Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles School me on stock refinishing

Lucked into an Anschutz 22mag locally for a song. Unfortunately, the previous owner didn't keep it "mint"...

What are my options as far as stock refinishing? Is this something a guy can do himself, or is it not worth it? What would the ballpark price for a pro to do it?

Thanks.

I'd see if i could find Karnis and ask him. Haven't seen him on the fire in a couple of months though..

That stock is very fixable. You should be able to handle it easily. Most beginners start off with Tru Oil, and in this case, that's what I would suggest. Strip the finish with any finish remover, taking care to remove or mask off any plastic parts beforehand. Gently sand down the stock (stay out of the checkering!) down to, oh 600 grit, stain if you want, and then apply the Tru Oil in very very thin coats, rubbed in with your hand. Lightly buff with OOOO steel wool between coats. To do it properly and fill the grain, you may need twenty or more coats. Most folks don't go to that extreme though. A rifle that nice though, I'd give it my best effort...

That's the Cliff Notes version of how to do it.....PM me if you need more info. I'd be glad to help.

The above pretty much nailed it. I have had good luck with hardware store strippers even with a Browning that had about 1/4 inch of that glossy crap they used to use. Apply and let sit, brush or wipe off, use a tooth brush in tight spots and checkering. If you search Midway or any of the other suppliers they will have kits and probably DVD's. It is not hard, in fact it is rather fun and you will be proud of the results every time you use the rifle.

A Tru-oil finish. A good & short vid of stock refinishing.

Step one: PUT THE SANDPAPER DOWN!!!!
Step two: Use a chemical stripper such as Zip Strip, Strypeez etc. After it is stripped then you may sand the deepest gouges.
step three: Refinish with the finish of your choice. Pick a finish and we'll go from there, i.e. Oil Finish, Polyurethane, Tru Oil or what.

Personally I would choose an oil finish and cut it down 2 or 3 to one with mineral spirits and wet sand it in. It takes time, well over a month, but worth it. in my opinion.

I've redone several. Lots of different ways, some better than others. I'd second second using a chemical stripper. Best advice is don't get in a hurry. Don't try to get it finished over a weekend.

My best results came from dipping 1" squares of sand paper into oil (I've used tru, dutch, lindseed, boiled lindseed, and various combinations thereof) and making small circles the length of the stock. The theory being, eventually the pours of the wood will fill in with the slurry made by sanding. I start with 150 grit and make my way to at least 400. I normally did one pass then let the stock dry a day or two before hitting it again. I wipe off the excess slurry before letting it dry, some don't.

http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=370&page=1

More than you ever wanted to know about finishing a stock.

I haven't done too many stocks, but the last one I did I used Citri Strip to remove the old finish.

Here is what I started with.


Once I got all the old finish off I sanded the stock to 600 grit.


Then I used Minwax Antique Oil finsih cut with thinner about 50/50 and followed instructions I found on Kevin Weavers tech page. I don't think it turned out too bad, I've been thinking of sending it off to Alhmans to get it checkered now.









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[img]http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r155/taylorce1/HTC%2025-06/DSC_0023.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r155/taylorce1/HTC%2025-06/DSC_0020.jpg[/img]

[img]http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r155/taylorce1/HTC%2025-06/P1000408.jpg[/img]

Nice Job!

Very nice job!


How does that Minwax Antique Oil Finish hold up in rain/snow? Does it get a blotchy white appearance like some of the other wiping varnishes if exposed to moisture?

Thanks

SD

Honestly I don't know, the finish has held up very well so far. It has a ton of coats on it and it did take about a month to refinish. However, I've never had it in real wet conditions. It's pretty much a range and pronghorn rifle. I imagine a top coat of clear urethatne would help in real wet conditions.

I'd have linked the tech page from Kevin Weaver's web site but either it's down or he no longer keeps it. Kevin recommended the Minwax finish when I stopped by and had him install the new recoil pad on this stock. Basically it was just wet sanding the stock again wiping the slurry off until it filled the grain in like I wanted. Then several more coats of the finish letting it dry and rubbing it with steel wool between coats.

Go to Brownells and buy this stuff. It comes with great instructions too. Thank me later. It what karnis uses as well.

http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-t...custom-oil-gunstock-finish-prod5531.aspx

Great, thanks for the link! I sort of found a rifle I really wanted today that needed this. Have you personally used this EdM? Karnis is a very talented fella for sure.

What a frigging joke! Wetsanding in the oil with 180 grit!!! Bad enough to use fine paper, but scratches at 180 are visible to the average unaided eye...

Sanding the edges of the inletting with the short side of a block???

Sanding in the mud in a circular motion???

You nailed it. It will blotch.

I would prefer to leave as much of the old finish as possible... Start with Formby's Wood Refinisher and apply it on a clean rag. You want it to soften the finish but not take it all off.

Then move the softened finish around to the thin and missing spots. It usually does not take long. Stop as soon as you feel like it is starting to look good. Allow that to dry well and repeat if it looks uneven when dry.

Add Tru-Oil over the top by applying heavily and wiping dry after about 10 minutes. Add as many coats as you need to make it look good to your eye.

If you want a tougher finish use spar varnish for the first coat over the old finish and then thin it with pure high-quality oil (available at better paint stores and art supply places) applied like the Tru-Oil.

With the spar varnish the finish will be diluted by the oil and produce a finish that looks more like oil with every coat, but will bond very well and have a bit more protection.

Knocking back the gloss to whatever level of sheen you desire will require a lengthy drying period and something like rottenstone on a felt rag.

Red flags on stock refinishing that indicate you should go elsewhere include sandpaper, steel wool, rubbing oil in by the drop, sanding mud into the finish, thinning the finish for penetration, and long drying times between coats of oil...

Yes I have used it on a handful of stocks including one laminated. Very easy to use. They used to make a satin mix that did not need to be knocked down. The new one is gloss so a rub with rottenstone is needed for the satin look. My 13 year old son used their aerosol mix on a 10-22 project of his a few years ago and it also came out very nice.

Filling the grain, do not stop short on this procedure, do as many coats as required and take your time, sand between each one and you should be very happy with the results

Thanks!

SD

Thats what I was of afraid of. I have a CZ 550 FS that I'm considering stripping off finish and applying a new finish that will allow the grain/mineral streaks to show. The finish on there now is a sludgy muddy varnish film that hides the nice wood below.

I have considerable experience applying pure oils(linseed and tung both heated and wipe on) but looking for something with a bit more protection for adverse weather conditions. I'm afraid the oil won't be enough to prevent the full length stock from warping and affecting accuracy. I like the look and feel of pure oil finishes, so any help in acheiving the oil look that won't blotch with the protection of spar is appreciated.

Thanks gents!

SD