Re: type of Finish Stock Refinishing and Checkering Archived Message
Posted by Gary D. on January 12, 2015, 11:22 am, in reply to "Re: type of Finish Stock Refinishing and Checkering"
Are you sure they used shellac? Shellac is one of the worst finishes imaginable for a gun stock intended for field use where it stands a good chance of getting wet. I can't imagine Hunter Arms using it. The stocks I have that weren't oil finished are all varnished. Nothing beats a well applied varnish finish that has been rubbed out after grain fill is achieved, IMO. To do it properly requires a lot of time and labor, which is probably why the proprietary "oil finishes" are so popular today even though their water resistance is negligible. If you do utilize an "oil finish", at least give it a good waxing afterward which will provide a modicum of resistance to water fenestration. As for boiled linseed oil versus pure tung oil, there isn't an iota of difference between them in the practical world. Varnish producers regularly switch between them when blending their products, depending on which they can get more cheaply. The reason gun companies and gov't arsenals ever used straight oil as a stock finish was not because it was/is the best finish but rather because it was cheap and quick.
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