Boiled linseed oil finnish sweats; any ideas?

[Sandelands]

Hi all,

Last year I refinished a Swedish Mauser stock with boiled linseed
oil. It turned out quite nicely, however, one year later the stock still
sweats oil in hot weather, particulary in the area behind the recoil lug.

I didn't cut the linseed oil 50-50 with mineral spirits which my
furniture refinishing book recomended. Maybe that's the problem.

I am about to refinish a 1912 Steyer Mauser stock. The inside of
the barrel channel has an orange brown finish which looks like linseed
oil.

I am thinking of alternating linseed oil with clear Danish oil.
With luck this will stop the sweating.

Does anyone have any opinons on this combination or experience
with linseed oil?

A lot of early furniture was finished with varnish which was a
combination of linseed oil and shellac. Does anyone know if this is what
was actually used on military gunstocks?

Any opinions would be appreciated.

Dave

[Frank Walter]

Sandelands wrote:
#
# Hi all,
#
# Last year I refinished a Swedish Mauser stock with boiled linseed
# oil. It turned out quite nicely, however, one year later the stock still
# sweats oil in hot weather, particulary in the area behind the recoil lug.
#
# I didn't cut the linseed oil 50-50 with mineral spirits which my
# furniture refinishing book recomended. Maybe that's the problem.
#
# I am about to refinish a 1912 Steyer Mauser stock. The inside of
# the barrel channel has an orange brown finish which looks like linseed
# oil.
#
# I am thinking of alternating linseed oil with clear Danish oil.
# With luck this will stop the sweating.
#
# Does anyone have any opinons on this combination or experience
# with linseed oil?
#
# A lot of early furniture was finished with varnish which was a
# combination of linseed oil and shellac. Does anyone know if this is what
# was actually used on military gunstocks?
#
# Any opinions would be appreciated.
#
# Dave

I use low gloss tung oil. Same results without the linseed biuld up and
sweating problem. Put a good coat on it, wait a day sand LIGHTLY with
0000 steel woll wood working pads and coat with tung oil again. Repeat
till the finish matchs what you desire. Make sure that you buy low gloss
otherwise you will be able to shave off of your rifles!!

[John Gross]

sande...@aol.com (Sandelands) wrote:

[snips]

# I didn't cut the linseed oil 50-50 with mineral spirits which my

#furniture refinishing book recomended. Maybe that's the problem.

#
# I am about to refinish a 1912 Steyer Mauser stock. The inside of

#the barrel channel has an orange brown finish which looks like linseed
#oil.
#

[snips]

# Does anyone have any opinons on this combination or experience
#with linseed oil?
#

Linseed oil does need some type of drying agent, such as Japan dryer or,
as you stated, mineral spirits.

John Gross
confe...@worldnet.att.net

[Marc Hildebrant]

I have cut linseed oil with turpentine in the ratio of 3 parts linseed to
one part turpentine. The turpentine seems to help the linseed penetrate
better.

Marc

[Michael Orwan]

For a better finish with no sweating out you may want to try pure tung
oil as opposed to linseed.
Pure tung oil dries faster and is the finished that was switched over to
by the military in the WW2 era. A good source is Brownell's 515-623-5401
Part #586-501-016 for a pint which will go a LONG way.
Pure tung oil is a must. Most local hardware outlets only have modified
tung oils even though they may say they are 100%. Formby's is a good
example. These will build up to a gloss finish which I'm sure you don't
want. Use the real stuff just like you do your linseed and there should
be no troubles.

Mike Orwan
Mike's Shooters' Supplies
Full service AR15/M1 rifle/M1 Carbine/M1A/ shop. custom bolt guns for
Highpower-varmint-tactical/law enforcement.
http://www.mindspring.com/~mikess/mikess.htm

[The Gunrunner]

Sandelands wrote:
#Last year I refinished a Swedish Mauser stock with boiled linseed
# oil. It turned out quite nicely, however, one year later the stock >still sweats oil in hot weather.........
==================================================

Your problem isn't in what you put on, it's in what you didn't take
off- all the original oils and grease embedded in the stock. To
properly refinish wood, you first must remove any and all oils in the
wood. Then the linseed oil will take and not leak out later.

We, (SURVIVAL ENTERPRISES) is one of the few companies IN THE WORLD who
can properly refinish stocks others would throw away. If we can help
anyone, just let me know.

--
The GUNRUNNER

"IN THE JUNGLE OF LIFE, ONLY THE TIGERS SURVIVE!"

http://www.survival.com.mx/gunrun.html (personal)
http://www.survival.com.mx (business)

[David Basiji]

sande...@aol.com (Sandelands) writes:
# Last year I refinished a Swedish Mauser stock with boiled linseed
#oil. It turned out quite nicely, however, one year later the stock still
#sweats oil in hot weather, particulary in the area behind the recoil lug.

# I didn't cut the linseed oil 50-50 with mineral spirits which my
#furniture refinishing book recomended. Maybe that's the problem.

Very likely. I cut mine with 2 parts thinner to one part oil. Another
possibility is that you put later coats on without allowing the earlier
ones to dry completely. This is easy to do with uncut oil.

