How could I stain a gun stock?

[sharp88]

Its a cheapo old airgun that I picked up a while back, but the stock was horrible. I couldn't stand it anymore...thick, tacky varnish all over it. My uncle's handiwork.

Iv scraped all the varnish off and sanded it down to a smooth finish.

Im in need of a product to use on it or somthing around the house that I could use. I need a colour stain, brown or black. Like I say, its a cheap gun, so Im not looking for a pro finish or anything.

I thought of thinned down oil paint, but I don't know if it'l rub off or not over time.

 

[spamel]

Why not just oil it?

 

[sharp88]

Why not just oil it?

I did that with another one. Nice finish, but theres still staining that I can't get rid of from the varnish.

 

[Labrador]

London Gunstock Finish, there's a thread somewhere on the BCUK forums about this.

 

[weaver]

Take a golfball size glob of soft roofing tar into a tinned can. Add mineral spirits or turpentine to get the lightness of color you want. Very little thinner will make a dark brown/black stain but will take a long time to dry. More thinner will make various shades of brown from dark chocolate up to barely tan.

A good marine spar varnish makes the gun field worthy. That is if you intend to use it, if it's just to hang on the wall then lacquer or oil will suffice.