If your gun stock has checkered areas, apply Lin-Speed Oil to these areas right after completing the inletted areas. Dip an old tooth brush or similar stiff bristled brush into the Lin-Speed (again, put a little Lin-Speed in a separate container) and push the product throughout the checkering.
Full Answer
What adhesive works best to repair a gun stock?
Most of my gunstock refinishing jobs don’t involve touching up the checkering because just renewing the stock surrounding the checkering so dramatically renews stock appearance. I can, however, do touch-ups for lightly worn checkering that always helps appearance. HYPER-CLEANING: I use this hand process for older checkering– talk to me about it.
What is the best oil to finish a gun stock?
· Then I tape off the checkering with painters tape and lightly sand the rest of the wood, with decreasing grits of sandpaper until smooth. Then I get it wet again and let it dry. Then a very light sanding with a very high numbered sandpaper until smooth again. You may need to repeat this step. Then stain and finish any way you prefer.
How to finish a gun stock with Tru-oil?
· 1) Cut your finish 1:1 with mineral spirits. Make a couple wire hangers for your wood and slop on the finish with a... 2) No doubt, there will now be shiny areas that are nearly …
What should I use to finish my rifle stock?
The first step in recutting existing checkering is to clean any dirt, lubricating oil, or excess stock finish from the wood. Using a polypropylene-bristled Brownells Gun/Parts Cleaning Brush along …

When recutting old checkering what tool should be used?
When recutting old checkering, what tool should be used? One important thing to remember when checkering is that good workmanship be neat and clean, with perfectly cut lines. V-cutter.
What is the purpose of checkering a Gunstock?
Checkering are rows of parallel grooves that cross at a given angle to form little diamond shapes. In the English literature, checkering is often spelled 'chequering'. The function of checkering is to give the shooter more grip on the stock especially when wet or greasy.
What do you seal a gun stock with?
0:051:03How to Seal the Wood When Finishing a Gun Stock - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThis is wood sealer. Apply it liberally and it will penetrate deeply into the wood. This is myMoreThis is wood sealer. Apply it liberally and it will penetrate deeply into the wood. This is my absolute. Favorite part of finishing because you can begin to see the real beauty in the wood.
What is skip line checkering?
Another variety is skip line or French checkering. In this technique lines are simply skipped at regular interval creating a tartan like effect hence it is also called Scottish checkering. 1 Pointed checkering. The grooves are cut under a 90 degree angle (sometimes 60 degree).
How is wood checkering done?
0:008:57Hand Checkering Tools - What They Are and How To Use Them - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIn its original and most basic form checkering is simply a series of lightly cut parallel lines.MoreIn its original and most basic form checkering is simply a series of lightly cut parallel lines. They are crossed at about a 30 degree angle.
What are checkering tools used for?
However, checkering is a type of surface treatment intended to enhance the shooter's grip in specific areas, such as the wrist, pistol grip, or fore-end. It also can be done solely for decorative purposes. Checkering consists of intersecting lines on the wood or synthetic surface of firearm stocks.
Can you put polyurethane on a gun stock?
Yes, you can use polyurethane on gun stock.
Can you stain a gun stock?
2 If the stock is relatively scratch-free, give it a gentle sanding with 120-grit, 180-grit, and finally 280-grit paper and polish with extrafine steel wool. Wipe with a tack cloth and go right to staining or applying Tru-Oil® Gun Stock Finish.
How many coats of Tru-oil are on a gun stock?
I'm very lightly sanding with a fine wet-dry sandpaper between coats. 0000 steel wool between coats,unless its like 600 grt. sandpaper you are useing. 7 to 12 coats is a good starting place.
What to do after stripping stock?
After stripping your stock, it still will have some old stain and grease trapped in its pores. To correct this start boiling some water ( be careful!) then use a de-greaser of your choice. I used "Krud Cutter" because it is biodegradable and it lathers the wood in a nice coat of suds.
How to make a wood stock look like a glop?
First lightly sand your stock so that you get some sawdust residue, then mix your epoxy with the sawdust until it looks like a glop of gooey wood mud. Use a tooth pick to push your new wood muck into the crack completely, then use a clamp of some sort to push the wood together and hold it there.
How long to boil stock in hot water?
Cover your utility sink with a towel and allow your stock to float in the hot water for about 5 min before flipping it to the other side. Keep doing this until the water is lukewarm.
How long does Tru oil dry on wood?
The first coat the wood should soak up fairly quickly, which is wonderful! Allow the tru oil to dry for 8 hrs. Once you get back from an 8 hour pizza run, be sure to lightly sand the surface with some steel wool, and apply another layer of tru oil.
How to recut checkering?
The first step in recutting existing checkering is to clean any dirt, lubricating oil, or excess stock finish from the wood. Using a polypropylene-bristled Brownells Gun/Parts Cleaning Brush along with mild soap and water or solvents will greatly speed this task . If soap and water are used, be sure to completely dry the wood using an electric hair dryer. If solvents are used to clean out the checkering, blot out any excess when the checkering is clean and allow to air dry until all odor is gone.
