Paging coolhandluke and his stick knowledge.

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coolhandluke

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Sure thing. Just be sure to use pure tung oil...not tung oil finish which is actually a varnish. I gave up using BLO years ago and only use Real Milk Paint PTO and dark PTO. PTO won't darken the wood like BLO or RLO that has oxidized. Dark PTO will highlight the grain, but won't have much of a darkening effect.
 

gfercaks33

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So grab some from woodcraft not like homedepot or Lowe’s.

Here’s how it’s looking so far it’s just kinda blah
 

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coolhandluke

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So grab some from woodcraft not like homedepot or Lowe’s.

Here’s how it’s looking so far it’s just kinda blah

Yup...still an ugly beech stock. ;)

I'd order some dark PTO from Real Milk Paint and hit it with two more coats. It will accent the grain a bit and give it a little more sheen. Be warned, you won't use anything else after using RMP's products.

I'd honestly suggest picking up some of their natural citrus solvent as well. I use it mixed 50/50 with oil when I'm cleaning a dirty stock by doing an oil scrub. It really helps remove unwanted dirt and grunge, but otherwise it doesn't affect the overall color and patina like other cleaners will (mineral spirits, denatured alcohol, acetone, MEK, etc). It smells fantastic too BTW.
 
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coolhandluke

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Here's photos of a Keystone 1903 scant stock as well as a repro M1A1 stock and laminated birch Romanian AK stock that I applied the dark PTO to. The grain pops nicely as you can see in the pics...

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Shadowrider

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Hey Coolhand, would you think it a good idea for him to mix a small amount of Fiebings leather dye with his PTO? It may be too late if the BLO has penetrated well but it was a thought I had to get some color into it. I've never tried it but would think if the oil will still penetrate it might work if followed up with a couple of coats of un-dyed oil.
 

coolhandluke

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IMHO I probably wouldn't add any stain or dye to that stock. It might not look right otherwise. At this point it may look ugly, but at least it looks correct. The Romanian AK stock shown above was stained with British Tan Fiebings dye, lightly treated with pine tar / turpentine mix, and finished with dark PTO. It's base color is decently close to a finished Yugo stock if the OP feels that he must use stain.

Fiebings works best when used as an alcohol based dye. It doesn't mix well with oils. If mixed with alcohol, the stock can actually still be stained after applying oil as the alcohol acts as a carrier for the dye.
 

coolhandluke

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If gfercaks just wants the stock to be more attractive and doesn't care about preserving the current look, the stock would definitely benefit from being very lightly toned with British Tan Fiebings dye before applying tung oil. The purists may cringe, but the rifle is yours to do as you see fit.
 

druryj

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Awesome thank you sir!

I’ll add to the joke, do I have to buy the stock dinner first?

Dinner/ Maybe. At least a couple cheap drinks to get the party started. Make sure you give it a kiss afterwards too though. I also always try to say something nice before I call it a night, maybe something sorta sweet, along the lines of "You know something? You don't sweat that much for being so fat."
 

gfercaks33

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If gfercaks just wants the stock to be more attractive and doesn't care about preserving the current look, the stock would definitely benefit from being very lightly toned with British Tan Fiebings dye before applying tung oil. The purists may cringe, but the rifle is yours to do as you see fit.


I’ll look into that Tung oil you suggested for sure. I’m not wanting to get rid of the markings at all and I just want the stock to look decent. I’m kinda hoping for the middle one in the picture just by putting a bunch of oil on it.
 

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coolhandluke

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I’ll look into that Tung oil you suggested for sure. I’m not wanting to get rid of the markings at all and I just want the stock to look decent. I’m kinda hoping for the middle one in the picture just by putting a bunch of oil on it.

There were wood types other than beech that were used on the M48, notably walnut and elm. I'd have to see the three stocks up close, but you may be seeing three examples of beech, elm, and walnut stocks in that ad photo. The dark tung oil may give you the look that you are after, but there's also a decent chance that stain may be required as well. Beech is a very hard dense wood and it may not change much in appearance with only applications of oil.
 

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