Caring for wood on Miroku MK38

[edge]

I have an 18 month old Miroku MK38. Should I be treating its woodwork with something? And if so, what and how?

 

My question is prompted by there being some small patches on the stock where I can now feel the grain, where it was dead smooth when I bought it. Although it has got wet occasionally, the gun is always dried off soon afterwards and never stored in a damp place. I'm not sure what the factory finish on the woodwork is.

 

You can just make out the raised bits in these photos:

 

 

Edited October 23, 2009 by edge

[Harnser]

If its an oiled finish then you need to lightly oil the stock with a couple of times a year . Just rub in a little boiled linseed oil with the palm of your hand untill you feel the friction building up ,leave and let dry and repeat as necessary . If a varnish finish then no maintence is possible unless you wear the varnish off and then it would need to be re varnished .

Harnser .

[Cosd]

If the gun is that new it doesn't sound as though it would be a varnish finish as this would not have worn through so quickly even if it has had some rain.

 

My GUESS is that it is an oil finish, in which case Harnser's reply is the way to go. I have an oil finish on my gun and when I finish wiping the barrels down with some oil before it goes in the safe, I run the oil moist cloth over the stock and this has kept it in nice condition.

 

If the grain can be felt it sounds like the oil may be a little dry, so you need to do something. Maybe Straightshooter will give you some tips on what to do....

 

 

Good luck

[Harnser]

It looks to me that part of the grain has started to rise . This is a normal proceedure and is eaisly rectified . The stock is indeed an oiled finish and just needs a light rub down with 00 wire wool with boiled linseed oil . when you have used the wire wool then rub in the linseed oil with the palm of your hand untill you feel the friction build up and repeat as necessary . your stock was not properly de-whisked before the application of the oil from new . Dont be frightend to rub with the wire wool untill all the high spots have gone . If it was my gun I would wire wool the whole of the stock and re oil .

Harnser .

Edited October 23, 2009 by Harnser

[edge]

I just read the manual. You might suggest that I should have done that in the first place...

 

...but I'm confused by what it says. "A little Legia Spray applied from time to time will feed the wood and allow it to retain its handsome appearance."

 

I thought that Legia Spray was supposed to be used on the barrels and action - that's what it says on the tin. Can it really be good for wood too?

[BlaserF3]

What you need is a wet cloth and a hair drier. You might as well do the forend as well, just in case.

 

Apply the wet rag to all the wood then use the hair drier to raise the grain.

 

I use a fine grade of wet and dry to rub the wood flat till all the wood is flat.

 

Then do the wet rag and hair drier again and keep on repeating the treatment rubbing the wood down till it's nice and smooth.

 

The jobs finished when the grain will not raise anymore.

 

Finish the job off using artist quality boiled linseed oil, the ordinary boiled oil is like syrup in comparison.

[edge]

Thanks for all the advice. It is an oil-finished stock (the manual tells me). I'll go in search of linseed oil tomorrow.

[George1990]

I just read the manual. You might suggest that I should have done that in the first place...

 

...but I'm confused by what it says. "A little Legia Spray applied from time to time will feed the wood and allow it to retain its handsome appearance."

 

I thought that Legia Spray was supposed to be used on the barrels and action - that's what it says on the tin. Can it really be good for wood too?

 

You can get a Legia spray for the wood too. It is different to the Legia spray for the barrels. Think it's just a brand name.

 

Edited October 23, 2009 by George1990

[Dibs]

I just read the manual. You might suggest that I should have done that in the first place...

 

...but I'm confused by what it says. "A little Legia Spray applied from time to time will feed the wood and allow it to retain its handsome appearance."

 

I thought that Legia Spray was supposed to be used on the barrels and action - that's what it says on the tin. Can it really be good for wood too?

 

There is two sorts. the red canister for metalwork and the green canister for wood.

 

I use both of these on my guns and has always kept them in tip top condition.

[Harnser]

What you need is a wet cloth and a hair drier. You might as well do the forend as well, just in case.

