Refinishing firearm wood at home - Who's done it?

[Sprocket]

Based on this thread:
http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/threads/302760-Firearm-Refinishing-At-Home-Who-s-Done-it

I've got a wood project that needs attention - It's a shotgun that the previous owner "refinished" before it got traded in. I'm looking for advise on stripping - NOT SANDING - and refinishing the lumber on a work horse. The "collector value" may not be all there at this point but I want a working finish that can be reapplied as needed.

Thanks

 

[thormx538]

Can't help you with how to remove the old finish, but my coworker swears by many coats boiled linseed oil as a finish. He used it on his Garand, and on a BP musket he built.

 

[mac1911]

Based on this thread:
http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/threads/302760-Firearm-Refinishing-At-Home-Who-s-Done-it

I've got a wood project that needs attention - It's a shotgun that the previous owner "refinished" before it got traded in. I'm looking for advise on stripping - NOT SANDING - and refinishing the lumber on a work horse. The "collector value" may not be all there at this point but I want a working finish that can be reapplied as needed.

Thanks

What finish is,on there now. Pictures? Do you know what you want it to look like when done.
Some poly and epoxy finishes are tough to remove.
I have been using 3m safe stripper it seems to get just about any finish off. Except that hard as glass browning glossy finish. Sanding has taken care of that.
I'm no expert finisher but I hate the mud brown stain so many of my guns came with back in the day.

 

[MisterHappy]

What type of gun is it?

If it's a "nice" one, more restoration may do more harm than good

 

[Sweeney]

For an oil finish I'd use Pure Tung Oil...it's more durable and water resistant than BLO. I've also used Birchwood Casey Tru Oil which builds up on the surface more than BLO or PTO and has more gloss. I don't like to hide the texture of the wood with poly finishes.

To remove poly type finishes I use a chemical stripper and either a wire brush or plastic scraper to remove the mess usually followed by a quick water rinse and towel dry.

Once I remove an old finish I usually wash the stock down with denatured alcohol and steel wool. Sometimes I'll use a dye to color the wood before oiling. I find the dye brings out the grain better than stain as it penetrates the wood and doesn't just sit on top.

This is a grip with Tru Oil finish.

The Winchester '94 and the Henry were refinished with PTO.

Better picture of the Henry... I also stripped the powder coat off the receiver then chemically darkened it. Tried to make it look color cased.

 

[LittleCalm]

Ive done some Marlin 1894s. Followed this thread for one of them:

http://www.marlinowners.com/forum/1...ce-refinishing-new-1894-marlin-stock-set.html

For the other, I used this kit from precision gun stocks:

http://www.precisiongunstocks.com/contents/en-us/d47.html

Both turned out nice. I like the second kit a little bit better.

 

[xero2099]

I refinished my Mosin stock at home I used citristrip to get the old lacquer off followed by some light sanding then used some stain on it

 

[crazymjb]

Ive had luck with soaking in acetone, scowering pad with citristrip a few times, and scowering pad with simple green. Then a coat of BLO rubbed in well, buff when dry with 0000 steel wool, repeat 10-12 times.

Mike

Sent from my cell phone with a tiny keyboard and large thumbs...

 

[Sprocket]

It's an A-5, the original finish (Browning Bowling Ball Gloss) is gone and it's probably some sort of polyurethane finish - filled in all the checkers, etc.

There is a Tung/Spar varnish mix that is light and durable but needs attention at the end of the season (high wear areas such as grips and checkering on the forgrip) - I don't care about dark but I do want the wood to remain un-sanded so the metal does not become proud of the wood

If I'm putting 10-15 coats of anything on, it had better be the last time I have to do it...

Mike Orlen will probably end up with the barrel to open it to MOD or install tubes - I'm leaning toward MOD for simplicity.

Thanks All

The 3-M stripper tip is the type I was looking for. The BLO/PLO info is also good to know. I've used some of each on other, non-firearm related wood stuff

 

[garandman]

Most commercial strippers contain Lye, which can be hard on the wood. But I've used them successfully on many stocks. The Citric strippers might be easier on the wood.

"Boiled Linseed Oil" and "Tung Oil Finish" are not pure formulations: the exact ingredients vary by brand. There are a number of brands and they end to have a less glossy oil finish.

Birch wood Casey's Tru Oil is a polymerized finish that has a highe gloss. It is easy to apply. I used it on my JC Garand match gun which has a commercial replacement stock.

I sanded the finish to around 400 grit, wiped it down and applied the first coat. I used 0000 steel wool on the successive coats. It took six or seven coats to completely fill the grain. Then I used 0000 again to knock down the shine. My goal was better weatherproofing and it's held up.

The lighting is different but here's a GI-style [both BLO and Tung Oil mixtures were used at SA, at different times, but they look similar).

And here is the Tru Oil, which I recommend for your project.

PS The Tru Oil gun was done in 2005.

 

[mac1911]

At this point if you don't want to sand or put several finishes on
1. Finish is messed up.
2. You use the gun and value is for the most part gone
3. You want to be able to maintain the finish as it wears.
4. http://www.amazon.com/Ram-Line-2-Pi...p/B00162MHXE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8

Your going to need to sand it a little.

My second choice would be to lightly sand the stock feather out any of the finish edges and apply a coat or 2 of either true oil or poly.

Stripping the wood is going to be a small job. You will need to sand also
You keep sanding to minimum around the metal.
There are plenty of original new stocks to buy out their. Try Midwest gun works. If your willing to pay to have chokes opened or installed the stock sets are option. Then again it might just be easier and cheaper to buy another A5 that has nice wood and a,modified barrel ?

 

[Scott7980]

A great finish starts with great prep work. I have spent many years working shellac lacquer poly and oils. prep prep prep

 

[Sprocket]

Then again it might just be easier and cheaper to buy another A5 that has nice wood and a,modified barrel ?

Waaaaay ahead of you there

I'm not afraid of multiple coats, I just don't want to do a dozen coats every year. The Ram-Line unit I tried years ago sucked - the Bell & Carlson is still rocking on the '65. Has Ram-Line changed anything on the stock set?

I know there will be some sanding to knock the wood down, it's the overly aggressive sanding that makes the metal proud - I've seen it a lot on old double guns.

Thanks for the Tru-Oil tip - I'm not replacing the Browning gloss so I'm OK with a satin finish

 

[StevieP]

I bought my Remington 870 Express used from KTP. The wood was OK, but beat up a bit. I just went over it with medium, fine, then very fine, then extra fine steel wool to strip it. Then I just use one of the orange oil & wax (Howard's FeedNWax, I think) on it every once in awhile. Looks good