STOCK FINISH

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Last Post 21 January 2023

CBA Member

joeb33050 posted this 20 January 2023

I had a M52 Winchester with NO finish on the stock. I have re-finished dozens of rifle stocks with boiled linseed, Linspeed, Formbys, etc: could not get a decent finish on this stock with several potions-suspect the dreaded silicon. Bought a can of Johnson Paste wax; this was fast and easy and made a great-looking stock. Were my hand-rubbing and weeks-waiting-between-coats of secret formulas all for naught? Is wax the easiest, best, fastest, cheapest, stock finish?

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CBA Member

Carl Pegg posted this 20 January 2023

When I was a young man I worked in an auto body shop for a couple of years, any products containing silicone were strictly prohibited from being in the shop. It would wreak havoc on the paint job by showing up as tiny "fish eyes" all the way to bare metal. The only fix was to sand it off and start over! Even the air hoses had to be silicone free rubber as we learned the hard way. As to paste wax, that was all my dad ever used over a coat of stain.

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delmarskid posted this 20 January 2023

Wax makes a good looking finish. It can hold grit and grime I have been told. At one time bees wax was the way to go. People went to other things because skin oils and smoke turned the finish black. Johnson’s probably uses carnauba .

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RicinYakima posted this 20 January 2023

I suspect that you are correct. It has been what, 40 years now, that silicon cloths have been sold to sportsmen? If the stock absorbed any silicon, it will not take an old style finish. The polymerizing finishes just will not stick. However, the Johnson's paste wax or antique furniture beeswax polishes will stick.

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Ken Campbell Iowa posted this 21 January 2023

havent tried stain and wax only on stocks, but once i found out that CM barrels shot just as well as twice-the-price stainless barrels ... for my guns i further save $200 on a hot-blue job by just waxing them with essentially Johnson Wax ...

have shot in rain storms and let set a couple weeks and still no rust ... if it did get a blossum of rust just shine it with steel wool and rewax.

and yes, i am ashamed ... i love walnut and blue steel ... but keep giving the 7-11 the wrong lottery numbers ... and Oxpho Blue works pretty well as long as you are 30 feet away in a dim room ...

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i have an old Winny 74 22 auto that needs a stock job ... i will try the wax thing..

BTW, i use Fluid Film on steel i want to store for months ... it is about half wax and it comes in a spray can ...