Gunsmithing Stock refinishing Quesiton

[5RWannabe]

I have an old Rem 788, shoots well, but the stock is ugly. so so ugly. My father bought this rifle back in the 70's I think. Ive been tossing around the idea of refinishing it myself. Well because I want to, and pulling it out of the closet brings back memories of the old man, I remember when he had my grandfathers stock refinished, and it from truck beater to prod to have it hanging on the wall piece. I don't see any value for me in keeping the stock "original" although the gun is oldish... about my age... i don't see it ever becoming any type of item where the originality would matter.

I don't really have a "well ventilated" space to work in... (stupid apartment city living)... is there a poly/stain remover that won't kill me indoors with only a window fan running?

Is that what I'm looking for a Poly/Epoxy/Stain remover?.. (I've been to several hardware stores to investigate products they sell) so far Bi-Mart had the one i think i would need , Jasco something varnish/stain remover... but I've read that gels work better than liquids because they stay in place better.

first i want to get the old coating off, then see what i have underneath... Im leaning towards sanding, then hand rubbing in a boiled linseed oil, and calling it done, but it its ugly under the glossy finish also... i just settle for some sort of paint job. and try my hand at some camp type stenciling.

ideas / suggestions / especially regarding the remover, or possibly other avenues i haven't considered yet ---

Please and thank you.

 

[...]

CitriStrip is what i use..its not super fast acting....and may require multiple applications......but at least it wont make you feel like youre on a WW1 battlefield, and wont burn you if you get it on your skin.

 

[5RWannabe]

with the CiritiStrip is there something i should use for an After Wash? i looked at their website and the After Wash is discontinued. is it necessary or will subsequent sanding take care of all that anyway?

 

[...]

ive always just used water and a rag/ brush

and then a light sanding should take care of the rest.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Don't use boiled linseed, either. It never really dries. Use Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil for a hand-finished stock. It is easy to use. It has a drying agent. And makes a lovely stock.

The 788's did have some really crude finishes on them. But some had remarkably nice pieces of wood. Just not shaped fancy or checkered. You should be able to do something nice with yours.

On sanding, BTW, sand to about 400 grit. Then wipe the stock with a damp "HOT" rag. Think like the hot towels a barber gives you. This will lift the grain ends that the sandpaper flattened down. Then sand again with 400. After that stain. I like water-based stain under Tru-oil. Birchwood Casey makes some good compatible stains.

If you want a harder-to-work with version, Warthog Oil from the UK is ideal for good shotgun stocks. Not quite as shiny as Tru-oil. Though you can get a shiny tru-oil finish to take a nice matte by letting it harden for a couple of weeks, then polishing it with some Comet detergent dissolved on a rag. That gives a lovely 'compounded' finish that has a glow to it, not a wet look.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,

Sirhr

 

[5RWannabe]

photos.... I went and bought some of that citrisstrip stuff, put it on tonight well see how it is in the morning.

 

[5RWannabe]

I had already taken the bottom metal and action out before i remembered to take a photo. I'm thinking this thing must have been painted at some time, there seemed to be spots of paint or stained poly or whatever on the underside of the action,

 

[Krazy_jim]

I scrapped my stock on my grandfathers .243 from the 60s. Just used a knife and scraped all the finish off, then followed by sanding to smooth anything up.

Then I used boiled linseed oil, and it looks much better.

 

[5RWannabe]

Don't use boiled linseed, either. It never really dries.


Sirhr

I read that people have trouble with BLO especially when they put to much on at one time. and then it not drying. From what I've seen and read, its a drop at a time and then rubbing it in so that your hand get hot. I know its more work. But its kind of a remembrance thing for me, i don't wanna sound to hokey, but I want to dedicate some time working on it and reminiscing. - other than ease of application and drying agent are their other advantages to Tru Oil? It says that Tru Oil is a mix of linseed oil and others... does the color come out about the same as BLO?

 

[5RWannabe]

I scrapped my stock on my grandfathers .243 from the 60s. Just used a knife and scraped all the finish off, then followed by sanding to smooth anything up.

Then I used boiled linseed oil, and it looks much better.

what did you do about the checkering?

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Scraping with a piece of broken glass also works great.

For stripping checkering, use a bit of Formby's furniture refinisher and a brass toothbrush. Wipe/flush clean with paper towels.

When refinishing the checkering, leave it unfinished until the last coats. Then put very small amount of tru-oil in the checkering. Enough to seal, not to fill in.

