My mountain rifle is getting walnut…

[Mtnmilsurp]

Mine’s ready for stain and oil…

 

[medvedyt]

Was a fun afternoon yesterday!

Lathered it on thick

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After a 15 minute soak (it really slurped up the first coat), I rubbed it down and sat in the least dusty place in the house (wood stoves are great, but sure make a mess).

It’s showing pretty dark right now, but will lighten up with the next stages. I’ll let it sit a couple weeks now to dry before starting on wet sanding.

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5lb 8oz as it sits now

your grand dad can be proud of you.

 

[rifletuner]

Mine’s ready for stain and oil…

Great work. Thats looking very nice

 

[Stearinlys]

Hey @Decker9 , quick question about your inletting, was the reasoning behind sinking it further intot he stock to allow material for removal during the finishing process? I think you may have mentioned it, I quickly read through it...

Also on the TruOil convo, for what its worth, I used it on a guitar I made my dad from scratch and I really liked how it came out. I wouldn't say it was an easy button for me, but maybe that's because it was the first time I had used it lol. Can't speak much to the durability of it, but it sure looked (and still does) great. I did two heavy coats, and then 10 thin ones cut 50/50 with mineral spirits, then wet sanded and one last thin coat.

 

[Decker9]

Superb work right there @Stearinlys ! Defiantly a special piece! I’d love to build my dad a rifle stock, he’s been married to his custom model 54 since before my time though, a stock built by me would sit in his cabinet I think lol.

I sunk the metal into the wood more for personal preference. I like a flush smooth transition from metal to wood, vs how factory rifle tangs tend to sit on the wood.

I asked around a bit to see if there was a reason for it, what Iv found is inletting into the wood can cause a chip out behind the tang if there isn’t a hair of clearance, which I found out on a previous build. With a proper tight bed though, the clearance can be so minimal it’s hard to see with an eye, and still feels like a smooth transition.

Iv had this rifle out a couple times on the pack, so far the finish is holding up well. I do find it a tad slippery under recoil, I’ll get it checkered here this winter I think.

 

[Stearinlys]

Superb work right there @Stearinlys ! Defiantly a special piece! I’d love to build my dad a rifle stock, he’s been married to his custom model 54 since before my time though, a stock built by me would sit in his cabinet I think lol.

Hahaha that's fair! I probably would have been less inclined to do this if it would have just sat there, but he always wanted, and was in the market for, a Tele... and his birthday was coming up, so I knew it would get used. But man, what a process, and seeing his face light up when he first saw it.... Made it all worth it haha.

I sunk the metal into the wood more for personal preference. I like a flush smooth transition from metal to wood, vs how factory rifle tangs tend to sit on the wood.

I asked around a bit to see if there was a reason for it, what Iv found is inletting into the wood can cause a chip out behind the tang if there isn’t a hair of clearance, which I found out on a previous build. With a proper tight bed though, the clearance can be so minimal it’s hard to see with an eye, and still feels like a smooth transition.

Makes sense, I'm with you on the transition... Feels cleaner and more streamlined, which is what I prefer. Looking forward to seeing what you do with it. How're you finding the area around your hinge plate? Not having any issues with snagging at all?