I volunteered to walk MooseMike throught a stock refinishing project and figured this would go a little smoother on a fresh thread. Now for my disclaimer: There are probably a million different ways to refinish a stock. Just because your way is different from mine it doesn't make either right or wrong. This is just a method I've devised from talking to professional stock makers and trial and error.

Here is the project rifle, a BRNO ZG-47. The stock is pretty good shape but the finish is almost gone and it has a small crack in the toe. The crack will be fixed during the refinish and we should end with with a nicer finish when complete.






Here are the major things needed for this refinish project. I still need a small cheap paint brush for sealing and a toothbrush to work the finish around the checkering.



I imagine this will take about 1 to 1 1/2 weeks to complete. I'm out of town every other day and nothing will get done on those days. Most of the time involved will be waiting for moisture to leave or finishes to dry. Very little time is actually spent working on it.

OK, I removed all the metal from the stock and it's time to strip the finish.



I like using a spray on stripper. The brush on type does just as well though. I spray in on liberally and let it sit for about 10 minutes before I start brushing it.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT STRIPPERS: Do not do this in direct sun light! UV light and strippers don't mix. Something in it will have a chemical reaction and it'll make a gooey mess that's hard to clean up. Do your stripping in a covered area.



After it sits for about 10 minutes I start brushing it. For the brush you want something thats strong enough to abrase the finish but so strong that it damages the wood.



After each coat of stripper I rinse it off with a water hose then take it inside and wipe it down with a sponge and rinse off with warm water. This not only gets the stripper off but it also helps raise the dents in the stock.

Second coat. Things are looking good.



The stock came clean after 2 coats of stripper and is ready for the next step.



For the next step I'm going to fill the pours. I'll start by putting a coat of finish on so the filler has a good surface to adhere to.

The surface has been liberally coated. For this step I used Watco Teak Oil mix with about 10% Japan dryer. The Japan Dryer speeds up the drying process. The excess is wiped off.

I know some are probably thinking "he didn't let that wood dry long enough after he rinsed it" and "He never sanded the stock before he put the finish on."

Well, the outside finish is just temporary, sanding will happen and things start to get interesting on the next step.

Thanks TC. This will be a big help!

tag

Tag

tag

tag

OK, now it's time to fill the pours and things are gonna get ugly for a few days. In the end I think you'll like the results though.

When you fill the pours you can hide them if you want or you can accentuate them. For this project I want the latter. This stock has no figure and the black pours will give it a little character . The way I'm going achieve this is with two products from Miles Gillbert, Rotten stone and Bone Black. I'm going to mix these with a little Watco Teak Oil and make a "mudd slurry."



You mix these about 8 parts rotten stone to 1 part bone black.


I use an old Lee powder measure for this.


The measurement doesn't need to be exact but the rotten stone fills and the bone black is just for color. You want the mix to be mostly rotten stone. I use a cut Dixie cup for this.


After you get the ratio right or close to it (this ain't rocket science ) then you mix in the Teak Oil. You want a paste like consistency to it. Too runny and it won't fill the pours very well, too clumpy and it's hard to work with. Be careful, it goes from too clumby to too runny in the blink of an eye. You can always add more powder though to fine tune it.

After you get your slurry mixed up, then get an old T shirt and cut a few small squares out of it. Use the squares for the applicator. Wrap it around you fingure and apply the mud to the stock.



It's best to go in small circular motions. The idea is to work the mud into the pours.



After you get a section done it's time to wipe the excess off the stock. When ever possible wipe across the grain. and don't wipe too hard. You don't want to pull any out of the pours.

[img]http://photos.imageevent.com/lucky/zg47stockrefinish/large/20150212_082210.jpg[/img]

Keep going a section at a time until finished. Be careful around the checkering and any place thats going to be hard to sand this stuff out of. If/when you do get some in the checkering it's no big deal. Just get an old toothbrush and put a little paint thinner on it and brush it out.

[img]http://photos.imageevent.com/lucky/zg47stockrefinish/large/20150212_083838.jpg[/img]

[img]http://photos.imageevent.com/lucky/zg47stockrefinish/large/20150212_083947.jpg[/img]

This what it'll look like after the 1st coat. Pretty ugly eh? Don't worry, it's going to get worse before it get's better
[img]http://photos.imageevent.com/lucky/zg47stockrefinish/large/20150212_085003.jpg[/img]

I'm guessing on this stock it's going to take 4 coats to fill the pours. What I'll probably do is put one more coat on today and will that dry completely. After that there will be too much build up on the stock and it'll need a quick wet sanding before I do the last 2 coats.

This is a picture of the results we are after using this method. I really like the contrasting black pours. I think it gives it an "aged" look.


