Tips For Making Stock Refinishing Super Easy, Yet Like A Pro Did It

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woodguru

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Back in the 70's and early 80's I did some custom stocks using blanks of wood that cost really serious money. I did old school hand rubbed oil finishes that sometimes took weeks to get what I was looking for. A cheat back in the day for me was to use the old fashioned Varathane oil based Polyurethane, I had a gallon that lasted me for a couple of decades. When it ran out I had a heck of a time finding a good product on the market that met air standards.

I've always liked taking factory finishes and redoing them way better than they were, but at a certain point I didn't have the patience for doing that the hard way. Looking for a finish that was easy to use with excellent results saw me trying half a dozen things that were disasters. So then I decided to try Minwax wipe on Poly.

Sand down to 1000 grit, wipe on an even light coat with a little finish pad or piece of t-shirt type cotton, (using a screw driver to hold the stock in the barrel lug works well). I drive a nail through a piece of plywood to stand the stock up to dry. The next day you can take a new piece of 1500 grit wet/dry sand paper and lightly smooth up the first coat (no water on this coat). Put on a second heavier coat as evenly as possible without is being thick enough it will run or sag. Let dry another day, then take the 1500 grit and wet sand to where you have an even satin finish. This is a hard, durable, and waterproof finish that looks way better than it should considering how easy it is to do.

I've done quite a few laminate stocks like this and all have come out beautifully. Also I take the time to contour sand the grip, round up the fore end and grip cap if that would look better. With just a little sanding you can create a very comfortable palm swell that fits your hand better.

This will give very satisfying results even for those who normally wouldn't take on a refinishing job, and is perfect for trying with unfinished stock upgrades. And remember, if the first time doesn't come out right it can be sanded and redone very easily.
 
I decided to refinish the stock on my 600 Mohawk. There were no major dents or chips, so I now have it stripped for refinish. I still need to steam out a dent or two but its looking very good. I am going to give the minwax poly a shot. I'm still a ways from that though. Need to get some 1000 and 1500 grit paper as well as the minwax. Would you happen to have a pic or two of the stocks you have done? Also, can I put a stain on the wood and not effect the minwax?? Thanks
 
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Don't listen to this.. It's a mess..

First, research for yourself how Poly reacts to chemicals, like gun oils and cleaners.

Second.. If you sand to 1000 and 1500 grit The poly won't bond right, and in time with the sun and chemicals will peel and look terrible. Read the directions on the can, it even says to use 200grit. 1500 is for things like cars and glass. If you put poly in checkering it will fill it in.

Just like a ball glove you should oil wood for years of use..

Use established gun stock oil and appropriate other tested finishes. Something so nice as gun stock wood of quality deserves the time that it takes to hand rub or finish properly.
 
I would suggest that you look at the guidance on diluting it with either mineral spirits or what ever they recommend.. By diluting it, it will spread thinner and soak in better, requiring more coats but giving a better end result. Also Steel wool between coats will really smooth out the finish as the directions suggest.

Good luck, and post a pic when it's done.
 
Hmmmmmm, you might want to consider using Minwax's Wiping Polyurethane....available in Satin. I use material from a cotton Tee shirt to apply it. Provides a good smooth protective finish. On a warm/sunny Texas day, I can apply five or so coats of it and be done.
 
Originally Posted By: pyscodogI decided to refinish the stock on my 600 Mohawk. There were no major dents or chips, so I now have it stripped for refinish. I still need to steam out a dent or two but its looking very good. I am going to give the minwax poly a shot. I'm still a ways from that though. Need to get some 1000 and 1500 grit paper as well as the minwax. Would you happen to have a pic or two of the stocks you have done? Also, can I put a stain on the wood and not effect the minwax?? Thanks

I'll take a pic of a Remington 597 HB laminate I did.

Wherever you the the wipe on poly they have compatible minwax stains.
 
Originally Posted By: Tbone-AZDon't listen to this.. It's a mess..

First, research for yourself how Poly reacts to chemicals, like gun oils and cleaners.

Second.. If you sand to 1000 and 1500 grit The poly won't bond right, and in time with the sun and chemicals will peel and look terrible. Read the directions on the can, it even says to use 200grit. 1500 is for things like cars and glass. If you put poly in checkering it will fill it in.

Just like a ball glove you should oil wood for years of use..

Use established gun stock oil and appropriate other tested finishes. Something so nice as gun stock wood of quality deserves the time that it takes to hand rub or finish properly.

