Finish advice

[brokenhand]

I am getting ready to finish my pear stocked Kibler SMR. I am considering several finishes. I think I am going to use some Permalyn as a first step and then when it is dry and rubbed back dull, I am wondering about using some Tried and True original finish. I have seen somebody on here who used one of their products, but I'm thinking it was the varnish oil. This that I have says it is  pure linseed oil and beeswax. It also says that once you use this, the wax prevents another finish from adhering to the wood.  Also considering using shellac over the Permalyn. I have been playing around with some shellac flakes and like the finish I can do, but I don't know of anybody who uses this except Mike Miller. All of these are unproven by me. Any favorite finishes anybody?

[FALout]

I’m partial to the Chambers finish.  If you have any scrap, I’d try different stuff to see if something can bring out color on this stock, I’ve never worked with pear so will be interesting to see what you do.

[Mike Brooks]

You ARE going to stain it first right?

[WadePatton]

I’m partial to the Chambers finish.  If you have any scrap, I’d try different stuff to see if something can bring out color on this stock, I’ve never worked with pear so will be interesting to see what you do.

Lots of guys roll their own blends.  I'm thinking of polymerized tung oil myself for the next one. It can be purchased mixed or pure and I defer to Dave, Smart Dog and Taylor for their expertise and experience with a tung oil finish-and which product.

Test on the places that'll be hidden if you have no scrap.

[brokenhand]

yes, I am going to stain it.  Planning to use Laurel Mountain Honey Maple stain.

[P.Bigham]

 I like a thinned down seedlac then my own boiled oil with white lead added.  Takes time but I like it. 

[brokenhand]

Apparently that is over my head, as I don't really know what you are talking about.

[Frank]

Can't go wrong with Chambers Oil finish. I have been building guns since the mid 70s and tried many finishes. Chambers is all I have used for the past 10-15 years. Very easy to work with and almost full proof.

[Scota4570]

Everyone seems to have a pet finish.  I would advise against linseed oil, shellac and true oil.  Anything sold by Chambers or Kibler will work fine. 

I mostly use semi gloss spar varnish, diluted 50-50 with turpentine, and a dollop of japan dryer on maple.  I have never finished pear, you may want to dilute it less if the wood is porous. 

Finishing wood is 90% experience and technique.  The exact product is not the most important thing.

Honey maple stain??  Staining wood is mostly cut and try.  One particular stain is likely to not work, it depends on what you want.  I imagine a stain called "honey" will look blond?   I never saw a blond stock I liked, certainly not on a flintlock. 

To each his own though, it is your gun.   It only matters that it makes you happy. 

[Mad Monk]

I am getting ready to finish my pear stocked Kibler SMR. I am considering several finishes. I think I am going to use some Permalyn as a first step and then when it is dry and rubbed back dull, I am wondering about using some Tried and True original finish. I have seen somebody on here who used one of their products, but I'm thinking it was the varnish oil. This that I have says it is  pure linseed oil and beeswax. It also says that once you use this, the wax prevents another finish from adhering to the wood.  Also considering using shellac over the Permalyn. I have been playing around with some shellac flakes and like the finish I can do, but I don't know of anybody who uses this except Mike Miller. All of these are unproven by me. Any favorite finishes anybody?

If you decide to use shellac then don't use the polyurethane based Permalyn.  If you go with shellac as a sealer coat you must use only a little shellac flakes in the alcohol solvent.  You brush on numerous coats to get a good seal.  Very lightly sanding with a very fine black wet or dry paper between coats.  You only want to fill pores with the shellac.  You don't want any sitting on the wood surface.  That will give some surface bite to hold an oil or oil based varnish finish.  When using a shellac sealer it compliments the properties of the oil or oil based varnish top final finish.

Shellac finishes will not withstand direct contact with liquid water for any length of time.  When the water begins to migrate into the dry shellac it causes it to swell.  You see that as white rings under drinking glasses with ice in the beverage where condensation runs down off the glass onto the shellac table top finish.  As a sealer the shellac swells within the wood pores and stops any water transmission into the wood.  At the same time the oil or oil based varnish finish can then not transfer individual water molecules through their film ad down into the shellac.  When done right the combination of the shellac sealer and oil or oil based varnish finish give the optical illusion that the finish is a lot thicker, or deeper, than it really is.  This relates to how the finish reflects light back out of the finish when you look at it.  Light reflection is more direct and not scattered by the finish interfaces.

Bill K.

[bob in the woods]

If you are going to use the Tried and True,  get their Varnish Oil.  It holds up better than the oil/beeswax mix, which is for indoor applications.  A little bit goes a long way.

[mikeyfirelock]

You will not go wrong with Laurel Mountain Forge products ( both stains and Permalyn).   That being said , I have used some other concoctions since my first rifle in 1972, and it’s been interesting.  There are many well tried and true  finishing regimens here, and all have their merits. Go for it !
Mikeyfirelock
( who is now making his first walnut stocked rifle ,
…which he will not sell ! )

[flehto]

The  2 finishes and procedure that I've used for many years yields a stock that looks like there isn't any finish on it. The entire procedure  includes staining and 2 coats each of Permalyn Sealer and 2 coats of Wahkon Bay Trucoat. The 2 coats of  sealer  are used as a soak in/wipe off  w/ a 10-15 minute soak in time w/ a complete dry between coats. The stock is then rubbed hard w/ 0000 steel wool to remove any surface sealer and vacuumed.
The 2 coats of   Wahkon Bay finish is sparsely  applied w/ the fingers and w/ complete dry between coats. This finish yields a low sheen  which needs a brisk rub w/ a fluffy towel to bring out some sheen and the final result is a stock that looks like there isn't any finish on it. Total time including the staining is 36 hrs......Fred

 

[Dennis Glazener]

Can't go wrong with Chambers Oil finish. I have been building guns since the mid 70s and tried many finishes. Chambers is all I have used for the past 10-15 years. Very easy to work with and almost full proof.

Amen, love the stuff
Dennis

[brokenhand]

Fred, I have corresponded with you before about this pet finish you use. I have a new bottle of Permalyn Sealer and found an un-opened bottle of Wahkon Bay Truecoat  out in my shop the other day. I think I am down to either your finish or Chambers Oil. For those of you who might be interested, I am trying to get the color on my pear stock to look like one of the custom rifles Jim Kibler has on his web site. #3 and #8 are pear stocked and the stain I got is supposed to get this color. I really liked it and it is somewhat different from the usual.  Brad

[flehto]

Sometimes the stain color varies w/ the wood so there might be some trial runs if you've got scraps. Many use the Chambers finish and from what I see, the finish is a little glossier than what I use and a layer of finish is evident......Fred