Boiled Linseed Oil or something else?

[ovenpaa]

What is your preference for oiling a stock? I have put a couple of thin coats of BLO on the S&L over the last two days and it is looking good for it however there are so many different finishes available so I wondered what other people use.

[Watcher]

I think the general opinion is only BLO. There used to a lot of discussion of this on a now defunct Enfield forum and most other finishes had problems. The method I picked up was to apply it with the very finest wire wool. This seems to allow the oil to penetrate the surface and thereby provide a more durable finish.

[dromia]

I use raw linseed oil cut with turpentine for the first few coats then undiluted after that. The boiled has drying additives in it that don't seem to give the same finish over the long term that raw does.

Apply three times a day for a week, twice a week for a month, once a month for a year.

Either is my preferred finish over anything else, I abhor waxes or varnishes. However the linseed oil route is not instant and does take time. As with all coatings surface preparation is key, I never sand and use very fine bronze wool. I use washes of turpentine to clean and raise any "hairs".

For stripping stocks I used to use nitromors but they've made it "safe" now so it doesn't work. Don't know what I'll use when my supply of proper stuff is gone, probably the caustic soda route. Once stripped a good whirl in the dishwasher will give a deep clean and allow the linseed to soak in well and deep.

[Dave 101]

A lot of stocks I have worked on if I can I scrape the original finish off with a stanley blade , less messy than liquid stripper , depending on what finish youR looking for if its gloss I use tru oil , satin Tung oil but not my favorite , or if its military then BLO .

Dave

[Steve]

I used BLO on my K98.When i got it the wood was getting quite dry and looked like an old fence post,but now looks like a well oiled fence post. :lol:

This is it after 17 coats of BLO all applied by my fingers.Its not as shiny as it looks-more of a satin finish.

[greenshoots]

blo rubbed with the palm pf the hand works for me

greenshoots