I refinished this shortly after I found it, so I'm going by memory here. I sanded the stock down to the point where none of the old finish or blemishes were still visible. I applied a fairly thick coat of Tru-Oil, sanding it while it was wet creating a slurry mess, and then wiping it off. I did this a couple of times to make sure it all looked smooth. Once I was happy with that I wiped on several super thin coats of the Tru-Oil. That's about it.
I have done several pistol pistol grips more recently- I like a dark finish so I wipe on some danish oil dark walnut stain. 1-2 coats depending on how dark you want it. Once thats colored to my liking I let it set a few days. Then I start applying the clear finish. I have used oil based poly wipe-on, but that can bite you if you get it too thick. I find that oil based aerosol spar polyurethane gives a nice, smooth, even finish that brings out the depth of the grain. I apply 5-8 thin coats about 20-30 minutes apart. You want it to still be tacky when you go with the next coat. Make sure you apply at room temperature. Once all the coats are on, let it dry. My rule of thumb is if it still smells it's not dry. At room temp, I let it sit 2-3 weeks. Once the smell is gone, I either gently buff it with a grey scotch-brite for a matte finish, or a white scotch brite for a glossier finish. On the glossy ones I sometimes use Meguiars auto wax on a foam pad in my drill to get a perfect shine.
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