Need Help with Stock Finish

[frogwalking]

I am nearing completion of a (for me) nice Lancaster long rifle.  The stock is a nicely figured piece of sugar Maple.  I sanded it with 320 grit sandpaper, dewhiskered it multiple times, and stained it with Ferric Nitrate.  I sealed the stock with 4 coats of Permalyn sealer (letting the first two soak I n as much as they would, then wiping the remainder off.   I did not use the "Traditional Oil Finish" bought from TOW, but bought a bottle of Wahkon Bay True Coat (which has the same ingredients and smells identical, also the on-label directions are identical to the Traditional Oil Finish).  I followed the directions of hand rubbing a thin coat on the stock once a day for a week, after which it became apparent that none of the coats were drying even though the humidity in the house was in the 40% range.  I let it dry for a week, then rubbed it down slightly with 0000 steel wool, which scratched the $#*! out of it.  I put 3 additional coats on one a week.  It either is not drying, or remains very soft and almost sticky after it is dry.  In the old days, I used a bunch of True Oil with consistent results and always got a hard shiny finish.

Of course, for this purpose, the shine is not wanted.

What do I do to rescue t his stock?  Thanks,

Frog.

[Daniel]

 Where do you live ? High humidity will slow the dry time. Lots of folks are in a rain mode in the south.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

No matter what finish you apply, if the previous coat is not COMPLETELY dry, the next coat will not dry and it gets worse the more you lay on.

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

To save your stock, you may need to cut the finish back with thinners and/or turpentine, removing all of the old finish while it is still gummy.  Then let it dry for a few days and start again.  Some finishes are not compatible with others, so you may run into problems getting one oil to dry when applied over another.

[jerrywh]

In my opinion there is no better advice than what Taylor is giving you.  I have always been of the opinion that almost any stock finishing product on the market will give very good results if applied correctly. There is no set rule for a good stock finish in my opinion because there are too many variables other than the type of finish.  How it is applied has more to do with the final outcome than what product is used.   A very experienced fisher can make super good finishes with almost any stock finish on the market.   Advising someone on line is near impossible because we cannot feel or see firsthand how each coat effects the other or how they feel to the hand.
 One thing I can tell you is if a coat feels sticky or soft don't put another coat over it until it hardens or is removed.  Sometimes it helps to put the gun in the sunlight and leave it for a few days or even a week or more. When I get a finish that won’t dry I throw that bottle in the garbage and get another one.  Do not put it in a hot car or a very hot place.   

[tallbear]

Frog

As you noticed those two finishes are most likely the same.William Young the original owner of Wahkon Bay supplied his product to TOW and when he got out of the business most likely gave/sold the formula to Track as their finish poped up shortly after he got out.

The key to getting those finishes to dry(they are linseed oil based I believe) is thin costs and sunlight.It's the sunlight(UV Rays) that helps polymerize/harden the linseed oil.


Mitch

[Dennis Glazener]

He Frog, its that TN air You probably would not have that problem if you were still in VA!

Before doing anything drastic I would try laying the stock in direct sunlight for several hours. It just might dry. I had a stock that I was using Tru Oil on (hate that stuff!) and it was acting the same way. I left it in direct sun a couple of afternoons and it dried perfectly. Something about those sun rays that works better than a low humidity area/heat.

Dennis
Just saw that Jerry recommends that too.

[clockman]

Frog,
 I was just about to post when I saw Dennis jump in there.   I've had this to happen to me.  Most likely too many coats without completely drying in between.  Once you build up several layers it may take longer than a week for some finishes to dry.  Not your fault, humidity does that.   I completely agree with Dennis.   Hang it outside -in the sun for a 2-3 days.   (Bring it in at sundown though).  There's something about those UV rays that really dries things out.  I'd try that for a couple of days before I resulted to stripping it down. Good luck, and how about a pic of the finished product?  Love to see guns!

[Mark Elliott]

I second sunlight.   Linseed oil based finishes need UV/sunlight to dry.   A thin coat will dry in a couple hours in the sun.   You can put on a lot of thin coats on a sunny day.

[FDR]

To save your stock, you may need to cut the finish back with thinners and/or turpentine, removing all of the old finish while it is still gummy.  Then let it dry for a few days and start again.  Some finishes are not compatible with others, so you may run into problems getting one oil to dry when applied over another.

Taylor got it right as usual. Cut the finish back, reapply the Permalyn sealer  and when it is dry (24hrs to be sure) recoat with Tru Oil and yes it will stick and dry just fine.  That is my standard finish on gunstocks.

Fred

[FALout]

I'd try the sun light first for a few days if not at least a week.  If that don't do it, then give it a wash and wipe down (rub off the finish).  Stock I did this last winter, the finish dried really slow even with very low humidity and placed over heat register.  One coat of finish per week if that.

As a side note, you should throughly stir your finish before using, i had trouble once with new can of finish that I had used once prior, just wouldn't dry correctly. Removed the finish, stirred the can and had not trouble from there on out.  Now that won't likely help with the finish you are using, sun light will.

[Daryl]

As with Fred, I-too like True Oil.  I let the first thin coat harden completely- 48 hours at least. Then, the next thin coats, even though feeling hard in 2 or 3 hours, I let go 24 hours as well.  A super finish that is HARD is the result with-out the GREEN smell that seems to take forever to go away.
Being in a hurry not only makes for mistakes, but also a soft finish.

[flehto]

I finish all my LRs w/ 3 coats of wipe on/wipe off soak in  LMF sealer w/ a complete dry between coats Then the stock is rubbed down to get rid of any sealer on the surface. Then 2-3  very thin , finger rubbed coats of Wahkon Bay Trucoat w/ a complete dry between coats.  Have never encountered either finisn failing to dry.  Pictured below are some   LRs  finished as above.....Fred

[bama]

I have a friend that built a rifle many years ago. I was at a match with him and he was complaining that his gun had always had a tacky feel to it. He had used a linseed oil type finish on it and after looking at it I could tell he had put multiple layers of finish on before letting the last coat dry. This was probably 5 years after he built the rifle and the under coat still had not dried. l took the rifle home and started rubbing the stock with an old terry cloth towel. After awhile the excess finish started coming off of the stock and onto the towel. A couple of days rubbing and I managed to get back down to where the towel did not pick up any more excess finish. I let it set for a few days and run the towel over it again and the surface felt dry there was no more tacky feeling. I applied a couple of coats Tung oil and it looked and felt like a new rifle.

I know it's hard to wait between finish coats but if the first coat is not dry when you apply the second coat, the first coat may never dry.