Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Rimfires 457 stock refinish ???

I need some stock refinishing advice. First of all let me clarify that I am not a wood worker or refinisher. I can screw up practically anything to do with that type of work. I am looking for simple and easy.

So here is the issue - I have a CZ 457 American on the way and it has a walnut stock the "muddy" looking finish on it. What I am looking for is ideas for a stripper that will remove that finish (whatever it is) and not leave a lot of fuzz on the wood that requires sanding - I can really screw things up with a piece of sandpaper. Hopefully after stripping I can get by with just using some 0000 steel wool.

Then I need ideas for finish to put on the stock. I am looking for simple, not something that requires multiple layers of hand-rubbed finish. I just want to put something on it that will protect the wood and look better than the "mud" finish.
I can see through the "mud" finish enough to know that there is no character to the wood so there is not any point in wasting a lot of time doing something that I don't enjoy.

In the past I used a product called Deft One-Step but it must have been too good because it is no longer available. Is there something similar that anyone knows of - Tru-Oil perhaps, or MinWax with built in stain? Or any other ideas for something that don't require hours and hours of rubbing and drying.

I am already starting to think about rattle canning with a fine grit finish. While that would be the easiest I really like wood and if I rattle can it then the stock will just look like a painted synthetic stock.

I am posting this question on the Rimfire and Gunwriter forum for maximum exposure.

drover

Replied at Gunwriter's thread - HOWARD Feed n Wax - Wood Conditioner & Beeswax Polish

Scroll down until you find the post that Sitka Deer made. It concerns taking care of the mud finish.

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/19102855/2/cz-457-american

Regards drover:
Deft is a lacquer. Lacquer has the properties of being fast to tack, offers a respray within a short time and if the finish is damaged it will agglomerate. In other words additional coats bond to the previous unlike polyurethane finishes which layer or lay on top of the previous coats. It will enhance depth rather than shift or colorize the grain. Minwax semigloss or satin might be considered.

Although somewhat tedious, taping off any checkering until the last coat will preserve the feature. Waxes and linseed oils darken over time and will need to be periodically refreshed. These also integrate to a previous coat making repairs without cratering possible.

Jasco stripper will work. Sand the existing finish before application in order to open the surface and allow the stripper to penetrate. Brush it on, allow time for it to work and scrape off dissolved finish. This will probably require repeated applications. When through with stripping, wash with water to neutralize any remaining chemical action. When dry tape off any checkering (optional but recommended) and sand in line with the grain with 220 sandpaper, then finer grit as you wish. Avoid steel wool, it will embed strands in the grain and present concerns in the future. Allow the first coat of your chosen finish to dry, sand lightly. Repeat until the desired surface appearance is obtained, then remove the tape from the checkering and apply a heavier final coat.

A light coat of tung oil or Minwax "Antique Oil Finish" can be sanded into the grain for a slurry type of grain filler, wipe with mineral spirits and sand between coats. These can be hand rubbed for a final finish and will impart a slight but not unattractive amber coloration to the stock. Tru Oil is a favorite. There are numerous approaches, give them consideration. Think of it as a labor of love and don't get in a hurry. Good luck.

Bumping up for more ideas

Thanks to all who have responded so far

drover

I've put a minwax satin clear wipe on poly on many of wood 22s. Easy to apply, not to messy. Two or three coats and done. You don't really rub it in, just wipe it on with a lint free cloth.

Go to rimfire central and look at some of the ones they have done, There may be a sticky in the CZ section telling you how. if not just research it they usually have some nice grain under the mud.

I just started this stock stripping tonight. I first tried Kleen-strip and then lacquer thinner, neither did much. But MEK will take the finish off. I found the finish pretty tough and not wanting to come right off, my guess would be that this finish CZ uses is a type of water base. There was some talk on RFC about soaking socks and putting them over the stock to saturate the finish and that would work but I didn’t want to take the chance with using MEK and having the plastic pillars get damaged. So I started by applying the MEK with a brush and then scraping the finish off but I pretty quickly resorted to dipping 0000 steel wool into a bowl of MEK and just rubbing the finish off. It took me about 2 1/2 hours to remove the finish and when I was done I found that the stock I had was made out of a piece of dark straight grain walnut. So when I’m done I will still have a dark walnut stock. Hopefully with a little more depth to the finish. I’m planning on using Tru-oil for that.

It turned to a tan once the MEK evaporated out of the wood.

Looking good.
I've heard there are always dark area's in the wood from the stain even after stripping. What is your opinion on that?

After the first coat of tru-oil.

Hey, that's looking pretty nice.

There’s a few dark spots in this one too but it’s not from the old finish, it’s naturally occurring in the wood, I don’t think it’s really that high grade of walnut but the spots really don’t bother me. If I didn’t do any more to the stock in my opinion it’s way better looking that the factory dark finish. I think you could just put a couple coats of linseed oil and be done with it. There’s no finish in the checkering yet, I’ll thin the finish down and only put one coat at the very end to seal it.

Wow! I'm duly impressed. Nice work.

That's going to be beautiful. Tru oil seems to really bring out the character and figure in those kinds of stocks.

Drover, I hope my posts give you some ideas on what you can expect when removing the CZ finish, it wasn’t my intent to take over your thread but if you think these will help you I can post a couple more for you as I go forward. Since it’s winter and 60% humidity where I live the finishing will probably go slower than normal, it takes a long time for the Tru-oil to harden up in this weather.

Namuh - that is really coming out great, keep us updated.

To all who have replied, and others - this is a real learning experience for me. Please keep information coming, it is apparent that there are a great many ways to improve the mud finish.

drover

Ok, in this humidity the stock is just as tacky as it was yesterday. I cleared some space out in my wife’s closet, put in a small floor heater and hung the stock. Hopefully it will dry before my wife notices. 🤣

Haha she might just wonder why her cloths smell. Just be careful the checkering will fill up with anything you apply. Also the previous finish that soaked into the grain may be fighting your tru oil

I’ve done a number of stocks over the years and I knew doing this in the winter would pose a problem with the Tru-oil drying. I’ve hung them in a makeshift drying cabinet made out of a large cardboard appliance box with a heater in the bottom… the closet was just on the spur of the moment. I try to keep the finish totally out of the checkering until the stock is completed, sealing the checkering is the last thing I do. It looked like I removed all the old finish but I’m sure there may still be some down in the pores. I very lightly sanded the stock with 400 grit sandpaper after I had stripped it with the MEK and 0000 steel wool, then I wiped it down again with MEK and lint free paper towels. The wood was slick and looking down through the grain I didn’t see any remaining finish. The wood is what I’d consider serviceable but not a high grade piece hence the CZ dark finish that covers or blends in the dark blotches that are naturally occurring in the walnut. I feel a natural look is still better than the muddy finish that was on it.