I have one of these unfinished Gatewood 10/22 stocks I've been meaning to finish over the Christmas break.



How do you folks recommend going about finishing the stock?  What type of oil?  How many coats?  The stock feels like is has already been sanded down to a pretty smooth feel.  This is the first one I've done, and would like to get it right the first time.

What's the largest number sandpaper I should use before applying the first coat?  Any websites to recommend.  I've done some searches lately, but seem to keep coming up with instructions and recommendations that vary greatly.  

Thanks for any help you can provide.

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Read the pinned topics at the top first.

HTH

your avatar is one the wierdest ones I've ever seen.

nice looking stock, should come out nice when you're done

BTT

Try Arrow wood finish...

http://www.shootersolutions.com/arwoodfin.html

I have refinished a couple of wood stocks with it and am very, very impressed with the stuff. Best thing is, all you have to do is use some fine grit sand paper, put it on the paper and rub. The finer the grit, the more it will shine. The last step if you want high gloss is just a dab on your hand and go over the stock. Awesome stuff.

Lefties have to build their own stocks ?
Righties rule !

Gaud! You can't refinish that rat...send it to me I'll dispose of it for ya....I can't believe people buy stuff like that!![rolleyes]

I strip stock for refinishing with Homer Formby's stripper.

For the new finish, whether refinishing a stock, or a new one, I use the Formby's Low Gloss Tung Oil.  

You need to get it up to 600 Silicon Carbide paper, and use a very sligtly damped tack rag to remove all dust.  Clean the stock and workbench as well as possible.

Pour some of the tung oil into a shallow dish, a mayo jar lid, whatever, and dip your fingers in and rub onto the wood well by hand.

(Edited to add)  Finish inside the stock as well as outside.  Any unfinished areas will allow gun oil to soak in and seep under the finished areas, making an unsightly stain.  Also, this will make the wood more stable, fewer changes from humidity and temp changes.  This is important for accuracy.

The first three or four coats will soak in completely.  This is good, it is penetrating and hardening the wood.  Allow minimum of 8-10 hours between coats.  

After about 6 coats, sand lightly with 800 silicon carbide paper, tack rag it clean, and apply a few more coats.

Yes, this all takes a week or so to apply a good finish, but is well worth it.

I do it pretty much as described as [b]A_Free_Man[/b] except that I use Birchwood Casey’s True Oil.  (Note that it dries very quickly and is a bit tricky to apply.)

A few other points:

I’d normally remind you sand in the direction of the grain, but since you’re using a laminate, that isn’t an issue.  Still, I’d suggest you sand only in one direction.

As you progress to finer grits of sandpaper, make sure you remove all the scratches from the immediately prior grit.  If you don’t, these hard to see scratches will later really stand out when you finish the stock.

Use some sort of padded backer for most of your sanding.  This is to avoid waves as you go over softer parts of the wood and to avoid rounding edges.  Few thing scream “amateur” on a stock more than rounded edges that should be sharp (like around the cheekpiece).

Don’t let your sandpaper get clogged since this can put some serious scratches in the wood.  I use a wire brush to occasionally clean the sandpaper.  

Sand the wood carefully so that any mating wood and metal edges match up well.

If you’re using a porous wood such as walnut, you may need to “de-whisker” it before applying the finish.  Also, if the wood is porous like walnut, you may – or may not - wish to use a filler (to fill the pores).

If you find the finish a little too glossy, use something like Birchwood Casey’s Stock Sheen (which is a mild abrasive) to reduce it to an eggshell sheen.  You can also buff it very lightly with 4X steel wool to get a similar effect.

Good luck!