what grit to use

[liam smith]

hi i don't know if im asking in the right place but i am in the middle of finishing my gun stock and have used tru oil and have sanded down to a 1200 grit but have read that you can get it even glossier by using lemon oil and 6000 ,8000 ,12000 grit as a wet and dry combo has any one heard of this and tried it will it react with tru oil and can you only wet and dry solid finishes like polyurethane

[Steve Schoene]

You can probably go glossier with polishing compound as an easier alternative to fine grit sandpaper. I would jump directly from the 1200 grit to the compound. If you already have the paper, I would jump to your finest grit. (I know the official drill calls for working through all the grits, but unless you are perfect at knowing when to stop with each grit you will take off more material by working through the grits. Yes, the fine grit will take longer but will still get to the same place.) This would be particularly important with the TruOil which is just a polymerized oil and will have a thinner film than a varnish.