oil? stain? light wood help needed

ok..yet another dumb question from the new guy..

long story short...scales are from 100+ year old oak flooring, making for Amish neighbor for heirloom reasons...the wood is hard and dry..about what you would expect from old flooring...also light in color...I don't like it

when last they saw it of course it had varnish and yellowing wax etc built up on it ans so forth... but now that it's been worked down...I just don't like it..I know that it's not for me..but I don't want to turn out something I am not happy with... and I am afraid looks wise..after a while...it will look dirty and dingy etc.....

my plan was to sand up to 400 on the belt..then hand sand to 1500 or so...then take it to the buffer,, and maybe just wax.....but now I am asking what's my options...what is available for a new guy with a limited skill set..
tung oil? linseed? tru oil? wood stain...
what works well for scales?

thanks in advance guys!

I've been tru oiling and getting nice results


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DON"T buff it! Even with a new wheel, light colored woods with pick up whatever is in the wheel, or around it....you'll end up with speckles all over/in the wood. If it were me, I would take it to about 1200 grit, put on some latex gloves, then blow it off with an air hose, then use Tru-Oil on it. Using your fingertip , just coat the entire handle, give it only about 1 min to soak, and wipe everything off with a clean cloth (no lint). Set it aside, and allow to dry for at least 2 hours. Go over it lightly with #0000 steel wool, blow it off with air, and recoat just like the first time. Conintue this cycle until you get 10-12 coats on the handle. It will slightly darken the wood, help fill the grain, and will give the wood a lot of depth. Once the final coat is dry, you can leave it as is, or give it a LIGHT buff to gloss it up.

DO NOT over apply the Tru-Oil. If you put it on as you would any other wood finish, it will never dry....just stays gummy. The secret to this finish is VERY light coats, wipe it off, and let it dry (at least 2 hours). It takes time, but when applied as I described, it makes for a killer finish.

I've used Formby's Tung Oil on lots of woodworking projects over the years and I really like it. It's fairly cheap and available about everywhere. I put it on in 3 or 4 coats, letting it dry and scuff with extra fine steel wool between coats. After the final coat, I hit it with some paste wax and buff with a soft cloth. It builds up a nice finish that's not too glossy. I used it on my liner lock scales a few months ago, and it looks great.

I believe oak takes well to "fuming" and given the source and destination that traditional treatment might be appropriate.

Ed thanks for the warning...you probably saved me alot of trouble...... what about this tru oil armour all combo I have read about..worth the hassle?

interesting..I had never heard of "fuming" had to google that one...I must say pretty neat results and i like the way your thinking with the traditional methods..thank you

I'm to the point where Tru-Oil is about the only thing I will use for "raw" woods that need some type of finish. Once you get the process down, it's not a big deal.... it just forces you to take your time. I start getting excited about the 5-7 coat range....thats when the wood realy starts looking "deeper and deeper". There have been times with woods like Koa that I've put on as many as 20 coats, and it's well worth the time spent in my opinion.

I don't use oak often, but came across some oak burl once that was quite nice. I soaked the finished handle overnight in boiled linseed oil mixed with turpentine (50/50 mix). Wipe off the excess oil afterwards, give it a week and wax. I was very pleased with the results.