I'll be out of town tomorrow so nothing will happen.

tag

Tag, cool stuff !

tag

Tag

I am finding this very interesting. I have a question as to what is this Rotten Stone and Bone Black? Would it be some sort of powdered paint?

So how does one go about getting the old clearcoat off of a black foreend tip? I imagine the spray stripper would damage the plastic?

No, rotten stone is an abrasive something like pumice. Bone Black is nothing more than powdered charcoal.

I'd like to know where to find Bone Black.

I've never done one before but I would mask the tip and strip the wood and then wet sand the tip and feather the transition from wood to plastic. .

You could buy it at Midway at one time but I guess its been discontinued.

It's just powdered charcoal, here is a good substitute:
http://www.dickblick.com/products/generals-powdered-charcoal/

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

.

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?

Thanks for the tutorial TC1! Your stocks look so good it's making me want to start work on my S&W branded 1900 Husqvarna that needs a facelift. I'm holding back because I can't decide whether to remove the M/C or leave it as is. A quick question: Where is the bolt release on your 1640?

That post wasn't about terms, it was about results and I think I made my point. This thread is about refinishing a stock and pictures are the best I can do. Like it or not this is the internet. If you were here I would have no problem letting you take it out in the sunlight, turn it at any angle you wanted and even go over it with a magnifying glass. There simply is no shrinkage or popping. I have given my word and displayed proof of it. If that's not enough, well so be it. On some subjects everyone seems to be an expert and this seems to be one of them. While it may not be your method there is nothing new about it. I've been doing it this way for over 12 years now and learned from others who have been doing it for much longer than that.

I started this thread to help others who didn't know how. I hope it helps.

I would think a week would be fine. I'm not sure about a year, I've never tried it. I would probably hit it with a light steel wool or wet sand it before I did.

The bolt release on the 1640 is still there, it's part of the ejector. I took it out and cut it short just before it comes out of the action and then when I made the pattern I ran the wood across the bolt release cutout. It's just enough to cover that area. To remove the bolt now you simply pull the bolt all the way back and push the ejector down with your finger. It's simple and about as fast as before. A Swede taught me that trick.

Excellent tutorial; thank you for your time, effort -- and patience with questions and not to mention nay-sayers!

Joe beat me to the first question but I have a couple more. What stock pattern did you use on the 1640 .270? It appears to have a bit of drop at the heel, but am I correct in assuming it still works with a low ring scope mount? It looks similar but a bit higher than the Stuart Edward White style I've been eyeing on Walnut Grove Gunstocks website. Thx

Thanks for the comments. We are in the home stretch now.

On page 1, do you remember seeing that red BRNO 21H I posted? That is the exact stock I used to pattern the 1640. When I bought that rifle the toe of the buttstock came in a seperate package

It had a crack in the back tang and had all the corners sanded round by someone who owned it before me. I fixed the bad spots but it still wasn't right. I had the little BRNO restocked and decided to use the original stock as a pattern.




James Anderson turned it for me.

Yes, the stock has a lot of drop to it but for me it works great in the field. Not so much locked down on a bench but for field shooting positions I really like it.

I'm having a G33/40 built right now and plan on using another 21H as a pattern for it. On the next one I'm going to cut it at the wrist and remove about 1/2 the drop. I'm also going to turn it into a mannlicher with a mid-length forearm schnable.

WOW !!! Fabulous, TC. No wonder your rifles look so great. A Master at Work, you are. E

Master? No, not by a long shot but would graciously accept the title of enthusiastic garage hack

Thanks for all the work and knowledge sharing. My dad taught me a similar technique as yours, but we always used steel wool. Can you show me how to wet sand and maybe how to use a block. Whenever I wet sanded it just didn't turn out right

There are only two reasons I'll wet sand. One is when I use the Boneblack/Rottenstone technique. I do this mainly because this stuff fills up dry paper too quicky. And two, when it becomes nesassary to sand on a finish.

I think the best advice I can give when you went sand is alway's step up a grit from what you would pick for dry paper. Iy you were to to chose 250 grit in dry I would step up the 320 for wet. Keep a wet surface and rinse your paper out often.

I use a regular sand block for as much as possible then I switch to wet paper wrapped around a scotch-bite pad for my tight angled surfaces. Sometimes you just have to free hand it around areas like the checkering.

Of course anytime you do this you're going to have to allow for extra drying time. When I finish I leave the stock in front of a fan for a couple of days and always make the last sanding with dry paper.

I'd really like to see a tutorial on that process also. This stuff is very helpful for us "non-expert basement hacks." Someday, I'll graduate to the garage.

It won't be a tutorial, it'll be more of a "let's see if I can pull this off" thread but sure, when the time comes I'll show the step by step success or fail.

