I purchased one of the new Spearfishing Specialties High Pressure Laminate Guns (52" Commercial) about 6 months ago. After about 3 dives the wood got real chalky so I talked to Kevin about it at the (SBO:eek:) he told me to put a coat of minwax on it. I did as he said, however i have to put a coat on after each dive. It looks good after I put the minwax on but it's sort of a PITA to do it after each dive,..I would ask Kevin but I understand he is in the middle of a move,..anyone have any suggestions? I would appreciate any feedback. I love the gun I just don't like it looking like its 8 years old.
thanks for your input.............Gunny

i put 2 coats of envirotec lite on my ss. its the stuff they put on bar tops.

you could try thinned epoxy. You would have to sand off the present finish to expose the bare wood. Take west systems finishing epoxy resin and thin it out with denatured alcohol maybe 50/50 so it is the consistency of thin paint. The wood should soak up the mix, so keep putting the stuff on till the wood soaks up no more. When you do the mix you cannot wait around cause the alcohol will evaporate. If you want it to be sweet slick sand it once up to 600 or 800 after it cures, then apply another thin coat with a slightly thicker mix. Let that cure and sand it with whatever grit you want it to be. go to 2000 grit and it will be like glass. Or, you can just plug and play after you do the first saturation and cure. the goal is to get the finish into the wood and not just on top so it does not chip and look like butt after a while.

There is no finish on my gun to speak of it was more like an oil/stain. I dont want my gun looking like glass I just want some protection and a sealant on the wood,..
And I dont want to dick it up

Try a penetrating epoxy like Gixxer suggested. I use a 70/30 mix of Xylene/epoxy with great results. It dries much slower than other solvents like alcohol, which makes it much easier to apply.

I did what kjflyfish said and love the result, I will finish all my guns in this way. If I ever want thicker epoxy or colored it makes for a perfect base coat. kjflyfish, thank you for that original thread on penetrating epoxy.

Talk to Kevin again and ask him to find a better solution to the situation than minwax, as far as I know, Minwax is not made for underwater applications such as diving in saltwater.

You could put a UV protected Spar Varnish on it, but you shouldn't have to refinish a relatively new gun.

This is why I like teak, you can oil it a couple of times a year and it will look like new.

Just because Kevin is moving is no reason for him not to take care of the problem, I am sure if you contact him, he will get you taken care of.

Gunny, you have a PM.

Thanks Kevin

I did what kjflyfish said and love the result, I will finish all my guns in this way. If I ever want thicker epoxy or colored it makes for a perfect base coat. kjflyfish, thank you for that original thread on penetrating epoxy.

Glad to help.