[Jayhawkhuntclub]

Not sure this fits in the smithing section, but... I have a 39M on the way. The metal is very good, but the stock has a few scratches. Any suggestions on what to use to finish the stock? I could strip it down to bare wood or just sand it lightly and add a top coat. I'd like a fairly low gloss finish. Thanks.

 

[janott]

If scratches are bad at all you could steam them out and lightly sand after. Personally I never have cared for shiny stocks and prefer a satin oil finish that can be touched up after the season if needed. Once your get the scratches out then start with what ever finish you want to use.

 

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

The problem is, if I sand it down to bare wood, I will lose most of the patina of the wood. I may try to give it a light sanding and find some clear coat spray (Krylon). If it's too shiny, I would then knock it down with 0000 steel wool. I'm not sure I trust a tongue oil/danish oil finish to provide enough protection. And if I did the oil finish, it would need to be stripped first.

 

[Wind]

Hey there Jay... -- Doing a partial or incomplete re-finish may create more problems than solutions. Get some stripper and remove all the old finish off both the butt stock and forend. Shouldn't take more than an hour if you use this Jasco stripper. Protect yourself from contact. Don't use sand paper, but dip a green scrubbie in some stripper and clean the wood well. Be careful not to hook slivers in the tang area and rip them out. Rinse with fresh water sparingly. Let dry overnight or longer. Stain will help to "uniform" the color between the two pieces. I like to use a minimal amount to tint the wood. I'm partial to the old Winchester dark reddish brown. This is a personal taste thing and can add years to the appearance of a stock. This is where I will lightly sand the stock with a minimum of 220 grit paper. It smooths the grain and the damp stain rag keeps things uniform as well as wiping off the sanding debris after sanding. Let it dry overnight. I am now a huge fan of MinWax Wipe On Poly. Comes Satin or Gloss. The finish is durable and the application can't get much easier. It will give you an oiled look or build up to a slick shiny look. Here are a few pictures of a 100 year old Winchester getting a new forend. The buttstock was left in the original condition and the new forend was fit and stained to match (as closely as possible). Hope this helps. Best regards. Wind

 

[Wind]

Here's the raw forend and old butt stock...

 

[Wind]

Here they are after staining the new forend...

 

[Wind]

Here it is all together...

 

[Wind]

Here is a 39a with a new forend and original butt stock. Good luck with your project.

 

[Jayhawkhuntclub]

That looks great Wind. What stain brand and color did you use?

 

[JBledsoe]

.

I am another fan of Wipe on Poly. It will go right over the Marlin Mar-shield finish and be undetectable. Usually no stain is required, just smooth out the scratches and apply the Poly as directed. So easy a Caveman could do it. ;D

 

[Wind]

Hey there Jim -- That Mar-shield never stays on my rifles long enough to give it a try!! Wipe on poly is good stuff.

And Jay... -- Over the years I've collected a bunch of Minwax stains and mix them 'til I get a good color match. It doesn't take much to do a stock and you can mix enough in the bottom of a paper coffee cup to do one. You can get an idea of the tint as well by looking at it as it soaks into the paper grain of the cup. If you are not trying to match, just pick a color and plunk it on. Hope this helps.

Best regards. Wind

 

[JBledsoe]

Hi Wind,

That Mar-Shield is not that bad in most cases. I just leave it on as long as it looks OK. It is easy to repair if scratched. 'corse it ain't as purty as a good hand rubbed finish.

