DIY Rokstok Lite-ish (The Barnstok)

[TOLeary]

Tru Oil & Armor All. The Armor All catalyzes the Tru Oil so you can lay down many more coats in a shorter time than with just the Tru Oil.

https://www.rimfirecentral.com/threads/woodstocks-amazin-stock-finish-photos.331108/

I would be weary of this. The armorall is essentially blocking the tru oil from doing its job, penetrating - then curing by oxygen, not another product. A quick google or AI search will explain in actual better detail

 

[Decker9]

What was your reasoning for mixing/diluting the urethane?

I would definitely recommend applying it to a scrap piece for practice if you haven’t already. I used spar urethane when I made my front door and while it’s easy to apply it would want to pool up on edges. A stock isn’t a square door but I can see it wanting to pool up where the fore end turns into the barrel contour or the butt pad.

Getting a feel for the amount you’re applying will be another thing to think about. It only wants to spread so far - if that makes sense.

And making sure you get everything applied relatively quickly. If it starts to tack up and you apply more over that tacked up urethane it’ll wrinkle. Getting a feel for this timing will be good as well.

The good thing about it is you can get a feel for applying it pretty quick, looks great in a non semi gloss-gloss, is easily sand-able and easy to apply new layers.

I have not used this on a stock before. But what I would want to try is the French polishing method to apply the spar urethane on something small and shaped like a stock.

The spar urethane is only for sealing, so the deeper in the wood it soaks, the better. I’ll dilute/thin the spar so that it soaks into the wood deeper. Once a stock is saturated and won’t soak up any more, I then wipe off with a clean rag and let dry.

Really like the sheen of the tung oil stock. Does it really take a month or two to finish or could that be sped up at all? Is 15 coats standard?

was there a noticeable difference in durability and feel between the 2 finishing methods mentioned?

There are probably ways of drying faster and doing it in shorter time, but it’s just what I did with my schedule to get to where I was happy with the finish on them. Iv never been in a rush finishing a stock. From the finishes Iv used the tung oil always took the longest to dry/cure. Adding the spar at the end made it cure a bit quicker I believe.

The finish with spar added is definitely slicker to the feel, the other feels more wood like.

Tru oil I think is a good choice if looking for a quicker dry time. I haven’t had much luck with straight tru oil but if I thin it out a little it applies and seems to dry nicely.

 

[Eastman528]

Talking tung oil, just a couple examples I used for visual.

The stock inside has about 15 coats of tung oil, wet sanding in the first 3-4 then hand rubbing the rest in very thin coats over a month or two

The stock outside, was finished the same except I added 25% spar urethane to the last 2 thin coats. It did add a “on the wood” feel to it, but after some years of use, it has proven to shed the water better.

Iv since learnt about using spar urethane as a sealer rather then the finish mixture, its said to be better for sealing and curing. This stock I’m working on will be the first I’ll try it on so we’ll see.

Looks good! Interested to hear how you like using the spar urethane. On the bedding that makes a lot of sense, I have just seen a lot of people bed after finishing and I always wondered why so thought maybe there was a reason. Makes sense if its a factory stock but when you have the option seems intuitive to bed first. My inletting is a little rough and not super tight to the action/bottom metal in places so I will also be using the bedding as a way to tighten that up a little. I will be dying or staining my stock as well to give it some color.

 

[HighUintas]

The spar urethane is only for sealing, so the deeper in the wood it soaks, the better. I’ll dilute/thin the spar so that it soaks into the wood deeper. Once a stock is saturated and won’t soak up any more, I then wipe off with a clean rag and let dry.




There are probably ways of drying faster and doing it in shorter time, but it’s just what I did with my schedule to get to where I was happy with the finish on them. Iv never been in a rush finishing a stock. From the finishes Iv used the tung oil always took the longest to dry/cure. Adding the spar at the end made it cure a bit quicker I believe.

The finish with spar added is definitely slicker to the feel, the other feels more wood like.

Tru oil I think is a good choice if looking for a quicker dry time. I haven’t had much luck with straight tru oil but if I thin it out a little it applies and seems to dry nicely.

When you used tung oil and it took longer to dry, did you use pure unmodified tung oil or a polymerized tung oil like Sutherland welles polymerized tung oil? Polymerized will dry much faster but I think probably still dries slower than tru oil.

