birchwood casey stock sheen conditioner

[d0nni]

Hi,

I', just in the middle of applying my finish coats of the Tru-oil to my stock and with the kit i got it comes with the stock sheen conditioner.

From reading its supposed to take that plasticy gloss from the tru-oil, but could anyone elaborate on this with some photos? cant seem to find a before and after picture or video anywhere on the internet. I'm doing this on my Sauer, i kinda like the gloss look, but at the same time id like to see what the conditioner does to the stock before i take the dive and apply it, afraid that if i do ill find i dont like the result and have to start over.

Thanks!

 

[Steff]

The stock sheen & Conditioner seems to be a polish rather than a coating.
I had no idea this product existed. But I have always used a car polish on my Tru Oil coatings in order to either refurbish the surface or to clear away any remaining haze after a new coating.
Give a shot!

 

[d0nni]

The stock sheen & Conditioner seems to be a polish rather than a coating.
I had no idea this product existed. But I have always used a car polish on my Tru Oil coatings in order to either refurbish the surface or to clear away any remaining haze after a new coating.
Give a shot!

They seem to push that it will remove the gloss from the rifle stock and bring it back to a more natural looking finish though?

I'm very torn if i want to remove the gloss finish lol - On one hand it looks nice and new. On the other it feels all plasticy and false feeling for wood, plus i know it will show any scraps and scratches up like mad and destroy my happiness.

Part of me is leaning towards doing it, but the other part is like a magpie admiring the gloss finish lol. Took so long trying to get the gloss finish so uniform with no streak marks in it im afraid to put the conditioner on it and remove this gloss.

best image ive found for comparision is on a guitar body.

 

[Miki]

I prefer the more 'natural' or 'English' look. Apparently (I read somewhere) Americans like the high-shine/gloss finish and Tru Oil, being a mix of polymerised oil and varnish, dries shiny and hard (perfect for guitars .like you say). The old (English) mix of oils and waxes is called 'salcum' and includes a small amount of carnuba wax.

I'm just in the process of finishing my S&L stock and made up a batch of finishing oil adding carnumba wax, terebine dryers, low odour turps and B&Q boiled linseed oil. Basically you annoy her-indoors by simmering a mixture for about 10 mins to ensure its all mixed, which makes the house smell like a cricket bat
I bought some Alknet oil to darken the wood and bring out the grain and am currently applying thin coats of this first.
My salcum is in the bottle on the left.

 

[Broadarrow]

if you are using tru=oil and you don't want that shiny / varnish look....I would suggest using some ''0000'' grade wire wool .....used very carefully it will take off the shine and leave a hard coating of the true-oil.....the good thing is that if you make a balls of it you can rub it down and put another coat on and try again

 

[Roro]

Another thing to use is rotten stone, which is very fine pumice powder as far as i know, it knocks the high gloss off and gives a softer finish.

 

[Ronin]

Once your try oil goes off (I use a mix of true oil boiled linseed and lighter fluid ) after multiple coats and rubbing with fine paper and 0000wool you will have a shiny finish

You can either then use rottenstone mixed with a little boiled linseed to a paste and rub into the stock with a cloth which will burnish the surface of the try oil coat and then apply the stock sheen - this will remove some shine but when it’s buffed using a clean soft cloth the shine will come back leaving a harder surface coat

I’ve used this method many times on rifles I’ve made or restored that have used wood or laminate stocks

 

[d0nni]

I've tried it and a very light touch of the sheen and conditioner seems to still leave it glossy-ish but not that real plastic feel, too much leaves it very dull (just thought id do some trial and error) re applied some tru-oil and going to just apply a very light coat. done this on the forearm of the stock and it turned out really nice. took any of the light application lines out of it and also left it feeling that bit more natural while keeping some of the gloss but not knocking it straight off. just got to use it sparingly for the look id prefer.

Ill post a finished article later once let this tru-oil harden over the day - was applied last night so will be later this evening before posting photo

 

[Sonicdmb73]

A guy I know who does some absolutely beautiful stock finishing. Uses boiled linseed oil on wet and dry to matt down coats of Tru Oil.
The stock sheen is something similar to T cut in its a fine cutting compound.
You can get anything from just taking the gloss off to a matt finish.
If you go too far and don’t like it as said you can just add a coat or two and try again.

 

[Roro]

I know beretta uses truoil on all its guns, and they don't have that hard plastic gloss finish. I wonder what they use to knock the gloss off.