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

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Finish sanding and Whiskering

OK, it's time to do the final steps in preporation for the finish. In these last two steps the first one is the finish sanding. Not a whole lot to explain here. When I refinish a stock I usually take it down to 600 grit paper. I know some go further but in all honesty I can't see any difference in one that's been sanded to 400 grit as oppossed to one that's been taken down to 2000 grit. I will go step further than I can see but that's it.

This stock has already been sanded down with 400 grit paper so the last step is 600 grit. I dry sand in this stage because I want to seal it up in the morning. The stock will have sat for about 50 hours since it was wet sanded and I consider that enough time to dry out. Keep in mind this stock is a 55+ year old piece of wood and it's cured.

Back to sanding. With 600 grit paper I sand with the grain and make sure I cover the entire stock. 600 grit paper is very fine and leaves little dust. I still use a sanding block whenever possible.

There isn't really a whole lot to cover here and a picture won't show anything. After I finish this step it's time to whisker the stock.

WHISKERING THE STOCK

This is a very important step that can ruin a perfectly good project if not done.

In a walnut gunstock the wood is full of fibers. These fibers are actually hollow tubes and they are what gives the stock it's strength. When you sand a stock you tear, pull, shred, crush and push these exposed fibers back into the stock. The stock will feel very smooth until it gets wet, then it'll feel like it has fuzz on it or WHISKERS. If you don't remove these before the finish goes on they can and will cause trouble down the road for you. They can actually pop right out of a completely finished stock ruining all your hard work!

There is a very easy way to deal with this though and you need to do it before you seal the stock. First, get a clean dish rag and wet it down. It doesn't need to be dripping wet but wet enough that you don't need to work the stock to get the surface wet. Wipe down the entire stock and let it dry. After it dries, run your hand down the stock. Does it feel "fuzzy?" What's happened here is when you sanded the stock you tore these fibers loose and then drove the loose ends back into the grain. For some reason water makes them stand up straight again. After your stock is dry you sand it down with 600 grit paper again. This gets rid of of the "whiskers." After you sand it down repeat this process again, wet, dry, sand. Each time you do it you should feel a little less fuzz/whiskers. When you wet the stock down and don't feel anything different the process is complete.

This goes pretty quickly and you can usually call it good after doing it 3 times. I have had stocks that took 6 rounds before they stayed smooth.

I thought about snapping a few pictures but really didn't think it would show anything. I consider this a VERY IMPORTANT STEP though in the refinish project and would not skip it.

The next step will be sealing the wood up and getting it ready for the final finish. I'm going to let it finish drying tonight and will apply the sealing coat in the morning.

Good stuff!

OK, it's morning now and I'm about to seal the stock. Before I do I figure it's time for a word about finishes.

ALL FINISHES ARE NOT CREATED EQUAILLY.

There are some very distinct differences in them. Some work better than others. Some offer better protection than others, some highlight the wood color and contrast better and some offer a prettier finish than others. I've used some that offer a very neutral finish, Spar varnish being a good example. Some will darken the wood, Danish Oil being a very good example. Unfortunately some will give a muddy appearance.

Below is a picture borrowed from Adam Freeman at Luxus Walnut that gives a pretty good illustration of what I'm talking about as far as finish goes. 5 different finishes on the same piece of walnut and the difference is striking. Decide what you are after and choose wisely.


I'm a big fan of Watco Teak Oil which as stated earlier isn't really oil at all. It looks like oil and acts like oil but is really a urethane product that offers a strong long lasting finish. A lot of people like Daley's Teak Oil too but I can get the Watco locally so I use it. It's my choice but there are other good products that are equally as good.

You can use a 100% real oil finish too but I don't. While it does make for a very pretty finish it's not very durable and can literally wash off in bad weather. There are a lot of "oils" on the market that aren't really oils at all as mentioned above. Do a little research and you'll find them. I personally think Tru-Oil is one of the nicest looking finishes out there when done properly but for me it's hard to work with and isn't as durable as some of the other finishes I've tried.