5r... to your question about looks... yes, the Tru oil is the same 'color' as linseed. in fact, it is a form of BLO but it has drying agents and some other magic potions added. The true boiled Linseed oil will always 're-liquify' under heat and often handling. It worked fine on military guns were aesthetics were not a concern (and it was often applied by dipping, vats or under pressure, which I suspect changed its properties some. The Tru-oil is essentially the same stuff with some modern additives making it perfect for the home stock finisher. I finished my first stock in it at about age 14... and I still have the rifle and the stock is still beautiful!

Cheers,

Sirhr

 

[Krazy_jim]

To be honest, I just left the checkering. It was in decent condition, and I wanted that bit of contrast. I had thought about using a propane torch to darken it, but never had to get around to it.

As for the Boiled linseed oil. A small drop on my finger went a long ways. I did 5 or 6 coats, and it turned out better than I had expected.

This little gun is mainly going to be used for hunting, and up here that means cold

 

[5RWannabe]

updated photos after stripping, and light sanding, its getting there. Im convinced to go with Tru Oil at this point, especially because its more forgiving to a newbie like me, just need to keep sanding it.

you can see in the second photo there where the barrel was wearing into the wood after the Lug hole, there seems to be a little bit of raised wood right there in the middle of the barrel channel, I'm thinking I'm just going to sand it down and open up the channel a little bit and bed the action.

 

[Krazy_jim]

I used an appropriate sized socket wrapped in sand paper for the barrel channel.

 

[wxl]

Been using teak oil

 

[sirhrmechanic]

updated photos after stripping, and light sanding, its getting there. Im convinced to go with Tru Oil at this point, especially because its more forgiving to a newbie like me, just need to keep sanding it.

you can see in the second photo there where the barrel was wearing into the wood after the Lug hole, there seems to be a little bit of raised wood right there in the middle of the barrel channel, I'm thinking I'm just going to sand it down and open up the channel a little bit and bed the action.

A good check to see if you are free-floated is to be able to run a dollar bill between the barrel and the stock. If it will clear and 'see-saw' back and forth the whole length of the barrel, you have a good free-float. It's not a bad idea with a wood stock.

You can find the high-spots in the barrel channel by using smoke (cheap candle) or a bit of shoe-polish. Or a sharpie works in a pinch. Been a long time since I did a free-float. But that's how I did them back in the '80's.

Cheers,

Sirhr

 

[5RWannabe]

I was thinking about glass bedding it because i want to practice and see the outcome before i decide to do it on my 700 or just pay a smith to bed it. Figure its a cheaper way to find out if i suck at it or not. I've read and watched videos but the majority of work comes in the prep.

 

[Wannashootit]

I'll second the Tru-Oil- but you'll want to practice a bit on some scrap wood before doing the stock. Application isn't what I'd call "tricky"- but you do need to have the feel for how to spread it correctly. Some areas of the stock you'll hit end grain that'll soak it up faster, and keeping a "wet edge" can be challenging depending on the stock. You've got to keep it moving and the leading edge wet and flowing out or there will be problems with the finish.

I found a 5 mil disposable rubber glove and my fingertips work best for application; I pour a small amount of the oil into a shallow dish/container lid and just dip my index finger in it and transfer to the stock. They do have it aerosol now- haven't tried it so I can't speak to whether it makes application easier.

 

[Krazy_jim]

Any updates? Always interested in these older rifles .

 

[5RWannabe]

I'm about 3 or 4 coats into the finish, ill post some pics this weekend.

 

[parshal]

I've refinished a number of shotgun stocks with Tru-Oil. I thin it about 50%. I apply it to the stock and sand it for the first coat and let it dry with the sanding dust. Let it dry 24-48 hours and sand it smooth with 400 grit. For the finishing coats, just like you did, put a drop on your palm and rub the stock with your hand until it gets warm. Let it dry for 24 hours and repeat. Do this for a week or more and you'll have a beautiful thin oil finish. The Comet idea to knock off the shine is a good one. I used triple F rubbing compound and rottenstone to get dull the finish but I'll have to try Comet.

Boiled linseed oil is a good finish as is tung oil. I used both as a finish when I was making bamboo fly rods. Tung Oil is a great "in the wood" waterproof finish. The key is to get the real deal from a quality woodworkers supply house. The stuff you buy at the big box stores aren't the same.