Stain or No Stain?

[Dadofive]

No stain is the way to go. Looks beautiful. If you have any walnut scraps you could test your 4 coats on then hit it with a buffing wheel to see if you like that. It will make it shine and the oil will dull where the grip is over time which looks fantastic. A used, well-loved beauty and not just a safe queen.

[kselkhunter]

Attached is updated photo. The sun and shadows are causing some areas to look brighter vs darker. When I post the final photo will wait for afternoon sun. This is 7 coats of Tru Oil. I wet sanded on coat #2 and #6 to fill pores. Very happy with the outcome.


Will wait 7 days to apply the sheen/conditioner. Then later will apply a stock wax.


Will post up a final shot assembled with the Duracoated barrel/action in a week or two. A buddy will drop off his Rem788 and Eddystone 1917 next week so will start doing the same stock refinishing and Duracoating barrel/action work on those soon.

[kselkhunter]

Quick test with barreled action.

[nwwanderer]

Looking great, might want to checker it too.  Find a design you like and copy it.  Dem-Bart in snohomish has what ever you need

[kselkhunter]

Still need to finish assembly of bottom metal, but attached is final photo in the sun of the Rem788 in 222.  Glad I didn't do stain on this one, as it had a nicer walnut wood stock than I was expecting.  And Duracoat turned out nice.   

[kselkhunter]

By contrast, this other Rem 788 that I just finished up had a lower quality wood stock (wasn't walnut) and some other issues with it so that one I stained with the Birchwood Casey walnut stain.  Significant difference.  Attached.  Definitely like the "no stain" look better if it's a decent quality walnut stock.  Which this one unfortunately wasn't.

[kselkhunter]

And the Eddystone 1917 that I just finished as well turned out nice, as I was able to keep that one "no stain" and just do straight Tru Oil on. 

These last two need to cure the Duracoat more before I can do final assembly on those. 

[hunterofelk]

Wow, they look great!  Just as if they were manufactured this year.  Great work!