Linseed on wax

[nicknsd1978]

Beretta silver pigeon - approx 10 years old from new. Spent the majority of years using CCL gunstock conditioning oil but a few years since I applied the CCL gun wax. Not really used it in the last couple of years. Starting to get back out again. Have seen the following ref to cleaning the stock using linseed oil and then applying a gun wax. Will this be ok to do on the existing waxed stock. I like the idea of giving it a good clean to remove the grime but with it last been waxed, will the linseed oil do anything?

[ditchman]

thought he would have wiped thinners over the stock first to remove crud and top layer...........is he using natural linseed oil rather than boiled ?

and i world have scrubbed the chequering out with a tooth brush first to get the oil out from you hands gripping it

 

not a good tutorial i rekon

[Scully]

Linseed oil always goes sticky in my experience unless used very very sparingly. 

[enfieldspares]

The world has moved on and linseed oil or the quicker drying BLO as in boiled linseed oil is not the best or even half best product for gunstocks today. But anyway for just cleaning a mucky stock I'd truly look at something else. I once had an air rifle that had hng in a pub and had decades of cigarette tar and nicotine deposit all over it. From the old Francis Arms pub at Stoney Stanton that had a large number of air rifles hanging from the ceiling. To clean it I'd wipe it with a rag dampened with methylated spirits. To clean the checkering just a dry toothbrush. Maybe just a quick dip of the toothbrush and then good shake off in the methylated spirits. It took a while but it didn;t harm the original finish under all the years of nastiness. There is also the apocryphal tale of the man who used a whole half bottle of linseed oil on his gun and then wondered why it was now four ounces heavier in the stock!

Edited January 4 by enfieldspares

[nicknsd1978]

Ok thankyou. To be fair it probably doesn’t need a clean and just another thin layer of wax applied again. Went off using the oil as no matter how hard I tried, when you look closely I have bits on the stock hence then using the way instead plus I was pigeon shooting at the time so thought it may offer a bit more protection in the wet

[Fil]

BLO is still used by gun makers today. I use boiled linseed oil all the time. Especially for a lubricant when cutting back the finish with very very fine wet n dry on a stock whilst refinishing. Also when I "clean" an old stock up I use the finest wire wool you can get. 0000 I think it is and use BLO as lube. Always in line with gun. Never cross polish. You'll be amazed how it restores the figure and colour of the walnut. Rag over the stock to remove excess oil then use your favourite stock care. Always boiled linseed as it dries into the grain. Ordinary linseed oil never goes off. I must add that this is for traditional oil finishes. Not varnished stocks!

 

On 04/01/2025 at 23:39, nicknsd1978 said:

Ok thankyou. To be fair it probably doesn’t need a clean and just another thin layer of wax applied again. Went off using the oil as no matter how hard I tried, when you look closely I have bits on the stock hence then using the way instead plus I was pigeon shooting at the time so thought it may offer a bit more protection in the wet

Try Napier Stock Shield. It works well for me.