I'm taking a picture of a Remington 597 heavy barreled laminate that I redid, it not only came out beautiful but it's as tough as nails, probably the most durable finish I've ever had on a gun.

There are a not of people who don't know how to do an oil finish right, and oil finishes are not nearly as durable as a rock hard poly is.

Normally I would avoid a checkered stock, but have had good success with some very nice sharp cut checkering by carefully doing a very light coat with a fine/soft toothbrush dipped very lightly and brushed in the checkering to spread it very thin, then add a second or even third until there is enough of a layer to protect the wood.

My guess is I've done more stocks than you have T-bone, I used to do custom stocks from blanks of wood that cost a couple of grand in the 70's. Oil of course, and I cut the checkering as well. I've spent weeks on stocks.

I did warn about wet sanding, which will create a surface that the next layer won't bond to, been there, done that. The wood will hold finish with 1000 or 1500 as long as the wood is dry and no chemicals are exposed to it. The first coat after the minimum set time is just very lightly sanded with 1000 grit just to knock off any dust or imperfections only, you don't want that first coat fully cured like for days either, it should be at about 12 to 24 hours. Then when the second coat is on let it completely cure and sand it to get the sheen you like, 1500 is smoother than 1000.

I have used some polys that can be a mess in more ways than can be counted, which is what I like about the Minwax wipe on poly.

Guys like you that are comfortable with oil have no need to try this, but for the guy who wants easy great results that are far tougher than oil ever thought of being it's worth trying. It's fantastic for Browns and other unfinished laminates, and the first thing I do is refinish brand new laminate stocks, I get a way nicer looking finish than any factory finish.
 
Originally Posted By: DGWHmmmmmm, you might want to consider using Minwax's Wiping Polyurethane....available in Satin. I use material from a cotton Tee shirt to apply it. Provides a good smooth protective finish. On a warm/sunny Texas day, I can apply five or so coats of it and be done.

That's exactly what it is, they call it wipe on poly (polyurethane)
 
Originally Posted By: pyscodogI decided to use Tru-oil. Hopefully it will give me a nice grainy satin finish. Not looking for a high gloss.

Poly comes in gloss, semi gloss, and satin, I like satin for an oil finish look.
 
Originally Posted By: Tbone-AZI would suggest that you look at the guidance on diluting it with either mineral spirits or what ever they recommend.. By diluting it, it will spread thinner and soak in better, requiring more coats but giving a better end result. Also Steel wool between coats will really smooth out the finish as the directions suggest.

Good luck, and post a pic when it's done.

That after the rip you did previously where you made this sound like a disaster?

The wipe on poly is so easy to use I can't see diluting it and entering a factor that could go wrong. It is very easy to spread thin with light coats.
 
Originally Posted By: irrightWhen refinishing a stock, how do you handle areas with checkering?

Use a soft tooth brush and dip it very lightly and spread the finish in the checkering as thin as you can doing a few coats every few hours until you have a nice coating. Done thin the checkering stays sharp and nice.
 
Having used TruOil for years be careful what you try to thin it with as most folks have no clue what to use and most thinner will NOT work correctly . I don't thin it until the very last coat unless it is getting old and thicking right in the bottle, that doesn't happen if you always tip the bottle upside down so there is no air at the top. Anyway White Gas thins TruOil [Coleman fuel] correctly and after about 6 coats unthined and rubbing it out each time with steel wool, to actually remove all of the top finish , when you finally have the grain filled up and are ready for the final coat , thin it about 70/30 and then set it aside for 3 days and then rub the last coat out with rotten stone or fine polishing compound ................ it will have that dull London Oil finnish look. If you then want to bring it up to a higher finnish by just applying a good paste wax [Butchers Boston Wax for bowling alley floors] is one of the very best ones, then buffing it off will bring out the handsome grain of what ever is underneath it. Have used this for nearly 40 years since a gunsmith from England showed me how they did it over there. they refer to this as a "piano finnish" Good Luck.
 
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Originally Posted By: 25 WhelenHaving used TruOil for years be careful what you try to thin it with as most folks have no clue what to use and most thinner will NOT work correctly . I don't thin it until the very last coat unless it is getting old and thicking right in the bottle, that doesn't happen if you always tip the bottle upside down so there is no air at the top. Anyway White Gas thins TruOil [Coleman fuel] correctly and after about 6 coats unthined and rubbing it out each time with steel wool, to actually remove all of the top finish , when you finally have the grain filled up and are ready for the final coat , thin it about 70/30 and then set it aside for 3 days and then rub the last coat out with rotten stone or fine polishing compound ................ it will have that dull London Oil finnish look. If you then want to bring it up to a higher finnish by just applying a good paste wax [Butchers Boston Wax for bowling alley floors] is one of the very best ones, then buffing it off will bring out the handsome grain of what ever is underneath it. Have used this for nearly 40 years since a gunsmith from England showed me how they did it over there. they refer to this as a "piano finnish" Good Luck.

