how long to wait?

[yip]

 after applying a/f to my stock how long should i wait before applying finish?

[rich pierce]

Till it's dry. I assumed you blushed it with heat?  That should drive out most of the moisture. Overnight should be enough.

[PPatch]

after applying a/f to my stock how long should i wait before applying finish?

Rich is right. Yip I've no idea what finish you are using but normally it is best to absolutely flood that first coat, takes about 15-20 minutes of moving it all over the stock to let it penetrate as much as possible. Wipe it down with a shop towel or paper towels afterwards, then give it a couple of days minimum to dry thoroughly before applying any more.

dave

[yip]

  i'll be applying linseed oil diluted with turpentine, is that good?  and thanks for the apply

[Mike Brooks]

  i'll be applying linseed oil diluted with turpentine, is that good?  and thanks for the apply

Bad.

[Dennis Glazener]

  i'll be applying linseed oil diluted with turpentine, is that good?  and thanks for the apply
Modify message

I personally would not use it unless you live in an extremely dry climate with plenty of sunshine that you can hang the stock in to dry it out. Its very hard to dry linseed oil that does not have some type of dryer in it. The old timers used to add lead oxide to help dry but lead oxide is not good for you.

I would order some of Jim Chamber's traditional oil finish or if you can't wait I would find some commercial grade Tung oil. Some use Linspeed Oil or Tru Oil but I don't care for the looks of either of these but some love it, at least it drys pretty quickly.
Dennis

[Black Hand]

  i'll be applying linseed oil diluted with turpentine, is that good?  and thanks for the apply

No.
Use a commercial finish - linseed oil may stay tacky and isn't truly water-proof. Even period finishes incorporated dryers...

[Black Hand]

after applying a/f to my stock how long should i wait before applying finish?

Apply Aquafortis, allow to dry and blush with heat until the color develops. Some people do multiple applications of Aquafortis that has been diluted to sneak up on the shade they want. Some neutralize the Aquafortis with baking soda (with a water rinse) or ammonia after color development. After all this is done and the wood is dry, then apply finish.

[yip]

 thanks guys, just what kind of finish did the ole timers use?   just wondering.

[Joe S]

This is a very big topic. They used a variety of finishes, the two broad categories are alcohol based spirit varnish and oil based varnish.  Eric Kettenburg published a formulation of a common period varnish called brown varnish that works very well:

http://www.muzzleblasts.com/archives/vol5no2/articles/mbo52-1.shtml

We only have about 250 years of data on this varnish.  It still seems to be fine, so we don’t really know how long it will last.

[WadePatton]

thanks guys, just what kind of finish did the ole timers use?   just wondering.

If you'll look for it, we just had a thread about linseed oil--which led to another finish discussion (not to be confused with the previous 976) that's fairly thorough.     Also, fully digesting the link that Jose shared above will give you a great base of the basic understanding and olde practices.

Okay, for maximumfastus access here it is: http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=45241.0
 

[smallpatch]

Some one please......shove a needle in my eye!!!!  Make it stop!! PLEASE !!!!

[yip]

  sorry!!!!

[P.W.Berkuta]

Some one please......shove a needle in my eye!!!!  Make it stop!! PLEASE !!!!

Ha, Ha, Ha -- I guess the search function on this forum is a waste of space and time ??

[crankshaft]

Some one please......shove a needle in my eye!!!!  Make it stop!! PLEASE !!!!

Ha, Ha, Ha -- I guess the search function on this forum is a waste of space and time ??

.

Sometimes the search functions  can be a huge pain.

.

[WadePatton]

"Titles only" often helps when using the "in house" search.

(It would help SO MUCH more if folks would use good titles with accurate spelling.)

Also it's very easy to do a site-specific search via your favorite "regular" web-based search engine, sometimes these work best.

...
Sometimes the search functions  can be a huge pain.

.

[PPatch]

  i'll be applying linseed oil diluted with turpentine, is that good?  and thanks for the apply

Like Mike said: no, generally a bad idea unless you are very familiar with the individual "Linseed Oil" you have, and have a few months to mess with it. Use something that isn't so time consuming and uncertain. Also something that dries in a reasonable time such as a varnish based finish such as Chambers Oil. There are a 1000 posts here on ALR about "linseed oil," -  however you define that ambiguous term - and that too is uncertain to me.

dave

[FALout]

I like using the search function, I don't have to ask questions and then worry someone will try to ride me!

[SingleMalt]

Finishes are a very broad topic, and usually stir the pot.  Answer these questions.  Will the rifle be exposed to the elements on a regular basis?  What's the climate like where you live?  How soon do you want to be able to assemble and use it?  How historically correct do you want the finish to be?  Pick a finish based on the answers to these questions and go from there.

Personally, I've made varnish that worked well.  I've also bought varnish that worked well.  What gunsmiths used 250 years ago, to my understanding, was what we would call oil based spar varnish.  Others used almost a cross between spar varnish and violin varnish with color added.

[WadePatton]

I like using the search function, I don't have to ask questions and then worry someone will try to ride me!

Fantastic.  We have a winner. 

And then some inquiries _deserve_ the "riding" when it is about a subject we just spent two or three weeks hashing out (and nobody is ready for a rehashing (over again already)) 

Just like we have done before, roughly every six months for the last twelve years.   

Hmmm, let me think of a couple: finishes, woods, patch lube, bore cleaning, the p-word, wiping a bore, patch thickness/source/shape, charge for a given bore, and similar.   It's nice when some folks do a tiny bit of homework to frame their questions.  The collected posts and their searchable content is a hallmark of forums and what can make them such valuable resources.   


I suppose I'm not much help as I do regularly refer new folks over to here from FB groups, where ignorance runneth amok!   

[Mike Brooks]

If we all used the search feature there wouldn't be any more posts.....what would be the point of the forum other than a place for me to demonstrate my superior intellect?

[yip]

   so sorry!!!!

[Hank*in*WV]

If we all used the search feature there wouldn't be any more posts.....what would be the point of the forum other than a place for me to demonstrate my superior intellect?

Exactly.

[Daryl]

If we all used the search feature there wouldn't be any more posts.....what would be the point of the forum other than a place for me to demonstrate my superior intellect?

LOL - so THAT'S what that is?

[Mike Brooks]

If we all used the search feature there wouldn't be any more posts.....what would be the point of the forum other than a place for me to demonstrate my superior intellect?

LOL - so THAT'S what that is?

Surprised you haven't caught on yet, you Canadians are usually pretty quick...