# I am about to refinish a 1912 Steyer Mauser stock. The inside of
#the barrel channel has an orange brown finish which looks like linseed
#oil.

# I am thinking of alternating linseed oil with clear Danish oil.

#With luck this will stop the sweating.

# Does anyone have any opinons on this combination or experience
#with linseed oil?

Danish oil is just a combination of linseed oil, thinner, and varnish.
I wouldn't use it just because of your experience with the sweating stock.
Properly applied, the cut linseed will work fine. If you want the added
durability of the varnish, that's fine, but in my opinion the Danish oil
finishes have a slightly lower visual quality than the pure oil, applied
properly.
--
David A. Basiji
http://weber.u.washington.edu/~basiji
UW Bioengineering/Molecular Biotechnology
"I don't speak for the University of Washington."

[Fred A. Miller]

Sandelands <sande...@aol.com> wrote in article
<5mqk60$c...@xring.cs.umd.edu>...
# Hi all,
#

# Last year I refinished a Swedish Mauser stock with boiled linseed

# oil. It turned out quite nicely, however, one year later the stock still
# sweats oil in hot weather, particulary in the area behind the recoil lug.

#
# I didn't cut the linseed oil 50-50 with mineral spirits which my

# furniture refinishing book recomended. Maybe that's the problem.
#

# I am about to refinish a 1912 Steyer Mauser stock. The inside of

# the barrel channel has an orange brown finish which looks like linseed
# oil.

Dave, there is a MUCH better finish, but it takes a long time to
complete....maybe 2 months before you have the desired results. It's a mix
of equal volumes of boiled linseed oil and marine spar, and 1/2 volume
terp. Apply the finish by HAND, rubbing with the grain firmly to generate
a little "heat." Let stand for 2 hours, then gently wipe the stock with
the grain with a square of soft cloth, like from a cotton tee-shirt. Let
dry fro 2 days, and repeat until you have the desired finish. It is MUCH
more durable than just boiled linseed (or any other oil for that matter),
and repairs easily.

Fred

--
George Mason: "To disarm the people, that is the best and
most effectual way to enslave them."

[tayl...@mindspring.com]

sande...@aol.com (Sandelands) wrote:

#Hi all,

#
# Last year I refinished a Swedish Mauser stock with boiled linseed

#oil. It turned out quite nicely, however, one year later the stock still
#sweats oil in hot weather, particulary in the area behind the recoil lug.

#
# I didn't cut the linseed oil 50-50 with mineral spirits which my

#furniture refinishing book recomended. Maybe that's the problem.

#
# I am about to refinish a 1912 Steyer Mauser stock. The inside of

#the barrel channel has an orange brown finish which looks like linseed
#oil.
#

# I am thinking of alternating linseed oil with clear Danish oil.
#With luck this will stop the sweating.
#
# Does anyone have any opinons on this combination or experience
#with linseed oil?

#
# A lot of early furniture was finished with varnish which was a

#combination of linseed oil and shellac. Does anyone know if this is what
#was actually used on military gunstocks?

#
# Any opinions would be appreciated.
#
#Dave

#
Dave,

I have refinished a number of old military rifle stocks with linseed
oil. I have never had one exhibit the symptoms you describe. Here is
the basic method I use:

- clean off the old finish (I use 3M Safest stripper, reasonably non
toxic, slow but easier to deal with than some of the methylene
chloride toxic waste stuff)

- wash the stripper off with hot water and a scotchbrite pad

- allow the stock to dry

- apply a thin coat of linseed oil with a 3 x 3 cleaning patch

- allow the stock to sit for about 10 minutes

- vigorously wipe any remaining linseed oil off of the stock with a
soft cloth (tee shirt, old cotton sock etc)

CAUTION: THESE OILY RAGS ARE THE KIND WHICH SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUST!

- allow to dry overnight

- rub the stock with the scotchbrite pad equivalent of 000 or 0000
steel wool

- apply repeated coats in the same manner

This will produce a real nice semi-gloss finish which is very durable,
In fact, it seems to be impervious to stripper! I had done the top
and front wood on a Garand a while back. I decided that I really
should have stained these pieces to better match the stock. I applied
stripper and it simply beaded up. Would not touch the linseed oil!

Best of luck,

Ken Taylor
NRA Endowment Member

"It should be illegal to sell firearms...I regret selling every one I have ever sold"

[J]

Sandelands wrote:
#
# Hi all,

#
# Last year I refinished a Swedish Mauser stock with boiled linseed

# oil. It turned out quite nicely, however, one year later the stock still
# sweats oil in hot weather, particulary in the area behind the recoil lug.

