Tru-Oil - Number Of Coats

[caryc]

caryc, You seem to have missed my point with all these posts I have put on this forum. When I post a "way" of doing things, I am posting just "that". My way! I have developed methods that have worked for "me" over the years. Anyone and everyone is welcome to completely accept or "reject" the way I do things. It's "your" choice. I don't post that "my" ways are the "only" way to do things. I'm sure your methods work for you and more than likely, anyone who wants to try them! I may seem a little "crass" at times but that's my personality. I don't lie to people nor do I try to coddle or soothe them. I don't sidestep issues and have always confronted things "head-on". Feel free to use as many coats of finish as you deem necessary. I think it's "great" that's something that you do, works well for you. I did get a "kick" out of your telling everybody you couldn't reveal your "secrets" to anyone. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt your business one iota if they knew exactly how you finish your grips. "Knowing" how to do something and "doing" it are two different "animals" and I'm sure you would agree with that! A lot of the things I do, require certain equipment and products as well as specific details that I may neglect to mention inadvertantly and also, when I give advice I expect those using it to have a certain level of mechanical competency as I'm sure others do when they give advice. That's the nature of cyberspace gunsmithing. With all that's been written on the subject of gunsmithing over the past 30 years, quite frankly, there aren't too many "secrets" left out there. I remember some old time gunsmiths telling me the very same thing when I first started out! Thankfully, there "were" some old timers willing to "share" their experience and knowledge with a new fledgeling gunsmith like myself. Snake has "hit" the nail square on the head about steel-wooling all of your coats off!..............................Dick :wink:

I don't use steel wool.

 

[Pinecone]

Uh, caryc, I wasn't refering to "you" using steel wool. I was simply using my post to speak to Snake's comment on steel-wooling..............Dick

 

[caryc]

Uh, caryc, I wasn't refering to "you" using steel wool. I was simply using my post to speak to Snake's comment on steel-wooling..............Dick

Pine,

I'm not arguing with you, I'm just saying that steel wool is not necessary, at least the way I do my finishes. Of course everyone does it their own way.

 

[Pinecone]

caryc, I understand what you are saying. I have looked at your grip photos and there is no question you do great work on your grips. I don't see anyone doing any better work. I personally have used on furniture and gun wood, sandpaper grits all the way from 30 to 2500 wet and dry, various grades of emery paper and crocus cloth, liquid abrasive pastes and dry powder abrasives and I will say that "all" these products can produce a very fine finish depending on the amount of work one wants to put in. I simply enjoy looking at and examining other people's work. I have done a lot of "spring" modification on guns over the years, especially older guns and it never ceases to amaze me when I examine a firearm where somebody has done a modification "differently" than I do. There are some very clever "gun plumbers" out there whose work never gets seen by the general gun toting public sad to say!...............Dick :wink:

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Well Guys,
I have done a weeeeeeeee bit of painting of cars and airplanes and done a lot of wood stuff in the last 60 years. When someone ask me how many coats did I put on.
Remember the 40 coat hand rubbed finish, which is crap. I always tell them it's not how many coats ya put on but how many ya sand off.
I have never counted coats of anything I have done. Everybody's coats are different. It's the final product that you see not the coats that it took to get there.
IMHO
Jim

 

[caryc]

Well Guys,
I have done a weeeeeeeee bit of painting of cars and airplanes and done a lot of wood stuff in the last 60 years. When someone ask me how many coats did I put on.
Remember the 40 coat hand rubbed finish, which is crap. I always tell them it's not how many coats ya put on but how many ya sand off.
I have never counted coats of anything I have done. Everybody's coats are different. It's the final product that you see not the coats that it took to get there.
IMHO
Jim

I love that "Hand Rubbed Finish" crap you sometimes hear from people. If you ask them "what exactly is a hand rubbed finish?" most likely they won't know what to say. The more or less think that applying the finish with your finger or fingers is a hand rubbed finish.

 

[Snake45]

I always tell them it's not how many coats ya put on but how many ya sand off.
I have never counted coats of anything I have done. Everybody's coats are different. It's the final product that you see not the coats that it took to get there.
IMHO
Jim

Quoted for truth.

Smooth is smooth, doesn't matter if you get there in one coat or a dozen or more.

 

[caryc]

I always tell them it's not how many coats ya put on but how many ya sand off.
I have never counted coats of anything I have done. Everybody's coats are different. It's the final product that you see not the coats that it took to get there.
IMHO
Jim

Quoted for truth.

