Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles BRNO ZG-47 stock refinish project for Moose Mike.

Thanks!

Tag

Very cool TC!

Mike

Thank you

When you're done go "pore" yourself a beer.

You can probably find a few more if you look a little harder. Oh well, I try.

Ok, I got in from Oklahoma City last night around midnight, got a good nights sleep and it's time to sand some of the ugly off this stock.

For this phase I wet sand. I seem to get better results getting the excess filler off the surface with this method. I start out with 320gt wet/dry paper and use a sanding block were ever possible. ALWAYS sand with the grain and rinse the paper and the surface often. Also, be very careful around the checkering!

This is pretty simple stuff. You just sand until you have have bare wood and black pores ( Thanks mathman .)

After you're finished and the wood dries, look it over for any chalky looking spots. These are somewhat hidden when the wood is wet. If you find any that means you still have filler on the outside and need to do a little more sanding.

First round of sanding results.

IMO, we've taken a pretty plain piece of wood and given it a little character.

Before


After



Now at this point it's time to decide if you're pores are full enough or if you want to continue to fill. I you want more fill repeat the mud slurry process again, if not we want to continue on to 400gt wet sanding.

For this project I'm going to call it good and continue on. For the next step I'll wetsand again with 400gt WET/DRY paper. I won't bother with pictures again, it won't look any different.

Great info Terry! I've never tackled something like this, but the details on how you do it are very helpful.

Question - when you wet sand, how "much" do you sand? Just enough to get the dark color from the pore filler off? About how long does it take you to sand the full stock with each wet/dry sandpaper grit?


Phil

When you sand you want to get all the filler off the surface of the stock. You will see the wood lighten up as you go. Since the filler goes beneath the surface it would be really hard to sand it too much. This step not only removes the excess filler but it also preps the stock for finish. Also, 320gt paper takes so little surface off the wood, your biggest problem is going to be not getting enough off as opposed to taking too much off.

I would guess I spent an hour with the 320gt paper to do the entire stock. The 400gt will probably take about half as long.

So, how well does that stuff stay in the pores under adverse conditions. Up until back when Reagan was still in office I worshipped at the alter of filling pores with various magic potions, "sanding slurry", etc. A couple of times caught in pouring rain saw the "fillage" wash right out of the pores- because they weren't sealed in by a barrier-type finish. Other old projects found the pore fillage shrinking over time, creating an effect not unlike the pores never having been filled at all. I swore off such stuff back then and life has been good for 30 years.

The effect you're going for is admirable- I like it. But I would've mixed some epoxy and blackened it and smeared it into those huge pores. Done right it wouldn't involve any more labor/time than has been spent on this technique, would look the same, and would never wash out or shrink.

Are you saying mix some epoxy with the rottenstone or just epoxy alone? I'm a learner here.

Mix the epoxy per instructions, blend in colloidal silica, then mix in the color to get the desired tint. Since we're talking black here, just mix the epoxy and blend in the bone black (or fine ebony sanding dust) until you have a manageable consistency and the "shade" of black you want.

I learned this technique from Dave Westbrook. He is a professional stock maker and a published auther on this subject. He gives very detailed instructions on how to do it and I've basically mirrored his technique on this thread. Duane Weibe also uses a similar method but omits the bone black.

Over the last 12 years I have probably done 10+ stocks using this method and have NEVER experienced any trouble with it whatsoever. It's good enough for the professionals and works really well for me.

One thing to keep in mind is WATCO TEAK OIL isn't really oil. It's a modified urethane product that looks and works like oil. It's rated for outdoor use and offers excellent UV protection. When finished the stock will be completely sealed and will offer the same protection as a straight urethane finish. IMO, I like this method much better and think it's more durable than the sanded slurry techniques.

As for putting epoxy on the exterior of a stock, well go for it if that's what you like. I've done that before and didn't like the final results. I have no idea how you figured my time to apply the filler but can assure you that you've figured it wrong. With that said, my method isn't about speed, If I was worried about that I would go to Home Depot and buy a can of Min-Wax wonder product, spray it on and call it good. What I'm after here is a hand rubbed finish.

Like I said in the very first post on this thread. There are a thousand ways to finish a stock. This is mine and I'm sharing it with others. I know it works as I've done it many times before. I'm not knocking anyone's method and would appreciate the same consideration.

Terry

Tag. Very interesting thread. Thank you for the clear description and photos.

Do you apply the Watco Teak Oil just as you do a regular oil finish such as Tru-Oil or GB Linspeed? Or does it have to be put on with a brush like spar varnish?

The first two sealer coats will be brushed with the excess wiped off. After that the finish coats will be applied with my figure and rubbed in with the palm of my hand like tru-oil but this stuff is thinner and a lot easier to work with.

I'll give a little more detail when I get closer.

The next step will happen Monday. It'll finish sanding and whiskering the stock.

This is well done.
Thanks for sharing with us.

Jim

Is there any way with the WATCO TEAK to get a nice old-fashioned "reddish" finish?

Probably not without staining the wood first. I tried mixing some alkaline root in it once that I got from Duane Weibe. It turned purple instead of red. I ask him about it and found out it only works with 100% natural oil.

Have you given any thought to stain? That Pilkingtons English red will get the job done. Here is one I did in it about 12 years ago. I think this was the first stock ever used Bone Black on. It's bold.

tag