When shopping for a finish make sure it's rated for outdoor use and offers UV protection. Shop hard and choose wisely.

Terry

Have you tried 0000 steel wool for between coat sanding or the de-whisker?

It's time to seal. For this phase I'll be using a brush to apply the finish. The goal is to get 100% coverage of the stock and let the finish soak into the wood. You'll want to coat the entire stock including the inletting and screw holes. We want to seal it up completely.

For this stage we want to mix in about 10% Japan Drier to our finish. This will aid the drying process.

Any type brush will work for this stage. We aren't after a streak free finish and will be wiping the excess off the stock with a rag.

Now with the Watco Teak Oil no thinning is needed. This stuff is about as thin as paint thinner already. If you have chosen a thicker type finish you will need to thin it down for this step. You want it very thin so it'll soak into the wood and penetrate deeply. Don't worry about runs or drips, we want that to happen.

After your finish is prepared dunk your brush in and start brushing the stock down. Put it on liberally until it starts running and dripping off the stock. Brush the exterior and the inletting down. When you get to holes in the stock like buttplate screws, sling swivel holes, triggerguard holes, etc., load up the paint brush and press down in these areas so the paint brush unloads and the finish runs freely through these crevasses. The idea is to get 100% coverage and the mess it makes is of no concern at this point. After this is done look the stock over. If you see any areas that don't have pooling finish on them, brush them down again. Eventually the stock will become saturated and will not accept any more finish. When this happens wait a few more minutes then get a paper towel and wipe off the excess. You don't want any finish standing on the surface.






At this point the stock is starting to darken up slightly and beginning to resemble what the finished product will look like. The camera flash takes a little of the color away though, it's darker in person . It'll darken up slightly more as more coats go on.

I have before but prefer 600 grit paper. I've found steel wool will sometimes deposit particles in the wood that don't come out until the finish is applied.

Also, after the finish is applied you want to be VERY CAREFUL about rubbing or sanding it with anything. after the sealing coats are applied if you "break" the finish you might as well start over again. Even if the area is "patched" where the finish was broken/rubbed through it will always be noticable and simply isn't repairable even with multiple coats.

Tag .... good thread!

Question…at what point would you apply stain if you want a bit darker finish?

After the whiskering was done and I would use a stain that I was sure wouldn't raise the grain.

thanks

OK, last night before I went to bed I brushed on the second sealing coat. It went on just like the first but not nearly as much absorbed into the stock this time.

These two pictures while not very clear show a better representation of the true color this stock is taking on.





I brushed the inletting again also. The inletting now has 3 coats on it and the outside has two.



At this point we have about 3 1/2-4 hours of actual work into the stock and are ready to start the hand rubbing process.

Now it's finally time to start rubbing on the finish. For me the beauty in a hand rubbed finish as opposed to a sprayed or wiped on isn't so much the looks of it but the feel. It takes a little longer and the pictures I post will never be able to show the difference but when you hold it in your hand you'll know. Each coat is hand rubbed and the finish is worked into what's already there. It'll be a thinner finish without any unnecessary build up and will have a silky smooth feel that no sprayed or wiped on finish will ever be able to achieve.

A hand rubbed finish technique is something I'll try to explain but you'll probably have to try it a couple of times before you can actually "grasp" it. That's the way it was for me anyway. After getting it wrong a few times and then getting it right or close to it, I had an epiphany. "Ah, that's what he was talking about."

To do this we want to start with our regular mix of 90% Watco Teak Oil and 10% Japan drier.




For me personally, I like to start at the buttstock and work my way up. I'll start by sticking my finger in the finish and wiping it on the stock. I'll wipe it around the stock with my finger and get it to spread out as evenly as possible until the finish gets too thin and my finger will no longer pull it. At this I'll start the rubbing process with the palm of my hand. The idea here is to work the finish into the stock, not just coat it. What you want to do here is rub the stock with a lot of pressure and pull the finish as far up the buttstock as possible and then rub it in. While you're rubbing it you should feel your palm and the wood warm up from the friction. When you finish there should be so little finish left on the stock that you can touch it and not leave a finger print! Now if get too much finish in/on one area and can't pull it out to achieve the "dry" feel I was just talking about, there is a very easy fix for this. Just wipe for palm off with a paper towel and work the same area again.

