This video popped up on the YouTube. Learned a lot of stuff I didn’t know about traditional Tung Oil finishing.
Wow, nice job.It’s beautiful.Tung oil is great, just have patience to allow many coats to dry properly. Gives you a beautiful finish.
You shouldn't see blotching with tung oil, but sometimes beach wood is very temperamental. Most nice hardwoods don't blotch.
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Thank you. Good info.I've seen lots of Stumpy Nubs videos because I do a lot of woodworking. He is a pretty decent source on woodworking. Tung oil is a very traditional finish and would be OK for gunstocks if you don't mind reapplying it regularly. Better than boiled linseed oil because it is more water resistant. The current "in thing" in woodworking finishes are hard wax oils. Rubio monocoat is one which I have not used and Osmo Poly oil is another that I have used on a table and chairs and a bedroom set. I will probably try it on my next gunstock. These finishes are literally wipe on finishes. You do not want to leave a layer on the wood, you wipe off excess before it dries. Usually you would apply 2 or 3 coats about 8 hours apart. Periodic reapplication is not necessary but can be done if the finish gets dinged. Osmo comes in various sheens. You can get satin and probably glossier types. The main disadvantage to Osmo is cost. It isn't cheap but even the smallest container would easily do several gunstocks - because you apply so little.
My gunstocks to date (I've made 4) have been finished with polyurethane. It is the most durable. Oil based will give an amber cast and water borne will be totally clear. On the first stock I think I applied linseed oil and let it dry a month before applying the polyurethane. Oil and hard wax finishes will make unusual grain more apparent. Poly not so much.