Tru-Oil, Clenzoil or BLO?

[fwafwow]

I have a few wood stock firearms, including a couple of Cooper rifles with a matte finish. I'm pretty good about wiping down my guns after being outside, and I keep them in a safe with around 50% humidity. I haven't, however, treated the stocks with anything. After a bit of internet research (!), I purchased some Tru-Oil to apply to the wood. After buying the Tru-Oil, I belatedly reached out to Cooper for their input, and they recommended Clenzoil. I tried out the Tru-Oil on an old shotgun. It was pretty simple to do, and while the first layer wasn't as great as I would have liked (I need to do some more coats to get it even), I'm not sure I'm a fan of the glossy result.

Does anyone have any experience with either of these products (ideally both), and/or boiled linseed oil?

 

[kpk]

I've used tru-oil several times. Make absolutely certain it's dry betwen coats and hit it with very fine sandpaper. You can do the same after the last coat and hit it with super fine steel wool to knock the gloss down. I've been pretty happy with 3 or 4 rifles I've done and a bunch of turkey calls.

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

TruOil is good stuff. Just hit it with super fine steel wool to knock the shine off.

 

[Centralcoastca]

Tru oil using multiple thin coats steel wool between coats and to knock the shine off the last coat. Very time consuming but has always turned out good for me. My grandpa showed me how to refinish a stock with it so it’s what I’ve always used, but I’m interested to hear about the other two products or others.

 

[fwafwow]

Thanks everyone for the Tru-Oil feedback. Sorry for the dumb question - but since the rifle was already finished, is the Tru-Oil the way to go (with steel wool)? I’m also interested in any feedback on the other options.

 

[Centralcoastca]

If the wood is not worn in spots it should look good, I’ve mostly used it for stocks that I completely hand sanded the old finish off of and started from scratch. It fills in the pores and small dings as you buff it off with the steel wool. I had to repair a stock once and didn’t sand the whole stock stock down and it worked well over the original finish. I just hit the whole thing either steel wool then wiped it off with tack cloth before applying the tru oil. Definitely use tack cloth between steel wool and subsequent coats. Any kind of towels etc is going to leave some sort of lint that even blowing it off with air isn’t going to get all of it off.

 

[Flyrodr]

Thanks everyone for the Tru-Oil feedback. Sorry for the dumb question - but since the rifle was already finished, is the Tru-Oil the way to go (with steel wool)? I’m also interested in any feedback on the other options.

Generally, when applying a new finish over old, it's best to make sure all the "gunk" (gun oil, etc.) is removed with a degreaser. Also, to add some "tooth" so the new finish will adhere better to the old, to give the stock a light sanding with 400 or even 600 grit sandpaper. Wet sanding is what I prefer. Or, certainly, the steel wool. Wipe the stock down afterward with alcohol to remove all the dust before applying finish. Tru-Oil is hard to beat.

As to other finishes, a friend (now retired) was in the golf business, including being an authorized repair center for some major brands. He had a two-part finish (some epoxy or poly or ?) that he applied to wooden heads (yeah, 40+ years in the business) that was really tough. Think pounding golf ball tough. He finished a wooden trout landing net for me with the stuff, and after years of being dunking into the water, hitting stream rocks, etc., it's still looking good. If you know anybody in the auto paint, furniture, or old club repair business, you might ask about something like that. Nasty stuff, though. Had to wear a closed respirator when applying.

(Oops. A bit late after CCC). He's absolutely correct on the tack cloth. I wasn't specific.