Oldschool hand-rubbed oil finish

[ragbug74]

In another thread, Sheldon mentioned an oil finished sneaky pete. It made me think....I'm familiar with the look and feel of the oldschool oil finishes, but not familiar with technical details on how this type of finish is applied.

Can anyone offer suggestions as to products and procedures used to apply a hand-rubbed oil finish? How fine do you sand a cue before you begin to apply the oil? How many coats? How long must you wait between applying coats? Is oil the only thing applied for the finish or is some type of final sealer applied?

Any information would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Sheldon]

I sand to 600 grit, apply a sealer, sand again with 600, apply oil, sand lightly with 1200, apply oil again. Every once in a while, clean the cue well and re-apply oil.

 

[Mase]

In another thread, Sheldon mentioned an oil finished sneaky pete. It made me think....I'm familiar with the look and feel of the oldschool oil finishes, but not familiar with technical details on how this type of finish is applied.

Can anyone offer suggestions as to products and procedures used to apply a hand-rubbed oil finish? How fine do you sand a cue before you begin to apply the oil? How many coats? How long must you wait between applying coats? Is oil the only thing applied for the finish or is some type of final sealer applied?

Any information would be greatly appreciated!

I've done it a few times in the past. I have sanded the cue to desired smoothness and have then used the oil to seal it. I would apply the oil with 0000 steel wool. Leave it for 15 minutes and wipe off the excess. Then let it dry overnight. Just keep applying it until you are happy with the finish. Depending on the wood that could be a fair number of coats.

 

[ragbug74]

Sheldon, I would imagine when you say apply a sealer, you mean a sanding sealer similar to what you would use on a freshly sanded shaft? What type of oil should be used for the finish? Are there different types of oils that one can use to darken the grain? Once the desired amount of oil is on, you just let it dry overnight and buff lightly?

Thanks for the responses so far! I may get around to trying this over the weekend.

 

[GeraldG]

Sheldon, I would imagine when you say apply a sealer, you mean a sanding sealer similar to what you would use on a freshly sanded shaft? What type of oil should be used for the finish? Are there different types of oils that one can use to darken the grain? Once the desired amount of oil is on, you just let it dry overnight and buff lightly?

Thanks for the responses so far! I may get around to trying this over the weekend.

I've never finished a cue, but I've put hand-rubbed oil finishes on several gunstocks. I use boiled linseed oil. The secret is to start with a perfectly sanded and CLEAN surface, I start with 220 garnet and sand down to 1000 grit. When I'm using the coarser grits (220, 320, 400), I wipe the surface down with a wet paper towel in between sandings to raise the grain. When you get down to the 1,000 grit and you think you have it as smooth as it's going to get, sand it some more. Once I'm satisfied with the sanding, I rub the oil in by hand (I don't use cloths, applicators, etc.), let it dry for 24 to 48 hours, use the steel wool, clean it with tack cloth, and then rub it with oil again. I usually end up spending a month or so finishing a stock and will end up putting 20 to 25 coats on it.

 

[rhncue]

You all know that the main reason for appling a finish to a cue or any material for that matter is for protection. To keep items from rusting or absorbing moisture or letting bacteria in to cause rot is what the finish tries to accomplish. Of almost any type finish there is for wood, oil finish is the worst. On top of this, boiled linseed is probably the worst of the oil finishes for offering any type of protection for wood from moisture absorption. As a matter of fact, some oil finishes actually attract moisture.
Dick

 

[Sheldon]

I agree, but for something that is kept indoors or cased at all times, oil finishes work just fine.
I would never advise finishing a really nice cue with oil, and generally only do them on sneakys unless the customer insists otherwise.

 

[jaflowers]

You all know that the main reason for appling a finish to a cue or any material for that matter is for protection. To keep items from rusting or absorbing moisture or letting bacteria in to cause rot is what the finish tries to accomplish. Of almost any type finish there is for wood, oil finish is the worst. On top of this, boiled linseed is probably the worst of the oil finishes for offering any type of protection for wood from moisture absorption. As a matter of fact, some oil finishes actually attract moisture.
Dick

I'm not a professional refinisher but I am into guns more than billiards. I can say with certainty that one of the nicest and most desirable gunstock finishes is a hand rubbed oil finish. It keeps the wood nice ofr the lifetime of the gun. Also, good quality wood furniture is recommended to be rubbed down with lemon oil on a regular basis. Prevents cracking or letting the wood dry out too much. I can see why that's not good on a nice cue but oil finishes doo have a place on other wood products. Just my 2 cents.
Jason