After you're finished in that area (even and dry to the touch) it's time to start a new area adjacent to the one you just finished. I always start a few inches higher and work down to it until they touch. This stuff is going on so thin that blending the two areas is easy.

Continue to do this until you reach the forend tip. Remember to keep the "dry after rubbing" thing going though the entire stock. After the tip is done in one stroke I'll rub from the buttstock to the forend tip and do this over the entire surface area of the stock.

At this point the stock will start to take on it's first sheen. There will be areas that don't have any yet but don't worry about that. in those areas you've rubbed the finish into the stock (what we are after here) and the stock is still accepting all the finish you gave it. All that will go away by about the third rubbing coat.



Because this finish is so thin and because I'm using Japan Drier in the mix, I'll probably be able to get away with 2 coats a day. I'll continue to coat until I'm happy with the sheen. I personally don't care for a real shiny stock but you can acheive that with this technique if you choose. I'll probably stop around 6 or 7 coats (just guessing here) but I can make it look like a shiny new Remington BDL if I wanted it too.

We are about to see light at the end of the tunnel!

Terry

Ok, I've gotten several PM's about shrinkage and wash out. One was very adamant this was going to happen. I've done it and they haven't but yet they seem to know more than me and than the professional that I learned this technique from.

For ANYONE who is concerned about this I offer these. Pictures taken today of a stock that was done using this same method over 8 years ago. This rifle has been wet many times since built. It's been hunted all day in the rain. It's held up better than me after some of these trips and you can see the results for yourself.

Some of you will probably remember this rifle. It's a Husky 1640 in .270Win. The only difference is it was done in permalyn stock finish and not Watco. I don't use permalyn anymore because I like the performance of the Watco better and that's why I suggested it.


See any shrinkage or exposed pores?

Anything popped out or missing?

Anything that would give you pause?

Any reason why you shouldn't trust me when I tell you this works?




Now I'm no expert on this subject and have never claimed to be but I do feel comfortable and confident enough in what I'm doing to give you detailed "How to" step by step instructions of how and why it's done. I can do so with complete confidence that it will and does work. This isn't something I'm parroting off another website. It's something I've done over a number of years and something I do understand.

All the best,
Terry

That is looking very nice for sure.

The second coat went on late this afternoon. The sheen is really taking off.

This is how much finish goes on with one dip of of my finger. That is enough finish to get all the way up to the checkering.


The finish is starting to build up a little. Another coat and it'll all be saturated.




Ok, time to stop using my cell phone camera. This one was done with a Cannon Rebel XT. I'll be using this one for the rest of the pictures. It does a little better. The color is starting to really pop.

Well the 3rd coat went on this morning. The stock is completely saturated and the only thing left is to decide how many more coats are needed.

I'm probably going to call it good after two more.

Looks great!

No, it looks nice from here. Very nice. (But nor do I have my nose 2" off the surface of the wood casting my vision at a shallow angle in good reflective light, so I can't be sure. Never ask me to evaluate something like that via an internet pic, when I can't hold it in my hands and critically examine it.)

Everybody's world view and life experiences are different and that makes for a bazillion approaches to the same problem. Some work, some don't, and very few other than the labor intensive old ones stand the test of time. I have made comments based upon my experiences (and all in public, by the way), and from watching too many emperors parade down the street modeling their new clothes.

As an aside, notice how we all use the term "hand rubbed"? If you stop and think about it, how else would we rub a finish? With our feet, with our noses? Elbows perhaps? Ha ha. It's akin to saying "hand tied flies". Not much foot tying going on, and never has a machine been invented that will tie a fly, and I doubt many monkeys or Labradors can do it either. Just a comment about how phrases can be mis-applied in our lexicon.

Can there be more time elapse in-between the rubbing coats?

That is, can one take a week off and then go back to it again? A year off, then go back again?