 

Apply the wet rag to all the wood then use the hair drier to raise the grain.

 

I use a fine grade of wet and dry to rub the wood flat till all the wood is flat.

 

Then do the wet rag and hair drier again and keep on repeating the treatment rubbing the wood down till it's nice and smooth.

 

The jobs finished when the grain will not raise anymore.

 

Finish the job off using artist quality boiled linseed oil, the ordinary boiled oil is like syrup in comparison.

 

This process is not necessary on your gun stock unless you intend to completely rub the stock down to the bare wood . If you do decide to rub down and start again then this process is necessary to De-whisker the wood . What ever way you go about it do not allow lots of oil to get into the checkering as the oil will bung the checkering up . I use an old toothbrush to clean the oil out of the checkering .

Harnser .

[Harnser]

I just read the manual. You might suggest that I should have done that in the first place...

 

...but I'm confused by what it says. "A little Legia Spray applied from time to time will feed the wood and allow it to retain its handsome appearance."

 

I thought that Legia Spray was supposed to be used on the barrels and action - that's what it says on the tin. Can it really be good for wood too?

Get some boiled linseed oil .

Harnser .

[BlaserF3]

Harnser,

 

If you are going to finish off a part finished stock you might as well do it properly as all that is rubbed off is the top layer of oil.

 

Nothing else will be removed as the "whiskering" as you call it is actually higher than the wood.

 

That's why I suggested using a very fine wet and dry paper, not wire wool as it is so fine.

 

I'll add a little bit more information, if you use the artists quality boiled oil, apply it to the stock with a cloth leave for an hour to allow the wood to absorb the oil, then wipe the excess off.

 

Keep on doing this till the wood will not take anymore oil, it could take a week or more but at the end you will have a stock that looks good and will be nearly waterproof and then you can just apply oil once or twice a year.

 

Most guns nowadays just have part finished stocks and forends they do not come with a proper oil finished stock.

 

I agree with Harnser about doing the whole stock but I don't agree with his method. Do not forget to rub with the grain, when raising the grain and then buff using an old towel to polish the wood.

Edited October 24, 2009 by BlaserF3

[edge]

You can get a Legia spray for the wood too. It is different to the Legia spray for the barrels.

 

Thanks, I was only aware of the stuff in red cans. Do I use this instead of the linseed oil, or on top of it?

[BlaserF3]

There will be no need to use any spray after oiling the stock at all.

[Delbert]

Thanks for all the advice. It is an oil-finished stock (the manual tells me). I'll go in search of linseed oil tomorrow.

 

While you are about it get some natural turpentine* and mix equal measures

this will ensure it drys quickly and prevent rippling. It will also give a semihard

finish- using just neat linseed can result in stickyness and in humid conditions

take ages to dry.

 

Derek

(NB: this is not Turps, trupentine substitute, White Spirit or any one of a number of similar

names if it doesn't smell of pine resin its not the right stuff)

[Harnser]

If this was my gun then it would be getting the full treatment . I would be taking the stock off and all the metal from the fore-end . compleatly rub it down ,de-whisker it and start to oil it . Gun makers dont finish the stocks properly because it takes to long to get the proper oil finish and time is money to them . They tend to use oils that have lots of additives to help the oil to go off quickly ,you can buy this stuff but in my opinion it gives an inferior finish to the wood than several coats of boiled linseed oil .

Interesting about the artist grade linseed oil , I will definately get some to give it a try . Any body who wants to oil finish their stock should give it a try ,its not rocket science and is quite easy to do ,albeit it can take several coats to get that loverly oiled finish, once you have a reasonable finish it is then an on going labour of love to get that wonderful deep sheen by every so often rubbing in another coat .

Harnser .

[George1990]

Harnser, how much do you rub it down? Just enough to get that matt fresh wood feel/look?

 

And you rub in the oil untill friction builds up, then you leave it to dry off before applying another coat? Or is it better to just leave the first few coats to soak in?