#
# I didn't cut the linseed oil 50-50 with mineral spirits which my

# furniture refinishing book recomended. Maybe that's the problem.

#
# I am about to refinish a 1912 Steyer Mauser stock. The inside of

# the barrel channel has an orange brown finish which looks like linseed

# oil.
#
# I am thinking of alternating linseed oil with clear Danish oil.

# With luck this will stop the sweating.

#
# Does anyone have any opinons on this combination or experience

# with linseed oil?

#
# A lot of early furniture was finished with varnish which was a

# combination of linseed oil and shellac. Does anyone know if this is what

# was actually used on military gunstock's ?

Dave

I've alway's used 2/3 linseed oil 1/3 turpentine, put some
in a coffee can put the can in a bigger pot with boiling water
when the oil mixture is very warm apply to the stock with a paint brush
then with fine steel wool work the hot oil in, let it air dry for a
little while then use your hand and rub it in till it's no longer tacky,
do this 2 or 3 time's over the period of a week, it should'nt sweat out.

I think the oil sweating out is'nt the linseed, it's oil from
storage, you may be able to get some of this out by warming up the
offending area's with a hair dryer, blot up the oil with a rag, or
paper towel's, take any rag's or towel's with oil on them outside
immediately as spontaneous combustion is somewhat common.
Fred

[Charles Winters]

Sandelands wrote:
#
# Hi all,
#
# Last year I refinished a Swedish Mauser stock with boiled linseed
# oil. It turned out quite nicely, however, one year later the stock still
# sweats oil in hot weather, particulary in the area behind the recoil lug.
#
# I didn't cut the linseed oil 50-50 with mineral spirits which my
# furniture refinishing book recomended. Maybe that's the problem.
#
# I am about to refinish a 1912 Steyer Mauser stock. The inside of
# the barrel channel has an orange brown finish which looks like linseed
# oil.
#
# I am thinking of alternating linseed oil with clear Danish oil.
# With luck this will stop the sweating.
#
# Does anyone have any opinons on this combination or experience
# with linseed oil?
#
# A lot of early furniture was finished with varnish which was a
# combination of linseed oil and shellac. Does anyone know if this is what

# was actually used on military gunstocks?

#
# Any opinions would be appreciated.
#
# Dave

Dear Dave: Your problem may not stem from the linseed oil. Boiled
linseed oil has been the standard for military finish for many years. I
suggest you strip all the finish down to the bare wood. Pay particular
attention to any soaking from gun lubricant in the problem areas you
cite. If necessary, chisel out the oil soaked wood and replace with
epoxy. Finish sanding through about 350 or 400 grip paper. Then
refinish with Birchwood Casey Truoil, a modified form of linseed oil
(including inside the barrel channel, etc. So called Danish Oil is
similar but formulated for furniture not gunstocks. Use at least two
coats with 000 steel wool after each caot. Top off with BC's gun wax.
The end result is a very waterproof, dull oil finish that looks good and
is easy to touch up. Most of my rifles, including some very old
military stocks, have been refinished in this manner with no "sweating".
- CW

[Daniel Morris DeRight]

Excerpts from netnews.rec.guns: 1-Jun-97 Re: Boiled linseed oil finn..
by David Bas...@u.washingto

# sande...@aol.com (Sandelands) writes:
# # Last year I refinished a Swedish Mauser stock with boiled linseed

# #oil. It turned out quite nicely, however, one year later the stock still
# #sweats oil in hot weather, particulary in the area behind the recoil lug.

# # I didn't cut the linseed oil 50-50 with mineral spirits which my

# #furniture refinishing book recomended. Maybe that's the problem.
#
# Very likely. I cut mine with 2 parts thinner to one part oil. Another
# possibility is that you put later coats on without allowing the earlier
# ones to dry completely. This is easy to do with uncut oil.
#

# # I am about to refinish a 1912 Steyer Mauser stock. The inside of

# #the barrel channel has an orange brown finish which looks like linseed
# #oil.

# # I am thinking of alternating linseed oil with clear Danish oil.

# #With luck this will stop the sweating.

# # Does anyone have any opinons on this combination or experience

# #with linseed oil?
#
# Danish oil is just a combination of linseed oil, thinner, and varnish.
# I wouldn't use it just because of your experience with the sweating stock.
# Properly applied, the cut linseed will work fine. If you want the added
# durability of the varnish, that's fine, but in my opinion the Danish oil
# finishes have a slightly lower visual quality than the pure oil, applied
# properly.

Boiled linseed oil was mentioned, but I wanted to stress it a bit.
There is a great deal of difference between raw and boiled linseed oil.
The oil certainly isn't bioled anymore, but they add metallic driers
that allow it to polymerize.(dry) Raw linseed oil may never dry fully,
and indeed their are stocks I have seen that are better than 40 years
old and still sweat! I've never been a big fan of boiled linseed oil,
but if you are going to use it, make sure it is thinned properly.
Applying several thin coats is vastly superior to one or two heavy coats.

David's initial warning is the number two rule when working with
oil, let it dry! A lot of people will coat and then recoat as soon as
the surface is dry enough to not feel wet, this is not the best plan.
Instead, let it sit for 24 hours between coats. It may be overkill, but
compare the extra few days of waiting to the amount of time you want to
keep the gun, and the hassle of refinishing a stock.

==========================
Dan DeRight sod...@cmu.edu

Some mornings, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps.
- Emo Phillips