Sealing gun stocks

[smoke]

Do you seal the inside of the stock with oil or varathane etc. to keep out moisture?

[LRB]

  I use Permalyn sealer from Laurel Mt Forge. Also on the outside before the finish is applied.

[Stophel]

No.

[Dphariss]

I use shop cooked boiled linseed and turpentine for the first coat on the stock. Same stuff in the inletting.
Heavy BLO works best on the end grain,

Dan

[Acer Saccharum]

I never saw any originals with finish on the inside, to fill in Stoph's details.

I seal my entire stock, inside and out with shellac. I don't leave any ON the wood, just IN the wood.

Tom

[Dphariss]

I never saw any originals with finish on the inside, to fill in Stoph's details.

I seal my entire stock, inside and out with shellac. I don't leave any ON the wood, just IN the wood.

Tom

I use thin sealer. Anything that builds up interferes with the parts fitting.
I would agree about the old guns but I also wonder how many guns would have complete forends, for example, if the maker had brushed a little finish in the barrel channel.

Dan 

[Acer Saccharum]

Dan, I wonder about that, too. Seems like it would add years to a fore end to have the wood sealed, at least.

[Roger Fisher]

I use woodlife; but must be careful as the devil since it wants to bleed through the thin wood edges.  I go several apps on the end grain i.e butt stock!  I assume it is quite important in lock mortise and both stock ends (muzzle and butt)  That is where the schmutz, mud oils and all that junk is attracted...

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

I like using shellac  cause it slows the movement of moisture to and from the atmospheric humidity level...... I also have used Chamber's Traditional oil finish as a sealer.. A pretty thick coat so the wood will soak all it can hold. I think its similar to what Dan is doing with BLO, ....I can't see myself cooking BLO at my house

I am about to build a gun with a black walnut stock,,, not sure the best way to seal that.

[Darkhorse]

I use Chambers oil inside and out. The area where I live can have a high humidity and moisture problem. I have seen what this can do to unsealed wood. I go so far as to even use a Q tip and get it inside all the holes I can. Same for the butt.

[Stophel]

Well, actually, I do like to put some varnish in the lock inlet....just to help keep oil from the lock from soaking into the wood.

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Darkhorse, That's why I use the shellac inside and out...

Shellac dramatically slows the progress of humidity/moisture moving in and out of the wood from the atmosphere.  (Less chance of warping and swelling etc)   The linseed oil varnishes do not work as well for this; however, shellac is not waterproof from immersion like being in the rain etc. The oil varnish works better for that. So if you seal with shellac and finish with oil varnish you get the best of both worlds.

I seal everything including every hole, inside and out. I also build up varnish in the barrel channel and around the nosecap etc cause I am a sloppy cleaner!!!

[Kentucky Jeff]

I use Permalyn inside and out.  It soaks in, dries quick and adds virtually no color.   It also doesn't interfere with any type of finish you wish to apply over it. 

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Jeff, I have heard from an experienced builder of high end guns that he has seen a tendency for Permalyn to crack with age........have you seen anything like that?  I thought it was pretty good stuff although of course a modern synthetic polymer resin as opposed to a natural polymer like Shellac or other traditional finishes.

[LRB]

  I see no way for it to crack. It is in the wood, and not on it. One should reinforce the other. It is basicly, or is, what John Bivins used, and that's good enough for me,

[Dphariss]

  I see no way for it to crack. It is in the wood, and not on it. One should reinforce the other. It is basicly, or is, what John Bivins used, and that's good enough for me,

It likely cracks and passes water, you just don't see it.

Dan

[Dphariss]

I use Permalyn inside and out.  It soaks in, dries quick and adds virtually no color.   It also doesn't interfere with any type of finish you wish to apply over it. 

Adding no color is one of several reasons I don't use synthetic finishes.
The color added by the natural oil greatly enhances the look of the stock.
But if you seal with plastic then you lose this even if you use a natural finish over the stuff.
Dan

[LRB]

  I seal after staining. The stain is usually the color I'm after, or I wouldn't use it. The sealing makes for a bit less work with the top finish. Many don't seal at all, so if it cracks inside the wood, which neither of us really know if it does or not, I'm not sure I care. With Permalyn in the wood, Chambers finish in and on the surface, I think that is enough, since I don't hunt in the rain anyway, unless I get caught in it, then I do my best to get out of it. I have a pistol sealed and finished with Permalyn, and so far it it is one of the toughest finishes I have ever used. It seems very abrasion resistant so far. Only time and use will tell.

[Stophel]

I don't even call it "sealer".  Nothing I use really seals anything (nor do I really want it to).  Whether I use shellac (I like buttonlac), or linseed oil, it's a "grain filler".

 

[Artificer]

Gents,

I've never used Permalyn before.  How long does it take for a thin coat to dry and how does it react to humidity in the air when it is drying?  I have to ask the last because it's pretty humid in Virginia.  Thanks in advance for any replies.

[Birddog6]

The Permalyn will dry quick enough to do a coat a day, or it does here. It has rained here for a week & supposed to rain the rest of the week & the stock I put it on last night is dry this morning.   As for the finish cracking, never had a issue with it cracking & have used it many many times.  Also, never seen a Bivins rifle with a finish issue, no signs of aging or cracking anywhere & have looked at quite a few of them.

I use Permalyn or Tru-Oil to seal the stock everywhere possible, put it on thick, let it set for 10-15 min, wipe up all the excess & be sure to get it out of every corner.  I use a paper towel & a small screwdriver to get into the edges of things. I even swab the inside of the RR hole to the end.   Just don't let it build up or puddle anywhere & it works great.  .

[keweenaw]

Pine tar makes a good sealer for the barrel channel and lock mortise.

Tom

[Artificer]

Thanks for the info Birddog,

I've been using Tru Oil since 1973 when I first learned to use it during my On The Job Training program to become a Marine Corps Rifle Team Equipment Repairman (NM Armorer). 

However, the way so many here talk about Permalyn, it sounds like I should give that a try.

Gus

[flintriflesmith]

Gents,
I've never used Permalyn before.  How long does it take for a thin coat to dry and how does it react to humidity in the air when it is drying?  I have to ask the last because it's pretty humid in Virginia.  Thanks in advance for any replies.

It is my understanding that Permalyn doesn't "dry" in the conventional sense. The polymers "link" forming a bond and John Bivins always cautioned about letting too much time pass between coats because after some point the later coats will not link to the underlying coats. It has been years since I heard this and he was specifically talking about using it for a built up finish as he often did. There was a window of time between coats and this is probably covered in one of his old Rifle Magazine articles.

I don't think that would make any difference when using the thin version as a sealer.
Humidity shouldn't make any difference.

[Artificer]

Thank you, Flintriflesmith.