Nice job, guns are supposed to look 'used"
The nice thing about oil finish is that it doesn't take away the character dings. I don't sand out any gouges or dents. You can still see the scratches and dents as they are darker than the wood. Years of reapplying oil over the new character marks that show up will only add to the "used" look of the gun.
Factory stock finishes these days are awful. Nice job bringing the life back to it.
What was your process?
Ben,
Strip down to bare wood (I don't sand at all, just use additional coats of stripper).
Add a liberal coat of oil, reapplying as it soaks in. This is where you really saturate the wood. Let sit 30 minutes and wipe off excess. Dry for two days.
Wet sand with 320 grit and oil. Let slurry sit on wood for 20 minutes, then wipe down with paper towel. Dry for two days.
Cut checkering.
Wet sand with 320 grit and oil, let slurry sit on wood for 20 minutes, then wipe down with paper towel. Dry for two days. Repeat two more times.
Do above step with 400 grit and oil and repeat 3-4 times.
Do above step with 600 grit and oil.
Dry for 3-4 days.
Rub a coat of oil on (not much oil, just wet your fingertips), rub hard enough to generate heat. Let sit for 20 minutes and lightly wipe down with paper towel. Dry for two days. Repeat 3-10 times.
Polish out with 0000 steel wool and/or rottenstone to achieve the desired gloss.
Any unexposed surfaces get coated with varnish prior to reassembly.
I used the John Kay Winchester oil on this gun. I was a little surprised how light it ended up being. It never really reddened up like the Model 70 did.
