Oil finish

[Leon]

Hi all I need a bit of advice here. My gunstock is all stained and sealed and ready for final finish. I have a product that I purchased from Rockler Hardware called Sam Maloof poly/oil finish. The can claims the contents are a mixture of boiled linseed oil, pure tung oil and polyurethane varnish. The directions state that it is to be rubbed on and excess is to be wipe off. let set for 24 hrs and repeated till satisfied with results. Does this sound like a good product? Leon 

[Benedict]

Sam Maloof is a well known and respected builder of furniture, most notably rocking chairs.  I would expect that the finish is a quality finish for that application and possibly for guns.  I would recommend that you test it on a scrap to see if you like the look and how it goes on. 

Good Luck! And let us know how it works.

Bruce

[northwoodsdave]

Mixing oils and a modern varnish seems to be a preferred, "state of the art" finish. since it combines both a rubbed oil finish and the hardness and protection of a polyurethane finish.  Before polyuruthane, spar varnish was often used.

My grandfather built a cabin back in the '20s.  The interior wood was finished with a combination of linseed oil, terpentine (to thin the oils so they penetrated better) and either shellac or varnish, depending on who you talk to.  The walls are still in great shape, over eighty years later.

Tough stuff!

David L

[Leon]

I have one more question for this thread, is there any advantage to warming the wood with a hair drier before rubbing the oil? Leon

[Leon]

Sam Maloof is a well known and respected builder of furniture, most notably rocking chairs.  I would expect that the finish is a quality finish for that application and possibly for guns.  I would recommend that you test it on a scrap to see if you like the look and how it goes on. 

Good Luck! And let us know how it works.

Bruce

Not very good. After 4 coats its starting to flake off in patches I don't get it I followed the directions the letter. Should I bring it back down with steel wool and start over with another finish like Danish oil or real Tung oil? I'm very frustrated. Leon 

[Roger Fisher]

Did you happen to 'pour out' too much at a time and allow it to start to thicken b/4 rubbing it on and did you happen to apply it to a large area at a time,.  This would possibly cause it to alligator....    Did you by chance pour it out into a small saucer or some such and allow it to sit under a warm or hot bench light??  Only a thought!  And maybe off the mark!

[keweenaw]

I notice you said you sealed the wood.  Finishes like that are designed to be used on bare wood, or at most stained wood.  The sealer probably prevented the finish from penetrating the wood.  The other point of finishes like that is you need to do very thin coats.  Otherwise you'll get new finish on top of inadequately dried finish that can no longer dry.  This gives a weak layer that could separate.

Tom

[Jim Filipski]

How long did you wait between coats? If it has "poly " in it you have a time limit..... otherwise you need to really rough up each coat with steel or Faux steel wool! Once poly bonds (usually 12 hrs) it is hard to get it to grab the surface again with another coat unless it is roughed up a bit.
Most poly blends need to be applied under that time limit ( however I always rough each coat up no matter how long it is on the stock as long as it has set
FWIW
Jim

[P.W.Berkuta]

I believe Snyder has the answer ---- I have used Sam Malouf's finish many times and I thin it down as my first sealing coat - apply generously then wipe off excess - let dry 24 hours - then apply un-thinned finish in small amounts until the stock is completed - dry 24 hrs - lightly rub back with 4/0 solvent cleaned steel wool. I do about 4 to 6 coats and the last coat I lightly rub back with rottenstone dipped in the Malouf's finish then wipe off and let dry a min of 48 hrs before handling. P.S. on the last coat with the rottenstone do small area and wipe off then move to next small area and so forth --- its time consuming -- their are better finishes availiable out there

[B Shipman]

All you guys are forgetting one thing. What something looks like is only half the battle. "Furniture finish" sends up red flags, not confidence. What happens when it spends three days in the snow.

My test is to finish a piece of wood like you would a rifle and throw it in a bucket of water for a couple of days then fry it in the sun on the driveway.

[tg]

I use a similar mix but use real marine spar varnish, not so sure I like the thought of polyurethane in my gun finish, sounds like putting a sabot in my early Virginia gun...yetch! I use the same mix as a sealer as well.

[Leon]

Thank you all for your input. I've been gone a couple of days because of my job. I believe I have enough info to "finish" this stage of the build. I am going to start another thread on a problem that really has me scratching my head. Thank you. Leon   

[Tony Clark]

I use a similar mix but use real marine spar varnish, not so sure I like the thought of polyurethane in my gun finish, sounds like putting a sabot in my early Virginia gun...yetch! I use the same mix as a sealer as well.

Spar varnish & polyurethane both have synthetic resins in them and one is really not any more "historically correct" than the other if that is what your saying. Spar varnish has phenolic (plastic) resins in it which are more suitable for outdoor use because there more flexible, not to mention spar varnish is a long oil varnish (more oil) which also provides more flexibility in the finish, which is what is needed for anything that is going to be able to withstand temperature extremes. Regards, TC