Waterlox, thinned with turps 50% for first coat, then out of the can every other day. it will build with 3-4 coats, let it cure for about a week, then nock the gloss back with fine scotchbrite and BLO as lube. wipe it clean, let it gas off for a week again and then rub out with fine scotchbrite and johnson's paste wax. buff it down and let it cure for a day or two. been doing stocks and furniture this way for about 15 yrs. now. i put the scotch brite pad on my random orbital for big surfaces and have at the details by hand.
just about any tounge based rub on will produce an excellent finish.... brand doesn't matter, they are all just about the same.
i recently found an old, almost empty can of spar varnish that had started to thicken, it was about like honey. i tinted it just a bit red with a cherry stain, and used it like a rub on....best stuff i ever used on a stock.....i need to figure out how to age spar varnish faster... maybe in a slow cooker?? the can barely had enough for the one stock i did with it. the stock was very curly piece of soft maple on an FN mauser and the tint really brought the figure out!
