laminate rifle stock treatment

fbrad

Well-Known Member
Good evening guy's.Having just purchased a grs laminate stock for my tikka t3 i was wondering what's the best treatment for it.
All advice would be most appreciated.
atb,
fbrad.
 
cheer's dickie,just been on grs website,tells you to apply 2 layer's of a linseed /wax based oil on a dry stock and cure for 24hrs.
atb,
fbrad.
 
I finish timber as part of my living and would recommend Liberon finishing oil after first going over the stock firstly with 240 grit, followed by something like 400 grit finishing paper. I did my GRS stock this way using 6 coats of Liberon. It's stood up to lots of wet weather well as well as providing a good durable surface which is a doddle to maintain. Once every 6 months or so, I simply rub another coat of oil on.

I would not recommend linseed as it will not protect long term against moisture and that's not good for stocks. I don't care what GRS or any other manufacturer says, Linseed simply isn't suitable. The factory finish on these stocks I find pretty poor for the cost of them too.
 
much appreciated chesterp,i will give the stock a going over with liberon finishing oil and then use 240 followed by 400 finishing paper.
i have to agree about the factory finish on these stocks for the price they are.
atb,
fbrad
 
I finish timber as part of my living and would recommend Liberon finishing oil after first going over the stock firstly with 240 grit, followed by something like 400 grit finishing paper. I did my GRS stock this way using 6 coats of Liberon. It's stood up to lots of wet weather well as well as providing a good durable surface which is a doddle to maintain. Once every 6 months or so, I simply rub another coat of oil on.

I would not recommend linseed as it will not protect long term against moisture and that's not good for stocks. I don't care what GRS or any other manufacturer says, Linseed simply isn't suitable. The factory finish on these stocks I find pretty poor for the cost of them too.

Chester, would you manage to upload a couple of pics of your stock ? I have GRS stocks and am of the same opinion of the factory finish, and I'd like to see how they look once finsihed with the oil you mention.
Also, I wouldn't mind darkening my stock, would that be an option using the Liberon oil ?
 
Chester, would you manage to upload a couple of pics of your stock ? I have GRS stocks and am of the same opinion of the factory finish, and I'd like to see how they look once finished with the oil you mention.
Also, I wouldn't mind darkening my stock, would that be an option using the Liberon oil ?


I have a few photos from last year below. If you need closer shots let me know. Liberon will darken the wood slightly. The other very good option is Merrells Holzol hard wax oil, which is similar (or just renamed) to their Eze Oil. That was as good as Osmo Oil Hard wax oil at half the price but after dropping the "Eze Oil" name from the range, surprise surprise, the price on the new range went up! Fiddes is another option. One of the best stockists for these oils is in Cirencester, RestExpress.co.uk

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Ps. Paper first, then oil as above ;)

Add several coats, one per day, before giving a light rub down with 400 grit. Then a light rub using 400 grit between coats for the next 3 coats, and a final few coats on top. The more you add, the glossier the finish will become and the more durable it will be. Go easy on the first coat as the oil is high in volatiles. You only want a thin coat for the first few and allow to dry and harden properly. Wipe off any excess after applying with a clean cotton rag. Decent finishes take time. It takes me a few weeks to achieve a really good result. If you like, you can use a wax high in Carnauba (anything more than 3 or 4% is deemed fairly Carnauba rich) as a final finish. I prefer to use Renaissance Wax. It is very durable, water resistant, and an excellent protective coat for barrels as well as woodwork!
 
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Anyone using Tru oil?
I have a nice piece of walnut i'm going to finish shortly once i've done a bedding job.
will probably start a new thread on the progress.
 
That looks a damn sight better than factory finish. Now my problem is how long can I bear to have it out of commission for.....
 
Does anyone have any experience with the grs oil? Or do you use the finishing oil previously stated?
 
I don't know what GRS use but suspect it's just a coat or two (at most) of some version of Danish Oil or even boiled linseed. Whatever they use, the stocks don't seem to be well enough finished and prepped before oiling. The standard finish is rather crude. The few I've done have been finished to a fine smooth sheen prior to application of the oil, which takes between 5 and 7 coats minimum for a decent finish (Liberon) or between 2 and 3 coats for durability with the hardwax oils (such as Osmo). Any of these can be applied over the original finish if you don't want to finish the stock off by fine sanding prep first.
 
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