Back in the 80's I bought a stunning Black Walnut executive desk with a credenza and a connecting bridge at a corporate bankruptcy auction. It had an oil finish that needed to be redone. I had the space in my shop to leave everything sit while working on it. I started each day putting an hour or two on it. The finish took way more coats than I could ever count filling the grain as Black Walnut has a somewhat open grain. So after months I get a perfect piano finish as you called it, with a rich satin glow.

So I have this in my entry lobby and a salesman comes in and sets his briefcase on the top (before I had gotten a plexiglas top I was having custom made for it). I asked this guy to please take the briefcase off of the desk, he slides it eight inches toward him before he picked it up, which left an eight inch deep gouge into the wood. I was speechless (for about five seconds), he looked horrified, I looked truly homicidal. I was so far beyond livid I don't even know what you'd call it, he said I'm sorry man, I told him he better go.

It repaired actually better than I thought it would, it couldn't be seen unless you were looking for it and with the protective top it couldn't be seen at all. The guy I leased my shop from used to come in and look at what he called "my desk" that he had been trying to negotiate me down from the $12,000 I wanted for it, I ended up selling it to him for $8000 when I sold my business.

That kind of hand rubbed oil finish is a work of art for sure on a gun.
 
My point has been proven by would do do, he didn't know the difference between true oil which is an oil versus polyurethane. Polyurethane is completely different than an gunstock oil.

If you're going to take the time to refinish your gunstock sanded buffet do everything to make it look beautiful, then research the proper staining and finishing methods used by gunsmiths. You're not gonna find them telling you to use polyurethane.

If you want to know why, Google polyurethane peeling in sunlight.

The polyurethanes of 1980s and what they have on the market today are significantly different, but I'm happy to wait for a picture or a link or anything to prove otherwise.

Finishing wood is a skill. Finishing wood gunstocks in an art. I wouldn't try and reinvent the wheel, and use the volumes of gunsmith materials to get the best results possible.
 
Originally Posted By: woodguruI'm taking a picture of a Remington 597 heavy barreled laminate that I redid, it not only came out beautiful but it's as tough as nails, probably the most durable finish I've ever had on a gun.



did i miss the picture?
 
Originally Posted By: SlickerThanSnotOriginally Posted By: woodguruI'm taking a picture of a Remington 597 heavy barreled laminate that I redid, it not only came out beautiful but it's as tough as nails, probably the most durable finish I've ever had on a gun.



did i miss the picture?

I'm trying to figure out how to do that, I just watched the video someone posted so I'll sign up for a photo bucket account if I can't access my old one.
 
Originally Posted By: Tbone-AZ My point has been proven by would do do, he didn't know the difference between true oil which is an oil versus polyurethane. Polyurethane is completely different than an gunstock oil.

If you're going to take the time to refinish your gunstock sanded buffet do everything to make it look beautiful, then research the proper staining and finishing methods used by gunsmiths. You're not gonna find them telling you to use polyurethane.

If you want to know why, Google polyurethane peeling in sunlight.

The polyurethanes of 1980s and what they have on the market today are significantly different, but I'm happy to wait for a picture or a link or anything to prove otherwise.

Finishing wood is a skill. Finishing wood gunstocks in an art. I wouldn't try and reinvent the wheel, and use the volumes of gunsmith materials to get the best results possible.


You know...I think I made it perfectly clear that this is an outstanding down and dirty quick way to go that comes out really nice. Not everyone has the skills necessary for doing a stock "the right way". There are many people that might not even try it if they didn't see something that looks easy and that most anyone could do.

I know when I order a laminate stock to restock a rifle I'm in a hurry to get that thing up and running, and I sure as heck don't want to spend weeks doing a $150 stock that is going to catch heavy use.

I used to use old school polyurethanes such as satin sheen Varathane when it was an oil based finish. I went almost 20 years trying to find an acceptable substitute when the old style was discontinued, which is why I'm so jazzed about finding this that is so easy to use and that comes out so good.

 
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