 

I want to refinish my guns and my new one I'm picking up next week

 

Thanks

[BlaserF3]

This http://www.winsornewton.com/products/oils-...ed-linseed-oil/ is what I use.

 

I will now give up posting on this subject because I've had enough.

Edited October 24, 2009 by BlaserF3

[Harnser]

Harnser, how much do you rub it down? Just enough to get that matt fresh wood feel/look?

 

And you rub in the oil untill friction builds up, then you leave it to dry off before applying another coat? Or is it better to just leave the first few coats to soak in?

 

I want to refinish my guns and my new one I'm picking up next week

 

Thanks

George ,

If you want to finsh off a stock that has an oiled finish then just a light rub down with 00 wire wool and then as many coates of oil as you want to put on . My method is to rub in the oil with the palm of your handuntill you feel friction build up ,leave to dry . When the oil has dried you can then give the stock a buff up with a lint free rag and then oil again and keep repeating untill you have the finish you require . I might just say that this method was taught to me by a proper gunmaker .

 

If you are starting out from the beginning then you need to sand the stock down with very fine wet and dry paper or wire wool . I like wire wool as it is less likely to scratch the wood and gives a more even finish . You then need to de-whisker the stock as explained earlier and then start to apply the oil . Let each coat of oil dry off before applying another . It is time consumming but well worth the effort to have that loverly deep sheen oiled finish .

 

Harnser .

[George1990]

Thanks Love doing that sort of thing

[edge]

With your guidance and encouragement, I found the necessary ingredients and set to this evening - if a little trepidatiously (spelling??).

 

I hope to report back with results that impress you.

 

Thanks everyone.

[Harnser]

With your guidance and encouragement, I found the necessary ingredients and set to this evening - if a little trepidatiously (spelling??).

 

I hope to report back with results that impress you.

 

Thanks everyone.

Well done Edge . Go for it .

Harnser .

[harv]

some great advice,the only thing i would use is walnut oil rather than linseed, phillips walnut oil preperation gives fantastic results

[Marcus]

My 2 penneth for what its worth

 

What you need is a wet cloth and a hair drier. You might as well do the forend as well, just in case.

 

Apply the wet rag to all the wood then use the hair drier to raise the grain.

 

Its moisture that raises the grain, indeed anything will raise it as long as its a liquid (water, oil, flamables, indeed one method to raise and remove the grain is to wet with a flamable liquid and set alight, the moisture raises, the flame removes (I doubt this method is used in stock finishing, but it is in woodturning) not sure what the purpose of the hairdryer would be.

 

The purpose of 'hand' rubbing is to create heat, that comes from the friction. This helps the process of the wood taking on the oil more efficiently and penetrating deeper into the wood.

 

The method I was taught, and use when applying oil is as follows

 

Oil -

Once a day for a week

Once a month for a year

Then once a year to maintain

 

How you choose to apply the oil is personal preference, but generally is not a flood and soak product, only small amounts are required. Once the oil has been applied I let it sit for 5 - 10 mins, then wipe off the excess, then I leave it to dry for 24hrs. I then, de-nib using 0000 wire wool and repeat the process as many times as I feel is require to get the level of finish I am after.

[edge]

Hello folks, me again.

 

I am delighted with how my MK38 's wood work has turned out, as a result of the advice I got here.

 

In the process, I've discovered how hard it is to photograph a nicely oil-finished gunstock, and make it look as good as it does in the flesh. But here goes:

 

 

 

 

 

The first few coats were done with artist-grade linseed oil, rubbed down with 0000 steel wool. My gun shop then introduced me to CCL Conditioning Oil, which is thicker and has filled up some of the pores faster. I think I could have continued with linseed oil and achieved the same result with just a few more coats. The gun is now weatherproof - at least as much as is possible - and looks a couple of hundred pounds more expensive.

 

There's something very basic and satisfying in hand-rubbing the finish and seeing the deep lustre come up beneath your hands. Without the advice here, I wouldn't have known how to go about this and produce a successful result, so thank you to everyone who chipped in.