Smooth is smooth, doesn't matter if you get there in one coat or a dozen or more.

By the way, I don't even claim a hand rubbed finish myself. As Jim said the end result speaks for itself. My finish speaks for itself.

 

[langenc]

I apply and steel wool off. On the Mossberg stock Im just about finished with, I have applied a couple light coats between woolings (if there is such a worn). Im the pat I have always wooled off each coat. Im at about 9 coats, light cause I really hate 'runs' in any finish, guns, closet doors, especially.

I coat, wool till pores are filled. I also wool off the last coat as I like the matte finish. My wife walker thru the shop the other day and said "wow, it looks like it is plastic coated." I was buffing it off which she didnt understand. I said "it is coated w/ plastic, kinda."

Got to go finish wooling-last coat., I hope.

 

[tss106]

I don't like using steel wool....., I always end up with a stray "fiber" somewhere that I end up having backtrack to remove. Maybe it's my technique - anyone else have this problem?

 

[langenc]

Between coats I use a shop-vac and tac rag. Stray fibers have not been a problem.

 

[Pinecone]

tss106, I put the finish on with my fingers, sometime with a surgical glove and sometime not, depending on the product I use. Let dry "completely", usually 24 to 48 hours, sometime longer, and "then" rub out with steel wool or "whatever"! You won't have any problems with "fibers" if you do it this way in "my" experience.......................Dick :wink:

 

[Ale-8(1)]

I'm strictly an amateur.

I have refinished several sets of Ruger "factory" single-action grip panels. I carefully push the medallions out so as not to mess them up. Depending on their beginning condition I may sand lightly with quite fine paper to remove surface marks or smooth out the contours (which Ruger occasionally doesn't do) but I don't deal with badly damaged panels. I then finish-prep with fine steel wool.

I apply Tru-Oil with my fingers, very light coats, firmly rubbed until the oil just begins to feel tacky and warm, and allow them to dry for "approximately" 24 hours or until they are dry to the touch. I then steel-wool them until "satiny smooth" and repeat the Tru-Oil application.

I find that perhaps a half-dozen sequences thus produces a finish that I like, at which point I apply two more light coats without steel-wooling and let them dry for at least 48 hours. I then buff them with a soft cloth. This produces a not-quite-full-glossy finish, with not-completely-filled pores on occasion. I do not desire the full-glossy finish, even though it is quite beautiful with nice wood.

Carefully re-seat the medallions and I'm done. Works for me. Like I said, I'm an amateur and this satisfies my requirements completely. I remain in awe of Cary's work.

I will add that the recent Ruger "rosewood" panels really "pop" when treated in this manner.

JMHO YMMV

 

[Wheelgunner]

I apply and steel wool off. On the Mossberg stock Im just about finished with, I have applied a couple light coats between woolings (if there is such a worn). Im the pat I have always wooled off each coat. Im at about 9 coats, light cause I really hate 'runs' in any finish, guns, closet doors, especially.

I coat, wool till pores are filled. I also wool off the last coat as I like the matte finish. My wife walker thru the shop the other day and said "wow, it looks like it is plastic coated." I was buffing it off which she didnt understand. I said "it is coated w/ plastic, kinda."

Got to go finish wooling-last coat., I hope.

langenc,

Thanks for your response.

I have tried the steel wool approach, but I found that all I was doing was filling the pores and removing all of the surface coats. I tried using bronze wool, but I would get small flecks of bronze in the finish. I have now switched to using green Scotch Bright pads to lightly buff the surface between coats.

When I'm happy with what looks like the final coat, I will try rubbing it down with fine rubbing/polishing compound.

Wheelgunner

 

[Wheelgunner]

I don't like using steel wool....., I always end up with a stray "fiber" somewhere that I end up having backtrack to remove. Maybe it's my technique - anyone else have this problem?

tss106,

Thanks for your reply.

I have had the same problem with both bronze wool and steel wool.

Wheelgunner

 

[Wheelgunner]

Between coats I use a shop-vac and tac rag. Stray fibers have not been a problem.

langenc,

I have not tried the vacuum, but I was using a tac rag dampened with a bit of varsol. I was still getting stay fibres.

What are you using on your tac rag?

