PDA

View Full Version : Cut down 1888


Richardrose
01-13-2016, 03:18
Hi, I am working on a cut down 1884 made in 1888. I guess whoever did it was good at it. The metal is nice and the refinished wood still has the date and firing stamps. The bore is fair, has some pitting but strong rifling. It has the rifle rear sight. Were any of these ever reworked by the military? I am putting linseed oil and rubbing it with 0000 steel wool,the wood was very dry. Does anyone know where to get real tung oil ? Which one will penetrate better? Has anyone sleeved one of these guns?:icon_salut:
Regards,
Rich
steved66
01-13-2016, 08:44
Hi Rich,

Doing the oil scrub with linseed oil dipped in 0000 steel wool should be enough to restore the dry wood. If you haven't started yet, I suggest that the first scrub is done with a 50/50 mix of boiled linseed oil (BLO) and turpentine (or mineral spirits). The mix will penetrate the wood better than 100% oil and it will also dissolve and loosen dried oil, dried grease, baked on crud, etc. The steel wool will help wipe away the dissolved/loosened stuff on the stock. After you do the wool scrub, wipe off the stock right away with a paper towel. Then rub in the 50/50 mix by hand, using it sparingly and really rubbing it in. After 20-30 minutes, wipe off the stock again with a paper towel, thereby removing all excess oil on the surface. The next coat after that can be the BLO at full strength, rubbed in by hand after the first coat is dry, with the excess wiped off as described already. I picked up my supply of Pure Tung Oil (PTO) at a local, quality paint store. Hardware stores also sometimes carry PTO and BLO. The box stores only sell Tung Oil Finish, which contain synthetics. The same procedure works also with PTO.
Major Tom
01-14-2016, 05:09
Linseed oil will not protect wood from moisture, it is not waterproof. I use Watco Danish oil that is waterproof. It is also what DGR uses on new stocks.
Richardrose
01-15-2016, 11:16
Linseed oil will not protect wood from moisture, it is not waterproof. I use Watco Danish oil that is waterproof. It is also what DGR uses on new stocks.

Hi, thanks for the Watco information. I have not tried it before. Which type does DGR use? I would guess natural?
Regards,
Rich