All right guys, not ready to finish a new stock right now, but have some old ones that could handle a refinish and its good practice.

Got one on my Higgins 270 win that has been letting sweat in, some grain in the forend has started to open the pores a bit. I was going to sand it down and wondered if I should also do something to pull out any oils in the wood? Brownells sells stock white or something like that.

Thoughts?

Was going to try the tru-oil method, but not sure how to cut it. have the Stockmaking book, author escapes me, and was reading different methods last night. Would love to know D'Arcy Echols as in searching here I read Allan Day's description and how Gene had tested the resulting finish in the shower and thought it sounded like a finish worth trying. input?

Red

Hi, Dago Red,
I dunno if the guy still has a website, but Jack Crawford Gunstocks had several articles on refinishing stocks. Try a Google search. I've followed his advice with excellent results. Basically, use paint stripper to get the old finish off, steam the dents out with a wet rag and an electric soldering iron, sand along the grain with finer and finer grits of wet 'n dry paper (the black auto body stuff).
Use the finer grits (#240, #400) wetted with 50-50 thinned tung oil, sanding with the grain, until you build up a nice sludge of oily sand-dust. Then wipe the stock across the grain, forcing the sand-dust into the grain. Repeat the process until the grain is filled to your satisfaction. Then rub on straight tung oil with the palm of your hand to get the gloss you want. Finish off with #600 wet 'n dry used with unthinned oil, and wax the finished job. Your stock will never have looked so good! And, future scuffs and minor scratches can be fixed up by simply rubbing on a little more tung oil.

Hope this helps.

Xzec.

The secret to Truoil is once the stock is sanded to about 220 or 360 let it take all the 50-50 thinned trueoil it will take until no dull spots exist and its all bright and shiney, then put it aside for 30 to 45 days, then start your wet sanding sludge building process and go to about 400 for a egg shell finish or 800 to 1000 for a high gloss....You can always knock off the high gloss with Rotten stone/oil...

Just an abreviated post suggestion...but the 30 to 45 day cure speeds up and makes a better finish for waterproofing and lasting...A Grisel trick and it works wonders...I have found you can apply this to all finishes..

Whitening is for oil soaked black spots on guns that are 100 years old for the most part..finish remover and sanding take care of normal oily spots....soapy water or properly applied heat will also pull out oil spots as will a wet rag and your wifes iron, just like you would raise a dent. So will some spot removers, but test them on scrap first....and you can use whitening if you like..

I have removed the dirty oil finish from old military and sporter stocks in the bathtub with oven cleaner. Just wet the stock, spray it liberally all over with oven cleaner and let it sit for a while, say 30 minutes to an hour.

For very dirty or oily stocks, repeat this process as needed until the wood is clean.

Then thoroughly rinse the stock off with water, wipe it dry with a cotton cloth and let it dry. Then remove the wood feathers with 000 steel wool, and finally with 0000 steel wool. No sanding is necessary.

You can then finish the stock with whatever concoction you like. I have used multiple coats of Minwax tung oil, which contains some sort of polymer. Allow each coat to dry, and buff to a high shine with a nylon stocking, followed by 0000 steel wool, between coats. When enough coats have been applied, finish buff with the nylon stocking.

When I first read about this method, I have to say I thought it was a bit off the wall. But I figured, what the hell, and gave it a try because it seemed so simple. I have found that it works very well.

Red, is this stock one that you had finished and needs some touch up or is one that you bought and you want to strip it and start over?

Chic, sorry about late reply, busy weekend.

This is one that I bought the rifle for the action but love the way it shoots. Sears FN mauser in 270 win. (the model with the oddball spacing on d&t for the scope bases, can't buy them off the shelf). I don't know if it has ever been refinished but it is worn away in some places and the forend looks like it took in some moisture at one point and the pores are opened up a bit.

Ray I think you are right, I have finished two stocks with uncut tru-oil and noticed that they need some extra time to harden up. one of them even after I had done 3 or 4 coats (with their recommended drying time not the month+) weeks later it felt tacky to me, but that might have been my imagination.

Red

quote:

Originally posted by Atkinson:
The secret to Truoil is once the stock is sanded to about 220 or 360 let it take all the 50-50 thinned trueoil it will take until no dull spots exist and its all bright and shiney, then put it aside for 30 to 45 days.

What are you using to thinn the trueoil with?
I have used it on a lot of stocks but never thinned it.


Thanks

Mineral spirits

I don't know what Atkinson uses, but I've always used mineral spirits.

quote:

Originally posted by D Humbarger:
Mineral spirits

Also called paint thinner?

Yes mineral spirits, the no scent kind for me.

If you want a high gloss finish then lighter fluid works well...