Well, at this point I'm calling it finished

Before





After


[img]http://photos.imageevent.com/lucky/zg47stockrefinish/large/ZG-47%20finished%20003.JPG[/img]

[img]http://photos.imageevent.com/lucky/zg47stockrefinish/large/ZG-47%20finished%20010.JPG[/img]
[img]http://photos.imageevent.com/lucky/zg47stockrefinish/large/ZG-47%20finished%20006.JPG[/img]

[img]http://photos.imageevent.com/lucky/zg47stockrefinish/large/ZG-47%20finished%20012.JPG[/img]

The only thing left to do it is wait about 3 or 4 more weeks and let the finish cure. After that happens I'll go back and rub it out with Rottenstone and water. After that I'll wax it and call it good to go.

Could it have been better? I think yes. In hind sight I should have done two more coats of filler on the stock. BRNO used poor quality walnut on these and I have never worked on a stock that had pores as open as these. That said, I'm happy with the results. You aren't going to make a silk purse out of a sows ear and this is a good example of that. I think it's was a huge improvement though and will be good for another 50 years if the next owner so chooses.

I hope some will find this helpful.







Terry

Terry- I like what you did and thanks for taking the time to post all the pics of the process. I might have missed it but you indicated you had to fix a small crack in the toe of the stock. I am curious about what that entailed and how you did it. Thanks, again. Bruce

I didn't include that part but it was real easy. After the stock was stripped. I mixed a two part epoxy and carefully pushed the exopy in the crack. After that I clamped the buttstock in a wood clamp and let it sit over night. The next morning the clamp was removed and the excess sanded off.

Thanks again Terry for the great tutorial!

A couple of questions on how to deal with the checkering.

1) Any special treatment during the whiskering phase? Do you just sand up to the edge of the checkering?
2) Is it an issue to have the finish build up in the checkered areas when first applying the oil and during the hand rubbing part?

Thanks,
Phil

On the whiskering I just sand up to the checking. There might be a better way to handle this but whiskers in the checkering has never been a problem for me.

When applying the finish I alway's start away from the checkering and work up to it when rubbing the finish in. By the time I reach the checking there is so little "loose" finish that build up isn't a problem. As far as the checkering goes. I brush on 2 sealer coats, then brush in the 1st finish coat and wipe out the excess. For the remaining coats I work up to checkering then wipe it with a lot of pressure with the palm of my hand when I reach the checkering. There is very little oil going across the stock when I reach the checkering and build up isn't a problem.

When you are rubbing the finish in after about 3-4 coats you aren't using anymore than about 4 maybe 5 drops of finish per coat anyway. Build up isn't a problem.

What a very interesting and informative post. Thank you sir! I have a new Ruger LH 7mmo8 that has a horrible factory finish. I may try this to make the stock more acceptable.

Terry, can you take a minute and describe what you do to the checkered portion during each stage? Does it have the pores filled? How do you remove the sealer during each application from these parts of the stock? Stuff like that.

The checkering doesn't get the filler treatment. In the end though, the checkering gets more finish than any other part of the stock. I sealed the stock with two coats before the pore filling process was began. After the pours were filled and sanded the stock was bare again except for the checkering. I never sanded that area. Then the stock was sealed again with 2 coats that were also applied to the checkering. After that I brushed one coat into the checkering and rubbed it out on the first finish coat. Every finish coat after that finish was going around the checkering but no really into it. I try to start in an area that's away from the checkering with fresh oil/finish and work up to the checkering. When I get to the checkering there isn't much rubbing finish left to get into it. Make no mistake though, when I'm buffing/rubbing the stock with the palm of my hand finish is going across the checkering but I try to keep it at minimal amount. the last thing I want is build up in that area.

As far as removing the sealer, you only do that once when sanding the excess filler off the stock. When you get all the excess filler off all the sealer is gone too. Then the stock is sealed a second time and after dried the finish coats go on.

Here is the list in order.
1. Strip
2. Repair any bad spots.
3. 2 coats of sealer on the entire stock, checkering and inletting included.
4. Apply filler and sand off. Repeat until you feel the pores are completely filled. Re-sealing isn't necessary between applications.
5. Finish sand.
6. Whisker
7. Stain (if applicable)
8. Seal again with 2 coats. Checkering and inletting included.
9. Hand rub finish in. Repeat until the desired finish is acquired.

Great thread, I vote to make it a sticky!

Tag

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I had a marlin 336 that had been left disassembled in a barn for 15 years given to me. It was in pretty rough shape but salvageable to be restored. Not a real old gun,from the mid 70s.I did not take any before pictures but now wish I had. The action is out getting reblued. I used this method to restore the stock. It turned out incredibly nice. I will post some pictures of the stock soon

Well said.