Ruined my rifle's finish

[Elnathan]

"Black water cold and clear can never clean your wound.
There's none but the witch of the Westmoreland can make thee hale and soond!.".....Stan Rogers  Sorry - couldn't resist.

Oh wow. That little snippet sounded familiar enough for me to look it up on youtube, and sure enough, I think I heard that on the Thistle and Shamrock many, many years ago. I had completely forgotten it...I think I heard the Fisher version, though.

As for the subject at hand, perhaps using a softwood twig to plug the touch-hole would work better than a hardwood toothpick. Last time I had to plug my touch-hole I just whittled a peg some some bit of vegetation I picked up on the margins of the shooting range, and it worked just fine.

[Dennis Glazener]

I don't understand toothpicks not stopping water from leaking. I use the round toothpicks and have never had one leak or come out before I pulled it out. I actually start a jag/patch down the barrel then pull the toothpick out and have never had even a dribble. Until I pull the toothpick out of the venthole.
Dennis

[Darkhorse]

Coopersdad, you apply your finish basically the way I do with a few changes. For the first coat I know the stock will absorb finish so I apply a generous amount watching the spots that absorb the most. I continue this until there is no spot that will absorb more finish, then wipe it off with a cotton cloth. BTW I apply finish to the inside of all the mortices and with a q tip to the insides of drilled holes. Then the rifle is allowed to dry a full 24 hours.
The second night I do the same thing as the first night to be sure the pores are sealed, except the stock is lightly sanded with around 400 grit paper before applying the second coat.
The third night I again lightly sand the stock then wipe it off with a damp cloth to remove all the dust possible. The stock was well whiskered prior to beginning applying finish so I don't worry about the damp cloth raising any grain. Now I either use my fingers dipped in finish or a hard cotton cloth dipped in finish to apply the next coat. I make sure there are no runs and the finish is even, then dry 24 hours.
I apply 8 coats of Chambers finish and I let the 7th coat dry 48 hours before starting the 8th. There should be no runs or high spots in the finish at this point. All these I have sanded off during the previous coats.
The 8th coat is hard rubbed until I feel the stock and finish warming up, and here the cotton cloth works well too. I pay a lot of attention to the stock to prevent runs. Holding the stock to a good light will show runs or wrinkles. When I am satisfied I have a good, even, smooth final coat, I allow it to dry at least 24 hours.
Then I rub it down with a piece of Scotch brite general purpose just hard enough to smooth out the final finish.

I don't let anyone disturb me or rush me when I'm finishing a stock.
I like the Chambers finish. My main hunting rifles have been wearing it for well over 10 years with no problems at all. Sounds like you missed a step somewhere.


temporary image upload

[David R. Pennington]

That black goo coming out of a dirty barrel would eat the warts off a toad.

[smallpatch]

Try cleaning the area with some more Chambers finish.  That is if you don't have wax in it.  It sould act like a solvent, and reseal that area. 
I only use Chambers finish.  Nice looking and very easy to use.
If you've cut through the stain and finish, it may not help, but worth a try before drastic measures.
Read the instructions..... should be flooded, and wiped off for each coat.

[B.Barker]

Any boiled linseed finish will streak if blackpowder water runs on it. I've made my own used Kiblers  and others and they will all get streaked. You need them new polymer or spar varnish to keep from having any damage done from the black water. It's not a poorly made finish its just boiled linseed is not a good one for turning chemicals including black powder. If you used nitric acid it shouldn't have done any thing to the stain unless you really got aggressive with the steel wool.

[Daryl]

"Black water cold and clear can never clean your wound.
There's none but the witch of the Westmoreland can make thee hale and soond!.".....Stan Rogers  Sorry - couldn't resist.

Oh wow. That little snippet sounded familiar enough for me to look it up on youtube, and sure enough, I think I heard that on the Thistle and Shamrock many, many years ago. I had completely forgotten it...I think I heard the Fisher version, though.

As for the subject at hand, perhaps using a softwood twig to plug the touch-hole would work better than a hardwood toothpick. Last time I had to plug my touch-hole I just whittled a peg some some bit of vegetation I picked up on the margins of the shooting range, and it worked just fine.

here ya go!

[Elnathan]

Been listening to that exact video/song for the last month, Daryl!

Been thinking, though, and I think the version I first heard was sung by someone else, possibly Connie Dover.

[bob in the woods]

Archie Fisher wrote the song. Stan learned it from him.

[WadePatton]

I don't understand toothpicks not stopping water from leaking. I use the round toothpicks and have never had one leak or come out before I pulled it out. I actually start a jag/patch down the barrel then pull the toothpick out and have never had even a dribble. Until I pull the toothpick out of the venthole.
Dennis

In my case it's probably from the pick being jostled by "traffic" and other doings in the kitchen. I break them off now to reduce the possibility of them getting knocked around.  Widening the trail through the kitchen might help too as I'm never only doing one thing, and then dogs.

[Daryl]

I don't understand toothpicks not stopping water from leaking. I use the round toothpicks and have never had one leak or come out before I pulled it out. I actually start a jag/patch down the barrel then pull the toothpick out and have never had even a dribble. Until I pull the toothpick out of the venthole.
Dennis

Only happened to me once, but once was enough.

[Marcruger]

When using the "toothpick method", only use a round toothpick.  I know that sounds obvious, but you never know....

Once you push the toothpick in the touch hole tight, fold a patch around it and carefully shut the frizzen on it.  Double check that the pick is still in tight. 

The frizzen holds everything in place.  The patch is there to catch any leaks.  Check often when cleaning for a wet patch. 

Hope this helps someone.  Best wishes, and God Bless,   Marc

[Majorjoel]

This may sound a bit anal but I treat my tooth picks with a liquid mix of Murphy's oil soap & alcohol.

Soak them for a few minutes and put them away to dry for that day of service.

Have had leaks with dry tooth picks but no more problems with the treated one's.

[thecapgunkid]

Long John...  When you apply steel wool to a finished stock it is cutting the finish off with each pass

Yup.  I've heard too many good riflemakers swear off the stuff, an too many good riflemakers avoiding too many chemicals in cleaning.  I have found in all my years of shooting that a coffee can full of tepid water, one of those hose jobe with the brass clamp fitting over the touch hole and the water will get everything out even though you look like a jerk frantically pumping with your wet-patch ramrod.

A whole bunch of patches after that and one bad boy with WD 40 left in the bore for a couple of hours has never failed me.

The Tru-Oil idea is also a gem in its own right.  When I finally learned to whisker with patience I also learned to apply an extra coat around the breech area will shed water well.

A lot of guys have different ways of doing it, but mine just works for me.  I also found ( the hard way, I might add) that, once erroneously working down to the finish and stuck with that, that a little thinned black dye to grey the wood and then the original color with a patching of your finishing oil will antique the area and convert a big boo-boo to a character-like finish.

Even Hershel House, in one of his discs, comments on the water run-down thing when it happens to the beauty he crafted in the rest of the vids.

Don't shoot yore eye out, kid

The Capgun Kid