Tru-Oil, what am I doing wrong??

[AzRednek]

When re-finishing and Tru-Oil come up I've always knocked it as no good in the long term but others in this ng swear by it. This is another example of Tru-Oil failing for me. I started using Tru-Oil apx 20-25 years ago re-finishing several long guns and all my wood handgun grips. On the handguns, although it took a few years the finish dulled then later powdered off. It could be attributed to my hand persperation be acidic. The long guns for the most part did what is shown in the picture below but this is the worse I've seen.

 

I had a significant event occur about the same time I finished this stock and I can recall the date being Sept 1988. This gun has been virtually untouched, buried in the back of my vault for years. This is the first time I've used this shotgun in at least 10 years. The stock is a replacement I purchased unfinished in 1988 from SARCO.

 

I didn't notice the problem untill this morning when I took it as a back-up on a dove hunt this morning. The finish had bubbled and looked similiar to a window tint job gone bad. When I rubbed my thumb on the bubbles the finish just peeled off. I can't recall how many coats of Tru-Oil I applied but suspect 2 or 3, steel wooling down between coats. These bubbles peeled all the way down to the wood.

 

With so many swearing by Tru-Oil I suspect I must doing something wrong. I would suspect oil on the wood under the finish but taking so many years to bubble up, I can only assume if it was oil it would have bubbled up sooner. I would appreciate you sharing your opinion, don't worry about being polite, if you think I'm some how totally screwing up please let me know. All the guns I've re-finished using spray or hand-run polyurethane seem to be holding up just fine.

 

 

 

[Doble Troble]

I don't know the answer, but it looks like something got between the stock and the finsh and prevented them from properly bonding. If this is true then a couple good wipe-downs with mineral spirits might help.

 

Another possibility is that it was the end of the useful life for that finish. We all gotta go some day.

[Guest Guest]

My guess would be too much oil was used between coats.I had a stock do that when I got in to big of a hurry between coats,I was using spray,and didn't let it dry over night.It made milky looking bubbles.I figured out you need to stretch the oil with the palm of your hand all the way to the end in one long stroke working your way all the way around.You can't put it on too thin.Lately,I've been thinning my oil in half with mineral spirits.It seems like True oil has gotten thicker the last couple years.I have several guns at least 30 years old that have held up perfectly,and my old muzzleloader has been drug up and down the Colorado mountains for years.I also put at least 10 coats on.Jerry

[tinkerfive]

I've seen something similar before.

 

I'd say that Jerry is on to something.

 

When I've seen this before, it was with a heavier coating siting 'on top of' rather

than bonding to the stained wood.

 

 

Perhaps if at least the first bonding coat were thinned out as Jerry suggests,

it might not have bubbled.

[fritz]

The nice thing with Tru-Oil is that after all those years, you can clean up the area and reapply some more. It should blend in just fine.

 

Like was mentioned above, nothing lasts forever. Tru-Oil can be easily touched up.

And I like to thin it with mineral spirits too. A lot of thin coats is better than a few heavy coats. The first coat should be the only heavy one. All the rest should be thin.

 

fritz

[FC]

I could be wrong, but this is what I think-

I think there is some varnish/urethane in the oil, like I think Formby's has. It is wipe-on. It is varnish finish flaking off, not oil. If I'm wrong tell me so.

[Guest Guest_AzRednek_*]

I could be wrong, but this is what I think-

I think there is some varnish/urethane in the oil, like I think Formby's has. It is wipe-on. It is varnish finish flaking off, not oil. If I'm wrong tell me so.

 

Tony I just don't recall, been many years. Best I remember it was hand-rubbed Tru-Oil right out of the bottle. The only thing in addtion to the Tru-Oil might have been some paste wax added a few years later.

[FC]

I was speaking of the formulation itself having varnish. Think of it like an exterior door facing the elements. In short order the urethane/varnish chips and peels. The finish is an oil, but it is a wipe-on varnish, I suspect.

[Guest Guest_BobVZ_*]

Looks like oil/wax/grease/silicone contamination to me. On re-finished wood, make sure you rinse and neutralize any stripping solution with alcohol first. Then degrease 3 times with mineral spirits. Use fresh solution each time! This will remove oil, wax, grease and silicones. Finally, wipe it down with naptha.

 

Tru-oil from the bottle is too thick. Often, it will dry on top of the wood and not penetrate. Thin it 50:50 with mineral spirits and rub the first coat in hard by hand to assure wood penetration. Make sure you degrease your steel wool with naptha before rubbing between coats. Steel wool comes coated with oil from the factory, so it could be a source of contamination. Better yet, use one of the fine grit synthetic abrasive pads. Rub the final coat with rottenstone and oil and wax it.

 

Bob

[roscoedoh]

I read a lot about stock finishing. Here's what I've come up with...

 

To get the best usage out of Tru-Oil, you need to split it roughly 50/50 with mineral spirits. Otherwise its too think to work with. Practically any finish you want to apply works best with 15 very light coats as opposed to 5 heavy ones. When you thin the Tru-Oil, mix it up and keep it in an old glass jar in the dark.

 

In order to apply the best, most durable finish, you really need to seal the stock first. I use the thinned Tru-Oil to wet sand the stock until its as smooth as I want it. Then I just keep wet sanding until I'm overly satisfied that the stock is sealed.

 

Then I set it aside until I remember I have an ongoing project and feel like going back to it. On the 6.5 I just finished, that was something like 3 months...

 

Then I start laying on the finish. I rub a good thin coat in with my fingers. Then I sand with 300-400 grit paper and repeat the next day. After about 7 coats and the finish is built up, I switch to 0000 steel wool in between coats and keep laying it on until I'm satisfied with the finish.

 

Then I rub out the finish with 0000 steel wool and Johnson's Paste Wax. I may go back later and add a coat or two of wax just for good measure. I think 6.5 probably has 3 coats of wax on it simply because I kept finding irregularities in the finish that I wanted rubbed out.

 

And that's what I do. I works for me. My father told me I had the best looking stock he's ever seen and I'm proud of it.

 

So to answer your question: "what am I doing wrong?" I'd say that you need to spend more time laying on the finish and stop trying to rush it.

 

And that's just my $.02.

 

Jason

[spec4 e4]

Never had an problem. After I clean and sand the stock up to 800 grit paper, I apply it with an old t-shirt. the coat is very thin and between coat, I use 0000 steel wool, then I take the vacum cleaner and clean the stock again. But let it dry for 48 hours between coats. Try that and see. I did an stock that is heavy used and it has been 10 years since I did it.

[FC]

Truoil discussion