 

[stykbow57]

You know when it comes to refinishing old wood, to do it right is a slow and deliberate process, it depends on Your patience! I have been in the business of refinishing wood for over thirty years and if you want a quick easy fix just stripe it and use Poly, but if you want a nice hand rubbed finish You can be Proud of then yes stripe it and make sure that you get all the old finish of then for a nice finish just like you got on that wood shop project in high school for your Mom! use Danish Oil or You could use tung oil, but I like Danish oil my self apply a coat and let it dry! use 0000# steel wool to smooth it and apply another coat, as many coats and Days as it takes to fill the grain. when the last coat is fully dry, use the steel wool and and scuff it up good to break the gloss and the use your paper towels to buff the stock and it will look like a hand rubbed finish because that's what it is! I use to build Long bows and Recurves, I did for 20 years and have tried alot of different finishes including Epoxy finishes. at the end of the finish process I always used the steel wool to break the gloss and hand rubbed with with the cheapest paper towels you can buy because they are the most abrasive and gave the best looking Finish, just try them on Your Glasses and see how bad they scratch them! I know I screwed up a good pair! I am doing this right now on a 1968 336 30-30 that sat in a closet for 40 years as it had died up to the point that if you lick your finger and touch the stock it changes color, so you know the finish is gone. But if You want just a quick fix use Poly. Dennis

 

[stykbow57]

Yea! while I'm thinking about it, the walnut stocks are beautiful! Why would you ever stain them? Dennis

 

[woodrat]

I've been practicing on knife handles a little bit, with linseed oil/turpentine, and linseed oil/pine tar/turpentine. I got pretty nice results on the last one I did, by taking the time to raise the grain and knock it back with 0000 steel wool about a half dozen times, then many, many hand rubbed coats of BLO/turpentine, until it seemed to stop soaking it up. And then, after letting it sit around for a week or so, I gave it several more hand rubbed coats of oil.

I'm planning on doing the stock on the Mauser I'm building with BLO/Pine tar.

This knife handle is pear wood:

 

[Eli Chaps]

I'm with the fellas who say do it right and strip it down. I like Citri Strip but whatever you choose, it isn't that difficult. There is a long thread in the gunsmithing section on what I do but it's not even close to the only way.

I have a can of satin Wipe On Poly that I'll use on my next project but haven't tried it yet.

You can dull the finish of Tru Oil pretty easily. Here's my 336SS. I wanted a satin finish so I just buffed each coat with and old piece of denim (cut our of a pant leg) and a terry cloth kitchen towel. Hitting it lightly with 0000 steel wool would dull it further. Some folks also use burlap. This has a little extra shine because it is also wearing a couple coats of wax but it is not really shiny and has a touch of that old eggshell type finish.


http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac180/EliChaps1/336SSRefinish10.jpg

http://i897.photobucket.com/albums/ac180/EliChaps1/336SSRefinish7.jpg

 

[janott]

That looks real nice Eric, good job. 8) 8) 8)

 

[Golfbuddy45]

Wow - that is a gorgeous butt stock. My 336SS is nice but nothing like that one . . .What year was that one made?

GB45

 

[Eli Chaps]

Wow - that is a gorgeous butt stock. My 336SS is nice but nothing like that one . . .What year was that one made?

GB45

I think it's a 2000, might be a 2001. Can't remember off hand.

The wood looked okay under the Marshield but it really came out with the refinish. There is a LOT of nice wood out there hiding under that Marshield finish.

 

[JBledsoe]

The problem is, if I sand it down to bare wood, I will lose most of the patina of the wood. I may try to give it a light sanding and find some clear coat spray (Krylon). If it's too shiny, I would then knock it down with 0000 steel wool. I'm not sure I trust a tongue oil/danish oil finish to provide enough protection. And if I did the oil finish, it would need to be stripped first.

You have already sanded it no doubt, but there is an alternate. If you want to preserve the patina in the wood use Homer Formby's furniture refinisher. That stuff will remove the varnish,oil, or whatever and not disturb the stain or color. It's quite slow on Mar-shield, however. After the finish is softened use 00 steel wool or a nylon brush to remove old finish then wipe down with paint thinner and let dry. When dry apply finish, no sanding required. I use Minwax Wipe-on Poly that looks like hand rubbed oil yet is a lot tougher. I use 0000 steel wool for a complete rub down between coats until the wood pores are filled then just small amounts of Wipe on Poly on my hand and rubbed until the wood gets warm. Continue the last application method until the desired gloss is obtained. (several coats).