Oils like linseed and tung that harden polymerize when they harden. Oxygen, heat, UV light help that process so even if the oil is pre polymerized from the mfg, it helps them dry faster if set in the warm sun with air flow.

 

[Eastman528]

I am going to be doing some further digging on different finishing methods. I am fairly new when it comes to wood finishing and the requirements of a rifle stock are somewhat different than other wood projects but there are similarities. Particularly with wood floors and tables where they have to resist spills and wear. I have used Rubio Monocoat on some tables and a few other projects around the house and have been really impressed with it. Its whole selling point is the ability to finish in 1 coat hence the Mono in the name but I have mostly used the method outlined in the video bellow.

I have also been using butchers wax on a few projects, It was recommended by my wife's uncle who does high end cabinets and furniture for a living. I like the natural wood feel and look, also you can just buff on more as needed but I don't think it it deeply penetrates the wood like an oil would.
https://store.bwccompany.com/4121620.html

I got a really old can of it from him and I will say it seems like a different product than the new stuff I recently bought, I am sure like a lot of things its not the same anymore.


We just recently had white oak floors installed in our home and per the manufacturer we used a product called Bona which I still have a bunch of, its very similar to the Rubio and you effectively pour it on and buff it in. The neat thing about it is if you ever have a wear area you can just apply more to re-seal it which has really changed hardwood floors where in the past you would have to sand down and re-finish the entire floor. This would be nice with a rifle stock as well vs something like a polyurethane that would have to be sanded down typically.

 

[TOLeary]

I am going to be doing some further digging on different finishing methods. I am fairly new when it comes to wood finishing and the requirements of a rifle stock are somewhat different than other wood projects but there are similarities. Particularly with wood floors and tables where they have to resist spills and wear. I have used Rubio Monocoat on some tables and a few other projects around the house and have been really impressed with it. Its whole selling point is the ability to finish in 1 coat hence the Mono in the name but I have mostly used the method outlined in the video bellow.

I have also been using butchers wax on a few projects, It was recommended by my wife's uncle who does high end cabinets and furniture for a living. I like the natural wood feel and look, also you can just buff on more as needed but I don't think it it deeply penetrates the wood like an oil would.
https://store.bwccompany.com/4121620.html

I got a really old can of it from him and I will say it seems like a different product than the new stuff I recently bought, I am sure like a lot of things its not the same anymore.


We just recently had white oak floors installed in our home and per the manufacturer we used a product called Bona which I still have a bunch of, its very similar to the Rubio and you effectively pour it on and buff it in. The neat thing about it is if you ever have a wear area you can just apply more to re-seal it which has really changed hardwood floors where in the past you would have to sand down and re-finish the entire floor. This would be nice with a rifle stock as well vs something like a polyurethane that would have to be sanded down typically.

My experience is within homes and cabinetry just a fyi.

Rubio is good but not great with maintenance. It’s upside is it’s a one and done finish layer. But that’s also the downside.. you can’t build layers or truly touch up unless sanding back down. They have a maintenance product but it’s more cosmetic. It does truly bond to the wood which is good.

Bona will be a surface layer finish and a good one. You can build layers but that’s also the downside, it will build thick layers.

Beeswax I would avoid. It’s a live finish so it doesn’t cure. More of a natural, protective coating. Good for cutting boards that get used often. I look at it as More of a maintenance product

I think with any finish that you might potentially use, practice on another piece of wood going through the whole sanding, finishing and curing process to see where you might need to adjust for your stock and see if you like the finished product. The Rubio is the most intriguing to me as it is one and done and bonds to the wood. I would love to test that out and see how durable it is as a stock finish. BUT It seems like the tried and true tung oil or a spar varnish would be a good way to go for durability and ability to maintain.

 

[TOLeary]

Realized in my excitement to make progress did a poor job of documenting some of the finer shaping. More or less in its final state now.
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The two tone of the laminated pieces kinda grew on me. Contemplating how I will finish it definetly needs to be sealed up good. Open to suggestions.
Overall stock feels really good, dont have a Rokstok Lite to compare to but think I am pretty close in ergonomics.

I’ve been waiting for more pictures to come out and scrolled up... Dang I thought I was following along but somehow missed these. This came out freaking awesome!

Did you end up going smaller on the grip? Looks like you were able to narrow it down.