Louie started his apprenticeship at Purdey with World renowned gunmaker Ian Sweetman, who taught him how to produce a best quality London oil finish. Louie moved on to start his stocking apprenticeship with Richard Bayley, however made sure to retain the valuable information and techniques taught by Mr Sweetman, later to be used by him at McKay Brown and now for his own company.

The traditional oil finish can take weeks, with many coats of a specifically made stock oil that consist of linseed oil, carnauba wax and a few other ingredients to help slowly build up a mirror finish from the inside of the wood - out. This technique not only makes a beautiful glassy sheen but brings out the grain, figure and colour of the wood, furthermore, effectively weatherproofs the stock and allows any dents to be raised without having to take all the finish off.

The finishing process also includes the regulation of all internal parts to work in perfect harmony and allow reliability as well as perfect functionality. This is yet another one of Louie’s passions as it “allows all corners of the brain to be used”.

See the Photos below to view examples of the best quality London oil finish