How to fill in missing checkering?
If you have areas with the checkering completely missing due to wear, wood damage or wood repair, use a straightedge and sharp pencil to complete the missing lines. Mark in the lines three or four at a time, and then use a sharp bench knife, hobby knife or Xacto knife to lightly cut down the center of the pencil marks. Be extremely careful that the lines you are penciling in and cutting in do not cross to a different row. Then, using a single line checkering cutter, deepen the knife lines to about ¼ of the final depth of the checkering. Continue this on all lines, until all of the missing checkering is partially filled in. Give these areas a light coat of stock finish and allow the finish to cure before proceeding.
What is flat top checkering?
Early shotguns, from around the turn of the century, were often given flat top checkering, where the checkering consists of incised lines or grooves, without the diamonds brought up to a sharp peak. Care must be taken on this type of checkering to keep the flat diamonds and grooves consistent in size, depth and shape.
How to get diamond height when recutting checkering?
When recutting checkering, the diamonds must be brought up to a sharp peak without waves or inconsistency in the surface height of the checkering. This may take several passes over the checkering with the single line cutter to get the diamond height even within the line of checkering as well as from row to row.
How long does it take for a coat of stock to harden?
Applying too many coats too fast will give a skin of dry finish on the surface with partially cured, soft finish underneath, that may literally take weeks or months to fully harden. Soft finish under the surface will mar easily, and even gripping the stock hard with the bare hand can leave marks.
Can you apply stock finish to checkering?
With the checkering and borders cleaned up, the last coat or two of stock finish can be applied to the stock. Be careful, and keep the finish from pooling or building up in the bottom of the individual checkering grooves.
Can you refinish a stock?
Stock refinishing is a very common job for many shops, but we’ve seen that some gunsmiths leave the checkering “as is” rather than re-cutting it. To our way of thinking, refinishing of wooden stocks is not considered complete until the checkering has been freshened up, or re-cut. If the checkering is worn but visible, it can easily be recut. If there are bare areas where it has been completely worn away, or new wood has been added to repair damage, it can be repaired with just a little more work and the finished results will be far more pleasing.
How to refinish a stock?
The first step in refinishing a stock is to remove the action and all metal or plastic components. Don't leave anything on the stock, such as the buttplate, recoil pad, or sling swivel. Once these items have been removed, check the stock for cracks. If you find any, now is the time to fix 'em.
How to protect checkering on stock?
The first step in protecting your stock's checkering is to cover it with ordinary masking tape. Use multiple overlapping strips of tape to completely cover the checkering panel. The stock had handcut checkering. It was nothing fancy, but it was serviceable and reasonably attractive.
What is used to press tape down into the borderlines of the checkering panel?
A plastic picnic knife with the serrations removed is used to press the tape down into the borderlines of the checkering panel.
What do I need to sand checkering?
In fact, it's pretty darn easy. All you need are a few simple tools; I use a razor knife, a plastic picnic knife, and masking tape. With just a little time and effort you can protect your checkering from damage while sanding and later when applying finish to the stock.
How to smooth tape over checkering panel?
Don't worry about the ends of the tape not matching the outline of the panel. Use the body of a pencil or pen to smooth the tape over the panel.
How to use a plastic picnic knife?
Take an ordinary plastic picnic knife and file any serrations or teeth off the blade. You want the end of the rounded blade to have a nice sharp edge. Once the knife has been prepared, use it to go over those borderlines around the checkering panel. Use the knife to depress the tape into the borderlines.
What tape should I use for checkering?
Once all this has been done you're now ready to begin applying a protective covering to the checkering. This covering will be composed of plain old masking tape. I normally use tape that is about one-inch wide. You can use wider tape, but I've found that the narrower tape is easier to use on the curved surfaces of a stock and it tends to lay flatter with less effort.
Why do military rifles have cigar tubes?
required firearm manufacturers to include cigar tubes in the buttstock of U.S. military service rifles due to the love of cigars among servicemen.
What is a gun talk?
A place for responsible gun owners and enthusiasts to talk about guns without the politics.
Can polyurethane be used for checkering?
Now to finish it for good, I love polyurethane. When working with checkering however this can be really tricky as it will overflow the checkering and smooth it over. So basically what makes it awesome for making a high gloss finish is a problem here. Hopefully, you don't want a high gloss finish... If you do, let me know and I can help you.
Can you stain wood with a rag?
I swear it's a plot. Staining wood can be tricky, but generally speaking you'll want to put it on fairly thick. I like to use a rag, because you can actually rub it into the wood (giggity) and also be delicate around checkering to protect it. Once it dries, you'll want to take another rag soaked with water, and now wipe off whatever didn't soak in. If you don't like the actual color- strip it and start over.
