa]

  I googled "brown varnish recipe" and found lots of different varnishes.  I'd also like to know the mix you use.

[Joe S]

Rather than hijack this thread, I started another one - Period Varnish.

[Daryl]

This finish is just over 30 years old, now. The rifle has seen a LOT of use - barks and bangs - winter cold, summer heat, fall and spring rains - good old True Oil. I'd estimate over 5,000 rounds & close to 90 pounds of powder through her.