It all depends on what the finish is now and what you are trying to achieve , for high gloss I use Tru oil , for satin tung oil and matt boiled linseed oil [ BLO ] .
Once you have stripped the old surface you may need to restain it , you will need patience with all stages but preparation as in any job is the key to a good finish .
The wood will need some rubbing down with vey fine wet and dry paper or fine wire wool , with a good walnut when this will start to polish to a nice smooth surface .
You will need to restain at this point .
Once the stain is completely dry you can start applying the oil the first couple of coats can be thinned down with white spirit to make it a quick application and drying , after this keep applying coats of oil on a daily basis , making sure each coat is dry before reapplying .
You will need to put a screw in eye in the stock to hang it from a length of wire , hang it somewhere warm and dust free . Apply oil sparingly on a cloth that wont shed loads of fibre , rub down with wet and dry or wire wool between coats , oil can also be applied on these as well , for the final coats apply on your finger only .
Just keep applying day after day till the required effect is achieved .
If you get any dried out runs in the oil ensure you rub these out as they dont dissapear with more coats you apply in fact thee opposite especialy with gloss finish faults will show up more .
There are oil kits available .
Even if it all goes Pete Tong you can rub it down and start again , remember to always rub with the grain and not across it .
Best of luck
ps these products and methods of working I have done for many years and gained experiance along the way , thats not to say there havent been mistakes trying different ways . If you are attempting anything for the first time its best to experiment on something thats not of any value , I even bought old stocks on ebay to play around with , once they looked good then sell them on .
Please dont go mucking up an expensive stock on your first attempt .
Last edited by Dave 101 on Wed Nov 09, 2011 7:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.