1903 Stock Mil Spec Finish Receipe

[IditarodJoe]

You did a nice job on that rifle, Randy. The stock looks great.

More tidbits: Clark Campbell, in "The '03 Springfield Rifles' Era", makes several passing references to "boiled" linseed oil but never provides any support so I question his accuracy on this point. Bruce Canfield, in his book "An Illustrated Guide to the '03 Springfield Service Rifle", has a section on the post WW1 overhaul of M1903 Rifles (pp. 100-102). In it he quotes from an article found in a 1928 issue of Army Ordnance magazine describing the overhaul process. The article includes the following" "The stocks and handguards which have been accepted after the necessary machining operations have been performed are scraped, sanded and immersed in raw linseed oil and allowed to remain in the oil about five minutes after which they are removed and allowed to dry."

[dave]

Form 528 does not mention stain. Randy A says stain is documented by does not say where nor does he quote. "RI shop manual" quote does not mention stain. "1928 SA report" mentions log wood stain but no quote or detail is given, how? what does it say?
The only difference between linseed oil and BLO is chemicals are added to quicken drying, so maybe a reference to 'linseed oil' really means BLO, just a lazy writer or he figured everyone knew what was meant? It has not really been "boiled" since the middle ages.
By the way, linseed oil is eaten in many cultures, especially with potatoes.
Min-Wax Red Mahogany oil stain is the best to duplicated that reddish color of a oil finished stock. At least two coats followed with BLO. Try it--you will like it!

[IditarodJoe]

dave - You're certainly entitled to your opinion. The late Colonel William Brophy is generally considered to be one of the foremost researchers on the subject of the 1903 rifles (perhaps along with the late General Julian Hatcher and the still very much living Bruce Canfield). If Col. Brophy writes that the government's "1928 SA fiscal year report states that the use of logwood stain was being eliminated to reduce the cost of finishing and refinishing", that's good enough for me. I don't feel compelled to locate an original copy of that report to verify that the good colonel was correct. As to the exact formulation and staining process, that sadly remains a mystery. I don't imagine any of us will ever know for certain exactly what the finish on these stocks looked like when they were originally produced. The government was certainly aware of the different types of linseed oil, so when Ordnance Form 528 specified raw linseed oil, I trust that was what they meant.

[13Echo]

Interesting. Hematoxylin (logwood) dissolves in alcohol and water. I don't think it will dissolve in an oil so it would have to be applied before dipping in linseed oil. Also the stain is not colorfast when exposed to light so any color it imparted would fade with time. It has been used as a wood stain but far more commonly was used to dye wool and cotton fibers with a variety of colors possible from red to purple to blue to black and was one of the few natural dyes that would give a satisfactory black. It may have been used to stain the stock wood but it may also have been in the budget to dye fabric.

[Richard H Brown Jr]

The Wonderful red color of all U.S. Military wood stocks, is a result of post build cleaning after firing, and weekly cleanings, using GI Bore Cleaner, and Lubricants, and BLO or Tung Oil rubbed into the stock. For years and years.

[Mike D]

The Wonderful red color of all U.S. Military wood stocks, is a result of post build cleaning after firing, and weekly cleanings, using GI Bore Cleaner, and Lubricants, and BLO or Tung Oil rubbed into the stock. For years and years.

Hogwash! That's a bold statement, to say the least, using the term "all".

I have a "CN 1908" stamped RIA stock, high wood, no bolt, modified from .30-'03, that has obviously never been sanded or refinished. It has a beautiful red tint.

Mike

[Randy A]

Form 528 does not mention stain. Randy A says stain is documented by does not say where nor does he quote. "RI shop manual" quote does not mention stain. "1928 SA report" mentions log wood stain but no quote or detail is given, how? what does it say?
The only difference between linseed oil and BLO is chemicals are added to quicken drying, so maybe a reference to 'linseed oil' really means BLO, just a lazy writer or he figured everyone knew what was meant? It has not really been "boiled" since the middle ages.
By the way, linseed oil is eaten in many cultures, especially with potatoes.
Min-Wax Red Mahogany oil stain is the best to duplicated that reddish color of a oil finished stock. At least two coats followed with BLO. Try it--you will like it!

