My First Rifle Stock Refinishing Project

Charles Graff

Moderator Emeritus
When I was 13, I was the proud owner of a Winchester 1894 rifle in 30 WCF. I decided the stock needed some freshening up and read at the library in book that "boiled linseed oil" was what to use. So I bought some linseed oil at the hardware store and took it home. I put it in a pot and put the pot on the stove to boil it. Guess what happened? No, it didn't catch fire, but it turned into a very thick goo which tried to smear on the butt stock. It was indeed a learning experience.
 

popper

Well-Known Member
Better than my first attempt. Friend gave me a worn out single shot, I was probably 10. Worked OK with shorts. Cut the butt to like like some arab gun, chopped the barrel short. Used an exacto to 'engrave' one side and then filled with alum/plastic to 'filigree'. Never got to the other side. Don't have any idea where it disappeared to. Never did shoot good after barrel cut either. Duh. Worn out - you pulled a knob on the back of the bolt to cock and sear (if you could call it that) went into a worn groove in the round FP. Tried to square the groove with a file, didn't help much.
 

Ian

Notorious member
Sounds like the time when we all spray painted our first bicycle. You know, pedals, seat, handlebars, tires, the works.

I think Brownell's actually boils their linseed oil, but, you know, in a vacuum.
 

JWFilips

Well-Known Member
Charles,
The Boiled linseed oil they sell in stores is not the stuff that was used in the early days of gun building!
The stuff they sell or try to sell in stores changed in the 1930's because the government removed the Lead Salts that were physically incorporated into the Linseed oil at high temperatures....For a cold mix of Linseed oil and Jap Driers!
In the 17th and 18th century gunsmiths put Raw linseed oil into Lead vats that sat like that for a year or more...Then they would Take the oil and heat it with a piece of limestone until it just started smoking then would take it off the heat! At that point the Limestone would react to the Lead oxide and acetate that was formed over the year or so in the lead vat bath making the oil neutral and causing much bubbling from neutralization which the called "boiling" but it really did not boil ...it was only a chemical reaction to the lead acid and the limestone base!
That is how I make my "boiled stinky linseed oil" as well as Eric Kettenburg, whom I now buy it off him because I'm getting to old to make it myself!
It is cut with pure turps ( Not hardware stuff) Grumberger makes the pure turps for oil painters but it is pricy!
It dies relativity hard but flexible so it never cracks or crazes.
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Sounds something like the process of turning limestone into quick lime and then into usable lime for masonry or ag purposes. Amazing that someone figured all that out long before we had science majors and chemists. Same with medicines, metals and hundreds of everyday items like paints, dyes, papers, etc. These days you'd have to be a Phd 4 times over to come up with some of this stuff!
 
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smokeywolf

Well-Known Member
Civil/structural engineering and physics by the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians.
Botanical and chemistry by the Chinese.
Medical by the Greeks.
And that's not even scratching the surface.

Top ten inventions?
  1. The wheel
  2. The zipper
  3. Velcro
  4. Penicillin
  5. ?
  6. ?
  7. ?
  8. ?
  9. ?
  10. ?
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Many of whom were abducted by aliens and filled with great knowledge, then returned to their people to share it. Some, like The Bodhisattva, Quetzalcoatl, Huangdi, and Akhenaten were probably just aliens themselves.
I had to look every one of those up...
 

Bret4207

At the casting bench in the sky. RIP Bret.
Civil/structural engineering and physics by the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians.
Botanical and chemistry by the Chinese.
Medical by the Greeks.
And that's not even scratching the surface.

Top ten inventions?
  1. The wheel
  2. The zipper
  3. Velcro
  4. Penicillin
  5. ?
  6. ?
  7. ?
  8. ?
  9. ?
  10. ?
I would put #1 as the well, as in for drinking water. #2 would be fire. #3 would be the cutting edge. #4 might be the concept of numbers. #5 may be the boat, or heating water or sewing. I suppose it depends on what you want to call and invention. Velcro and the zipper wouldn't make my top 100 list. To each their own as always.
 

Ian

Notorious member
I would put language as #1.

The clay pot was certainly one of the most significant human inventions and a necessity to any settled civilization.
 
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RBHarter

West Central AR
A while back I read a little deeper about the "Bagdad battery" which I had misattributed to the wrong Med culture ......
After some thought with some other recent reading at the time it's possible that it was in fact not a battery in spite of the fact that a reproduction of it produced current . It may have in fact been for enrichment of the alcohol content in the grape wine . Making it like the red haired boys pee in iron working just an accidental discovery discarded for several 100 years ......or buried as some sort of mystical black magic .

Contained and at will fire , stone ware , language , writing , and the wheel are a bit of a double edged sword , also quite handy , in terms of civilization . All of the wonders and giant leaps forward ..........and all of the most heinous tools of destruction and regression will reside on the same list of greatest and worst advancements since homoerectus picked up a stick heavier than needed for fishing out termites for lunch .....
 

popper

Well-Known Member
Probably a stick to hit things with and dig holes for planting. Then fire and hogs. Numbers and language about 10k BC on clay tiles so pots were around then. Language guys claim evidence of writing about 9k BC found in Turkey. Previous was just symbols. Stick in honey, then into termite mound, or catch the flying ones and pop in mouth. All conjecture as they also claim the Mississippian culture was around 3kBC and made big mud huts and had language.
 

smokeywolf

Well-Known Member
Reason I wasn't counting 'fire' as an invention is, I see it as more of a discovery. Certainly one of the most important discoveries for the existence of humankind. Keeps us from freezing to death, makes some bacteria laden foods edible, sterilizes tools or instruments.
Ways to ignite a fire. The match or lighter would certainly classify as "inventions".

Black Powder?
Refrigeration?