1903 Stock Mil Spec Finish Receipe

[LAH]

Does anyone know how and what formula/stain/etc. used in original
Springfield 1903 stocks? Were all stock finishes the same, i.e. service
issue stocks vs national match stock finishes, etc.

thanks

Loy

[Merc]

Does anyone know how and what formula/stain/etc. used in original
Springfield 1903 stocks? Were all stock finishes the same, i.e. service
issue stocks vs national match stock finishes, etc.

thanks

Loy

I googled your question and didn't find anything that would indicate what the original stock finishing specs were. The same question was asked on another forum several years ago. Try googling "Original finish on a 1903 stock - CMP."

I remember seeing an old factory video of dozens of m1917 stocks being dipped into large tanks of stain but I can't find it again so I don't know if they said what color stain was being used. The stocks were made of walnut wood so a dark walnut stain is a possibility.

Merc

[psteinmayer]

Linseed oil!

[13Echo]

The stocks were dipped in hot linseed oil and allowed to dry. Field maintenance of the stock was linseed oil rubbed into the stock by hand. All stocks had the same finish. Tung oil dip was used in the later stocks on the M1 and M14 with field maintenance with linseed oil.

[11mm]

A friend (deceased) who generally knew what he was talking about told me that logwood (a wood die made from a tropical wood) was used to stain the stocks on the 1917 rifle. I have his father's 1917, purchased in 1935 from the DCM, and it appears to have a logwood colored stock, judging from the areas where there was no oil applied. How do I know what logwood looks like?...remember the old Gilbert chemistry sets?...they had logwood in them.

[Emri]

How do I know what logwood looks like?...remember the old Gilbert chemistry sets?...they had logwood in them.

Logwood stain was used before oil application. It has a deep red tint to it.

What a memory jog !! Yes I remember them. You had to get another complete kit cause you couldn't get individual chemicals for replacement. And yes, they did have logwood in them. That is what I meant by memory jog, something that was totally forgotten. I never knew what it was used for back then.

[Merc]

A friend (deceased) who generally knew what he was talking about told me that logwood (a wood die made from a tropical wood) was used to stain the stocks on the 1917 rifle. I have his father's 1917, purchased in 1935 from the DCM, and it appears to have a logwood colored stock, judging from the areas where there was no oil applied. How do I know what logwood looks like?...remember the old Gilbert chemistry sets?...they had logwood in them.

After more reading on the subject - Logwood is a red stain that was used on the early M1903s. The really dark color seen on most unmolested early M1903 stocks is most likely the linseed oil which will darken as it ages.

Merc

[DaveL]

Does anyone know if they used raw or boiled linseed oil?

[bruce]

I may be right. I may be wrong. But from what I've read, the stocks were stained w/ Logwood. Tung Oil was what they were dipped in. Boiled Linseed Oil was only used when Tung Oil became unobtainable during WWII. The oxidation common to BLO accounts for the very dark color of many surplus military stocks.

[IditarodJoe]

I've also read that logwood stain was used on the stocks of the Krags that immediately preceded the early 1903s. Wouldn't surprise me if it carried forward for a bit. It's frustrating that details on wood (and metal) finishing for 19th and early 20th century government firearms is such an extremely weak area in our collective knowledge base.

Logwood shavings and extracts are still available but, without detailed original instructions, trying to duplicate an original finish would take a lot of experimentation and ultimately end up being no more than a guess. In my personal notes, I've cited a comment once made by Bruce Canfield that says "Birchwood Casey Walnut" stain yields a close approximation of the original logwood finish.

In The Springfield 1903 Rifles (1985) on page 541, Brophy quotes from Ordnance Form No. 528 dated 1916 which includes the following. "After finishing the stock and hand guard are dipped in raw linseed oil and allowed to remain in the bath about 5 minutes, after which they are removed and placed in a vertical position until dry." I have found no earlier authoritative reference, but if anyone else has I'd like to hear about it.

(Not that form 528 says nothing about "hot" linseed oil.)