Coolhandluke your work is awesome. Wish I had the dedication to do this. Did you teach yourself to redo wood?
Self-taught, but not without a lot of research and trial and error. I've spent far too much time looking at stock refinishing and restoration threads on military surplus firearm forums. Probably the best resource that I have found yet is the sticky / how to section on surplusrifleforum.com..tons of great tips and info available there (see link below). The "how to do an aged oil finish" thread was used as the basis for the PU stock finish.
http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewforum.php?f=137
It is the Sedona Red oil stain with Tung Oil varnish on top. I went this route for a few reasons. Mainly for durability as this is the one I plan to be shooting the most. Also this is a wiping varnish and is very easy to touchup/reapply or even add layers if needed. And of course, because I like it.
I plan to eventually repair the original stock in a manner that is consistent with the original re-arsenal methods so that is looks period correct.
I like using Tung Oil Finish (viping varnish made by Minwax and Formby's) as well on different projects...mainly AK wood. I agree, it's very easy to work with, can be applied to a matte or gloss sheen, gives good protection, and it's easy to touch up.
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