Cocobolo Stocks

[sixshot]

Just sent these cocobolo stocks to a customer in Arizona. They are on a single six. Turned out very nice!

Dick

 

[mt]

Wow! Nice contrasting grain. The new owner should be proud of those.

mt

 

[CraigC]

Beautiful, I love cocobolo!

 

[350Rem]

Is cocobolo an actual wood or is it a laminate?

 

[41 mag fan]

Cocobolo is actual wood. Harder then woodpecker lips and polishes very nicely because of the high oil content to the wood. Steve

 

[flyinfred]

Beautiful!

 

[Snake45]

Very pretty! Who doesn't like nice wood? :wink:

 

[caryc]

Is cocobolo an actual wood or is it a laminate?

As Woodpile said it's an actual wood that polishes beautifully due to the high oil content.

It is so oily that it won't even take a Tru Oil finish. The first time I made a set of Cocobolo grips I finished them with Tru Oil. When the stuff hadn't dried after a full week, I removed it and just machine buffed and waxed them to a beautiful shine.

I suppose some Cocobolo will take a Tru Oil finish if it is very old and very dry wood. I'm talking like 20 years old.

Nice job on them Sixshot. When I first saw that picture I though you had raided my wood stock. I made grips almost identical to those with the same black lines and narrow grain lines in them. Just curious, did you use any type of finish on them?

 

[Jeff Hoover]

Very nice, Dick !

 

[Slanteyedshootist]

Absolutely beautiful.

 

[wixedmords]

I can't add much, but simply beautiful. That read-haired beauty will really pop on a blued gun.

I am very glad though that Jeff Hoover knows what a comma is. Whew.

 

[don44]

Very nice.... love the grain.

 

[powder smoke]

Nice the wood has nice figure and the brass ferrels set them off, I like em. ps

 

[sixshot]

Thanks Cary, having one of the top gunsmiths in the country for a son, it makes it pretty easy to to finish something like cocobolo although he might not like it if I told his secrets. Its really quite simple though.
I end up with the small pieces of wood that he has left over from his rifle projects & he only uses the finest gun stock wood he can find for his clients. Glad everyone likes them!

Thanks, Dick

 

[caryc]

Thanks Cary, having one of the top gunsmiths in the country for a son, it makes it pretty easy to to finish something like cocobolo although he might not like it if I told his secrets. Its really quite simple though.
I end up with the small pieces of wood that he has left over from his rifle projects & he only uses the finest gun stock wood he can find for his clients. Glad everyone likes them!

Thanks, Dick

I have heard that Cocobolo can be wiped with alcohol to get rid of the surface oil before finishing. I have not tried it because I'm happy with how they turn out with just machine buffing and waxing.

 

[Jeff Hoover]

Man, Dick, if that was the scraps for a rifle stock, that stock was a beauty !
I know Shane builds top grade rifles, but I don't think I've ever seen a cocobolo rifle stock ! Never seen a piece of cocobolo big enough for a rifle stock.

 

[caryc]

Man, Dick, if that was the scraps for a rifle stock, that stock was a beauty !
I know Shane builds top grade rifles, but I don't think I've ever seen a cocobolo rifle stock ! Never seen a piece of cocobolo big enough for a rifle stock.

The last cocobolo board I purchased was 3/4" X 8" X about six feet.

 

[Stoots]

Nice grips Dick!

 

[sixshot]

Jeff, that wasn't a piece of Shane's scrap wood, I have to buy the Cocobolo, Holly, Massacar Ebony, Zebra Wood, Maple, etc from a supplier....but I do get some of the very best walnut you will ever see from him. This set thats going to Fermin is as good as it gets.

Dick

 

[captainkirk]

Man, Dick, if that was the scraps for a rifle stock, that stock was a beauty !
I know Shane builds top grade rifles, but I don't think I've ever seen a cocobolo rifle stock ! Never seen a piece of cocobolo big enough for a rifle stock.

The last cocobolo board I purchased was 3/4" X 8" X about six feet.

There was a fellow several years back making cocobolo stock sets for FN-FAL rifles. I think he quit after a few, don't know if it was cost or difficulty...

captainkirk

 

[Sheriff]

Good looking set of grips, Dick.

 

[caryc]

Man, Dick, if that was the scraps for a rifle stock, that stock was a beauty !
I know Shane builds top grade rifles, but I don't think I've ever seen a cocobolo rifle stock ! Never seen a piece of cocobolo big enough for a rifle stock.

The last cocobolo board I purchased was 3/4" X 8" X about six feet.

There was a fellow several years back making cocobolo stock sets for FN-FAL rifles. I think he quit after a few, don't know if it was cost or difficulty...

captainkirk

With most cocobolo that I've had, I had to work slow with it. Because it's so oily, it will load up sanding material very quickly, especially an oscillating spindle sander. If you don't push too hard it's ok, get too aggressive and it loads right up.

 

[deac45]

Beautiful grain! I think coco bolo is at its best with the dark contrasts.

Thanks Cary, having one of the top gunsmiths in the country for a son, it makes it pretty easy to to finish something like cocobolo although he might not like it if I told his secrets. Its really quite simple though.
I end up with the small pieces of wood that he has left over from his rifle projects & he only uses the finest gun stock wood he can find for his clients. Glad everyone likes them!

Thanks, Dick

I have heard that Cocobolo can be wiped with alcohol to get rid of the surface oil before finishing. I have not tried it because I'm happy with how they turn out with just machine buffing and waxing.

Cary, on a few knife handles I've done in coco bolo, wiping down with alcohol was a must for good adhesion with the epoxy. If you wait too long though before glueing the slabs to the tang the oil seems to rise back up to the surface. For a finish I have always just buffed and waxed.

deac45

 

[caryc]

Beautiful grain! I think coco bolo is at its best with the dark contrasts.

Thanks Cary, having one of the top gunsmiths in the country for a son, it makes it pretty easy to to finish something like cocobolo although he might not like it if I told his secrets. Its really quite simple though.
I end up with the small pieces of wood that he has left over from his rifle projects & he only uses the finest gun stock wood he can find for his clients. Glad everyone likes them!

Thanks, Dick

I have heard that Cocobolo can be wiped with alcohol to get rid of the surface oil before finishing. I have not tried it because I'm happy with how they turn out with just machine buffing and waxing.

Cary, on a few knife handles I've done in coco bolo, wiping down with alcohol was a must for good adhesion with the epoxy. If you wait too long though before glueing the slabs to the tang the oil seems to rise back up to the surface. For a finish I have always just buffed and waxed.

deac45

I'm with you. Why bother putting an external finish on cocobolo when you can get a beautiful finish with just machine buffing and wax, although I do use a polishing compound when buffing.

With no finish to worry about, the grips can always be re-polished easily.

 

[CraigC]

Recently on THR somebody posted a pic of a custom rifle with a cocobolo stock. It was beautiful and he said it wasn't as heavy as you'd expect.

 

[sixshot]

The guy that posted that was probably 20 years old & ate raw meat & gun powder for breakfast....Cocobolo is heavy! It sells by the pound.

Dick

 

[Bob Wright]

Ya'll have said it all, nothing much more to add.

Just beautiful wood.

Personally, I've tried to stay away from plastic, rubber and laminates, even (gasp) stabilized wood. Prefer ivory, stag, nice wood on my Rugers. Found wood the most affordable.

Bob Wright