SmallCaliberCentral

After my bedding job I got a bit of compound on it, so I sanded it all down and made it all pretty again.. Anyway I have been having some trouble getting an even coat of clear. Anyone have any tips for doing this sort of thing? I know the whole process.. I just cant seem to get an even coat on the thing.
Thanks
-Graham

I've refinished a number of rifle stocks and other pieces of furniture. If you want a nice job you won't do it in a day. It takes time and some effort but the results are worth the effort especially if you're working with a nice piece of lumber. A stock that has had all the grain filled and then followed with a hand rubbed oil finish will have a real nice look and feel to it. Here's a link to what I'm talking about. Dave
http://riflestocks.tripod.com/refinish.html

Thanks Dave, I have done this several times before with great success, and have never really run into any bumps. But this time I am using a spray paint can opposed to a nice high grade spray gun.. I think that's where I'm running into trouble! Anyway thanks for the link, I appreciate it

I did a stock with hand rubbed Tung Oil once. Came out real nice.

I only need to clear my stock, it's laminated wood so I dont want to change the color of it any. Does anyone know of a rub on clear coat or something?

Minwax makes a wipe on poly. I used it on my Maple stock. Dependeing on the shine you want it can take as much as 10 coats. Tru Oil is what was used for many many years & is durable.

I assume you mean polyurethane by "poly"? and is that essentially the same thing as a clear coat? I just want to keep this thing protected is all.

yes it is polyurethane. There is also an automotive clear coat that is quite tough.

I would recommend a wiping varnish, such as Watco, or even plain old Boiled Linseed Oil.

They both have the advantage of being extremely easy to care for: just pull the stock every time you clean the gun, wipe on a new coat, wait ten minutes and wipe off any thing that didn't soak in.

I don't like the polyurethanes because they don't melt on the application of the next layer of finish. So, it is impossible to clean up a scratch or ding without redoing the entire finish.

Thanks for everything guys! I think I am going to try that minwax stuff glen was talking about.

I did this one with Birchwood Casey Tru-oil 8 coats thinned with mineral spirits . One part tru-oil 3 parts mineral spirts then sealed with Birchwood Casey gun stock wax. Truned out great in my opinion. Good luck with yours.

Wow, nice looking gun there! I will be extremely happy if mine turns out even half that good.

.. well.. I lied.. then I would be jealous..
Thanks!
-Graham

Glen, that rub on poly you suggested sure did the trick, I put on coat after coat after coat, and that stock looks wonderful now. IMHO I think it looks better than it did when I got it in the mail! I had a ton of problems with dust though, couldn't do it outside because it would freeze before it dried. So I was stuck in the basement where dust and.. god knows what else.. was just waiting to jump on that clear coat as soon as I walked away.. but all is well, the thing looks stellar, and I am very pleased.
Thanks everyone!
-Graham

Im with happy shooter, I use Truoil on all my gunstocks, easy to apply and it looks great.

Glad it worked for you Graham. I like to let that stuff dry for 2-3 weeks then apply some paste wax & buff it out good. 3-4 coats should do it for you. It will ride the bags very nice once this is done & have extra protection.

Got any pics??