linseed over lye treated cherry?

[Turtle]

 I usually put a coat of linseed over my stained stocks to enhance the grain before finishing. I plan to use oven cleaner on my new cherry build and wonder if there might be a possible problem putting linseed on it after?
                                    Thanks, Rich

[54ball]

 Just make sure the lye solution is dry. If you do all this at once with the lye still wet on the stock...you could make a type of soap!
 You could wipe it down with a water or even vinegar damped cloth to remove and or neutralize the lye.

 I have used a seal coat of shellac followed by linseed based varnishes.

[Dave R]

You gunsmiths that have used the EasyOn oven cleaner how many coats of oven cleaner do you put on?

[FALout]

Usually one.  The first time I was worried so started to wipe off right away, so had to do a second coat.  I save all cutoffs (since I build from blank most of time) and use them for color samples, gives a good example of what to expect.

[Flint62Smoothie]

One coat here too, just did a maple-stocked (factory) Austin-Halleck mountain rifle this afternoon.

After de-whiskering the stock, I spray on the oven cleaner, the foaming kind. With a good coat covering everything, I let it sit for a good 20-mins or more. Then I’ll use a big artist brush, bristles about 1/4” round by 1-1/4” long, to wipe off all the excess foam. Then I rinse out the brush and neutralize the brush in plain ol’ white vinegar.

Once the stock is dry, I put some vinegar into an empty plastic yogurt cup and paint it on the stock, hanging the stock vertically. FWIW I’ve done a couple stocks and some instruments w/ the same brush and all is well with it ... could probably still paint with it! (Looks new)

This stock was ‘tow head’ blonde white, but turned golden maple, w/ some figure, after about an hour. Of course that could be the ‘wetness’ but I’ll know tomorrow what color (if anything) she might be, as all lye really does is pull what tannins are already in the wood up to the surface.

I’ll take a new picture and post a before/after.

[Tim Crosby]

 Oven cleaner on Maple...I would like to see the Pix, Thanks TC 

[Mike Brooks]

I don't see any reason to put linseed oil on a stock before you start your finish. seems detrimental to me.

[FALout]

I've seen it done before, putting linseed on first before other finish, I'm not much for that myself.  I think it just creates a situation where the final finish is just floating there, not being able to grab the wood.  I've always believed in using one finish beginning to end, if your gonna use linseed, that's it!  If you want to use tung oil, fine, but use only that, so on and so on.

[Turtle]

Someone, I think it was muzzleloaders builders supply claimed it "popped" the grain if used over the stain. I have always done it with no problems under permyln. Can't prove it helps, but they sure look good.

[Dphariss]

I usually put a coat of linseed over my stained stocks to enhance the grain before finishing. I plan to use oven cleaner on my new cherry build and wonder if there might be a possible problem putting linseed on it after?
                                    Thanks, Rich

If you mix boiled LS oil with Tru-oil 50-50 it will make a good finish, basically a "fat" oil varnish. I would cut it with real turpentine for the first coat 15%-20%, onw part in five.....  Or get some of Chambers oil. You are correct that LS oil will bring out color and figure in the wood better than the transparent modern finishes. The plastic finishes actually tend to HIDE highlights in the wood. A dark LS oil varnish that is still soft enough to be elastic will outlast almost any modern synthetic finish in "paint it on boards and leave on the back yard fence for a year" tests. If applied in the wood with just a very thin final coat its very durable But we have to remember that the "boiled" oil bought in hardware stores is not what was used as a gunstock varnish back in the day, its paint thinner or "log oil" for unpainted fences or siding. I have examined late 19th c rifles with original "varnish" finishes that showed no chipping to cracking/crazing and even shallow rounded dents still have a complete finish film. Only deep or sharp object dents break the finish. Hard finishes will instantly fail if  the wood is dented and may fail just from temperature change as many of the plastic finished modern brass suppository guns used to when plastic finishes came into use. They are somewhat better now but still tend to mask the "life" out of the wood leaving it with little depth. Looking like the grain was painted on.

Dan

[SingleMalt]

You're exactly right, Dan.  I've said for years that BLO alone isn't a suitable finish for any firearm. Personally, I think the most firearms in the 18th century were varnished with one form or another of a cooked oil varnish.  I made some and it worked great and dried well when exposed to sunlight.