No it doesn't, yes I did, no it doesn't and it says what I wrote. Please read the post again, you've got most of it mixed up. By the way the 528 does specifies Raw Linseed oil, I thought you might have read it since you were asking for proof. As far as logwood stain, lets see... stocks were a pretty red color until around 1928 when Springfield says in an official report that they quit using logwood stain and poof... stocks aren't a pretty red color any more????

[Richard H Brown Jr]

By "Post build cleaning" I meant the standard weekly garrison cleaning of the weapon, bore solvent, lube oil and grease per the tm. And cleaning on the day of firing and the next two days according to *standard* gi practice on weapons. And every so often the rubbing in of some BLO to keep the stock from drying out too much.

RHB

[Parashooter]

By "Post build cleaning" I meant the standard weekly garrison cleaning of the weapon, bore solvent, lube oil and grease per the tm. And cleaning on the day of firing and the next two days according to *standard* gi practice on weapons. And every so often the rubbing in of some BLO to keep the stock from drying out too much.

RHB

Don't let the Platoon Sergeant catch you with that "BLO" -

[Darreld Walton]

LAH, for several years, I've been staining prior to applying finish, using Feibing's "medium brown" leather dye. Get it at Tandy's leather/hobby shops. If you get it on yer fingers, it'll be there for a few days, and don't apply it on the Mrs.' table top. I apply it, let it sit overnight, then knock it down with 4-O steel wool, and re-apply till I get the color I want. It WILL darken up a scoche after you apply finish, so don't get carried away. I don't think I've ever given more than two coats to any walnut. I have tried several finishes that have integral stain, and have yet to get (at least in MY eyes) an acceptable, even color. The Feibings penetrates really well, and to get a "light" spot, I have to really, REALLY scrub it with the steel wool.
If I choose to use a "BLO" finish, I use the old guide that says "apply once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year, and once a year for the rest of your life".
If I really want to just use the rifle, I apply Watco Danish Oil after staining, and after it's cured, I sometimes apply a couple coats of Johnson's Floor Wax. The old stuff that my Mom used to put on her hardwood floors, and made a beautiful finish for 'skating' across in my socks.........
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...t/DSCF0021.jpg C stock project, this color is of the unfinished wood as received from Boyd's.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ct/nsbolt2.jpg This is the same Boyd's C type replacement stock, with the Feibing's stain/BLO finish applied.

[gnoahhh]

I wonder sometimes if in the vernacular of old Ordnance publications the term "raw linseed oil" is used to mean "unmixed with any other compounds linseed oil"? If you have ever messed with raw linseed oil you know that the stuff takes forever to dry, and sometimes it doesn't dry at all. I simply can't imagine the Armory (or anyone else) having used the raw stuff when there was a need to get on with the job. Rather I would think it was what we call today boiled linseed oil (not really boiled but rather with driers added to facilitate drying).

[Phil McGrath]

You guys can argue all you want, what's what.... By far the prettiest stock I've ever see was done by forum member Vulch he used Log Wood stain and then BLO. What's the saying BLO once a day for a week, then once a week for a month, once a month for a year and finally once a year for as long as you own it. All he did after each BLO rub down was let it sit in the sun and finish dry/cure. I do believe he lives in Australia where there is a overabundance of sun, regardless for a Boyds stock you would never have guessed it wasn't original that someone had hidden away.

[louis]

Phil I remember that. It was a great looking stock. He spent some time on it sanding and fitting if I remember correctly. But the results as you say looked like a nos stock. I'm not sure but wasn't he also rubbing in Tom's mix later also.

[Phil McGrath]

Phil I remember that. It was a great looking stock. He spent some time on it sanding and fitting if I remember correctly. But the results as you say looked like a nos stock. I'm not sure but wasn't he also rubbing in Tom's mix later also.

Its been so long ago, my understanding was that he did what he did too the stock and that took about a years worth of rub downs before he was 100% happy with its outcome. When all was said done the crowning touch too finish it off COULD have been a coat of Gunny paste or Tom's mix, but I don't remember. It's been so long ago and what pictures he posted of his stock have dropped off the board, I even checked over at mil-surp's forum and they didn't pop up for me over there either because I was thinking of picking up a Minnelli "C" stock and doing the same treatment he did.

[IditarodJoe]

If Vulch had a successful formula and process for making actual logwood stain, I sure wish that information was still available.