Wheelgunner

 

[Wheelgunner]

tss106, I put the finish on with my fingers, sometime with a surgical glove and sometime not, depending on the product I use. Let dry "completely", usually 24 to 48 hours, sometime longer, and "then" rub out with steel wool or "whatever"! You won't have any problems with "fibers" if you do it this way in "my" experience.......................Dick :wink:

Pinecone,

I have been trying to apply two coats daily. Maybe I have been rushing the dry time. I'll slow it down a bit.

How hard will the Tru-Oil get?

Wheelgunner

 

[Wheelgunner]

I'm strictly an amateur.

I have refinished several sets of Ruger "factory" single-action grip panels. I carefully push the medallions out so as not to mess them up. Depending on their beginning condition I may sand lightly with quite fine paper to remove surface marks or smooth out the contours (which Ruger occasionally doesn't do) but I don't deal with badly damaged panels. I then finish-prep with fine steel wool.

I apply Tru-Oil with my fingers, very light coats, firmly rubbed until the oil just begins to feel tacky and warm, and allow them to dry for "approximately" 24 hours or until they are dry to the touch. I then steel-wool them until "satiny smooth" and repeat the Tru-Oil application.

I find that perhaps a half-dozen sequences thus produces a finish that I like, at which point I apply two more light coats without steel-wooling and let them dry for at least 48 hours. I then buff them with a soft cloth. This produces a not-quite-full-glossy finish, with not-completely-filled pores on occasion. I do not desire the full-glossy finish, even though it is quite beautiful with nice wood.

Carefully re-seat the medallions and I'm done. Works for me. Like I said, I'm an amateur and this satisfies my requirements completely. I remain in awe of Cary's work.

I will add that the recent Ruger "rosewood" panels really "pop" when treated in this manner.

JMHO YMMV

Ale-8(1),

Thanks for your response.

It sounds more and more like I need to allow for greater drying time. I have been applying thin coats until the oil is tacky and warm.

How are you able to push out the Ruger medallions without ruining them or the grip panels? Are the medallions really soft?

Wheelgunner

 

[caryc]

I have heard that after your last coat of Tru Oil it still takes about 10 days for it to fully cure and harden. I don't do anything to my grips for at least three full days (72 hrs) after the last coat. I let them sit even longer if I'm not in a hurry to get them out to a customer.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

I rub the oil into the wood until it begins to get warmish, as mentioned.

I don't believe you can wait too long for the oil to dry. It's better IMHO to have it "really dry" than "almost dry". There's no point in hurrying the process at the hobby level. Let it dry.

Removing the medallions . . . yeah, nervous-making the first couple of times. I had visions of either breaking the medallions or splitting out the wood surrounding the medallion, or both. I fold up a soft cloth several thicknesses, like and inch and a half or more, so I have a cushioned surface to work on, but not a real soft surface. I lay the grip panel medallion side down on the pile of cloth. I use a punch that is just barely smaller than the end of the little stem on the back of the medallion and rap it smartly with a small hammer. Smartly, but not too much. It may take several swats to get the medallion out. Don't overdo it, and don't drive the punch clear thru the hole in the wood or you may "enlarge" the hole, or worse.

That's how I have done several sets. I do not claim it's the "right way" to do it, but it has worked for me so far. If you break something doing it this way, I don't even know you. OK?

As far as re-installing the medallions goes, I just carefully align them with the grip panel and press them into the hole with my thumb. Enough oil has built up around the edge of the hole to allow for a good "press fit". Make sure there's no accumulation of oil or sanding dust or other crap down in the bottom of the large hole that might keep the medallion from seating all the way. I suppose if you weren't careful you could break the panel doing this, but I lay the panel on my bench with the medallion over a small hole that allows the little stem on the medallion to poke thru the panel if it wants to. I also slightly file the worst of the "staking" off the stem's diameter so it doesn't fight me in the process. I do not strike the medallion with anything.

So far, I have not seen any need of glue on the reinstalled medallions.

I have considered rigging a way to use my reloading press to remove/install the medallions, but it has so much mechanical advantage I'm afraid it would easily break something. Besides, my crude method works . . . so far . . . knock on wood.

I wouldn't say the medallions are exactly "soft" but they're awfully small and I'm not sure what they are made of. Aluminum, perhaps?

"Disclaimer disavowing any responsibility for any damage to grip panels, medallions, or bodily appendages when attempting to follow the above discourse."