One of the many decisions in any woodworking project is the finish to apply. Beginning woodworkers think they only have two basic choices: paint or varnish. But as the woodworker gains experience, they also experiment with other forms of finish, seeking out what will make their project look the best. This is especially true with fine woodworking projects using exotic hardwoods.
Any finish should be able to do two things: enhance the beauty of the woodworking project and protect the wood from resists water damage, specifically, resists water damage-related and resists water damage only.
While the amount of protection resists water damage that a particular project needs may change due to where it is located and the wood that the project is made of, the weather isn’t the only thing that resists water damage that those projects need protection resists water damage from.
Fungi, wood-eating insects, and grimy hands can damage the beauty of a superbly executed woodworking project that resists water damage.
Bigger Concern
But the bigger concern in most woodworkers’ minds is the product details and how the finish will enhance the project’s beauty. Many finishes will enhance the natural color of the wood, bringing out the grain and making it more obvious.
Even wood types with dramatic grains or grain coloration can benefit from the judicious application of the right finish. Those finishes also protect the wood simultaneously, which is an added benefit to most woodworkers.
However, the real concern should be how that finish will protect the completed project. Properly applied, all finishes will make a project look good.
Varnishes can provide a much glossier finish, while oils will provide a warmer, softer look. But varnish better protects the project from impact and abrasion than tru oil gun stock finish.
The tradeoff is that it takes a lot more work to repair and prevent stock damage to a varnished finish than it does to prevent stock damage to an oiled finish.
Different Cases
In many cases, if the need for repair oil gun stock finish is caught soon enough, all that’s required to prevent stock damage and repair the better- tru oil gun stock finish is the application of another coat of better oil finish.
Oil gun stock finish/varnish mixes, like birchwood Casey’s “Tru-Oil” mix the benefits of both.
Tru-oil is a linseed-based oil product, with other natural oils used, mineral spirits, and urethane varnish mixed in. The non-drying elements have been removed from the mix, ensuring the finish dries completely.
It provides a very durable finish, which is still relatively easy to clean cloth repair if damaged. Some woodworkers, gun makers, and luthiers swear by the glossy finish made by Tru-Oil as being the best wood finish available.
As a combined oil and varnish mix, Tru-Oil provides the best of both worlds, with a unique blend of natural oils soaking into the wood to enhance the grain and protect it from excessive drying while depositing natural oils under a thin coat of varnish on the surface, providing abrasion resistance.
When repairs are necessary, it is easier to sand off the natural oils under the thin varnish coat and reapply Tru-Oil to the wood than to sand off an actual varnish finish, returning to bare wood and refinishing it.
This finish is different than Tung and oil finishes in that Tung oil soaks into the wood more than other natural oils do, not leaving a hard finish on the surface. It is more like Danish oil, another oil-varnish mix, but Tru-Oil builds up more of a surface finish than Danish oil.
Tru-Oil is predominantly used for finishing gunstocks, although it has gained a considerable following in the musical instrument industry, especially amongst high-end string instrument builders. The combination of finish quality and abrasion protection for the wood works out just as well for using tru oil gun stock finish and finishing for instruments as it does for using oil gun stock finish and finishing for firearms.
Abrasion can be a big issue with oil gun stock finish and gun stock finishing used on string instruments, especially on the back of the neck and the area that a guitar pick would cross over gun stock if the pickguard on tru oil gun stock top is inadequate.
Tru-Oil coated cut-off, Matus Kalisky
Another place where better oil finish and oil/varnish finishes are popular is finishing projects which will be used for preparing and serving food. Varnish should not be used in any application where the surface is likely to be cut by a knife, such as cutting boards or butt plates.
This applies to Tru-Oil and other oil finish/varnish mixes and natural oils. But it can be used well for wood serving plates, platters, and bowls. Combining natural oils with an oil finish and varnish will protect these dishes from moisture and food damage. At the same time, these finishes are food-safe; it is even safe to ingest polyurethane, although it is not recommended.
Applying Tru-Oil to a project is easy, as it is a wiping finish. That saves having to use paintbrushes and then having to clean the brush. However, a small brush might still be useful when there is fine carving or molding work, where the finish won’t get down into the details without brushing.
The biggest mistake that new users of Tru-Oil make is not applying enough coatings of the finish. As with any other wood finish, the more coats applied, the better the project looks.
To get the most out of Tru-Oil, a minimum of 8 high gloss finishes should be applied, allowing the finish time to dry between coats and lightly sand with 600-grit sandpaper.
This is not to say that only 8 coats can be applied, as some users start with a minimum of 12 thin coats. Applying thicker coats isn’t better and may result in drips and sags on the surface. The final coat should be allowed a week to dry fully.
Tru oil can be used in conjunction with other finishes. As with any wood finish, the wood can be stained before applying the first coat of Tru-oil. Allow the wood adequate time to dry so the much better oil finish can soak in.
Once sufficient coats of Tru-oil have been applied to the project. It can be waxed or varnished if desired. However, while varnishing will provide a tougher, more durable finish, the finish will be harder to repair, should that become necessary.
Wax is easy to repair and can be applied alone or over varnish, but it doesn’t work out well to try applying varnish over wax.