Wood refinishing

[scratchthejeepguy]

What's the best way to strip all the old finish off my Romy stock and foregrip?
And can anybody suggest a good finish?

[Tx Dogblaster]

I use CitriStrip and then sand the crap out of it. I've also soaked them in a bucket of bleach water after sanding to get the wood as light colored as possible. I'm refinishing a Bulgy 74 stock set right now that I stripped, sanded and stained with dark walnut stain. I'm up to 26 coats of tung oil now and it's looking good. I've also mixed up scarlet red & black Ritt Dye in rubbing alcohol to stain the wood. It works great! Then just come back over it with tung oil as you normally would.

[mountainman28542]

so more tung oil = alot nicer and stronger finish on the wood? does it matter if you use an oil based stain or water based?

[Schuetzenman]

I second the notion of Citristrip. On stains, if using Tung Oil there may be some dissolving of an oil based stain. Water or Alcohol based stains are probably better to use with the Tung Oils. I've used Fiebings Leather dyes to stain wood. Their Mahogony is a nice reddish brown color. You can cut it with more alcohol to lighten the color. Not dark enough, put on another coat. http://www.bing.com/shopping/search?q=fiebings+leather+dye&FORM=HURE

Tung Oil IMO is a better finish though it is quite thin. Lindseed Oil takes months to really dry. Is not really all that water proof. Can mildew and water spot and will in time darken with age. Sometimes to a nearly black color. Tung Oil is wather proof, won't mildew and does dry well in a day. 0000 steel wool or pumice powder in lindseed oil on a thick felt pad makes a great between coat rub to cut the shine. I usually don't rub one down until I get 5 or 6 coats on. Then you rub it down aggressively to take the finish off the high spots . In this way you fill the pours of the wood to be even with the surface.

On how many coats I must say I am amazed to read 26 coats. I think 15 is the most I ever put on a stock and it had great depth and the pours were all filled and smooth to the surface. Actually that stock looked like plastic it was soo smooth. BTW failing to have a thick wool pad, an old white T-Shirt torn up and folded into a square pad works pretty good. After rubbing it down wipe all the rubbing oil / compound mix off until it feels dry to the touch, not oily. Then you can put on your next tunge oil.

If you use 0000 steel wool, make sure you get the stock blown off / cleaned perfectly. You don't want any wool fibers left behind as they look like shit if they get stuck in the next coat of finish. A tack cloth is the old fashioned way to clean a stock after steel wooling it. High pressure air also works for me. I'm not sure some of these flexible magnets might not work either, haven't tried one but it comes as an idea. Hell even a vacuum cleaner with a brush head on the wand could be good to use. I have vacuumed a stock and it did help but still I used air and a tack cloth.

[Tx Dogblaster]

My 26 coats started off more as an experiment to see how shiny and deep I could make it look. I haven't had time to work on any of the metal parts but I can sit and sand/stain/oil for a few minutes almost every day and feel like I've accomplished something. I was originally planning on another plum 74 build but I had the wood furniture laying around and I don't own a 74 with wood. Since I've started refinishing the wood I've decided that's the way I'm gonna go on this one.

BTW, I used a a dark walnut oil based stain and had no problem at all. Which is a good thing because I never even considered that there could be an issue between oil based stain and the tung oil.

[scratchthejeepguy]

I'm on coat number 6 or 7 and I'm not getting very much gloss. I like the Tung oil as it goes on, but as I wipe it off... not so much. Can you get a nice gloss out of this? How many coats does it take? I'm thinking about ditching the tung oil and going with a nice polyurethane clear instead. Can I poly right over the tung oil or do I gotta remove all of it too?

What do you guys think?

[Schuetzenman]

Yes a high gloss is quite possible with Tung oil. You say wipe it off, you shouldn't be wiping it off. Just hand rub in a thin coat and let it sit until dry the next day. I rub until you feel that area start to get hot then move on to another area.

[Tx Dogblaster]

Yes a high gloss is quite possible with Tung oil. You say wipe it off, you shouldn't be wiping it off. Just hand rub in a thin coat and let it sit until dry the next day. I rub until you feel that area start to get hot then move on to another area.

^^^This^^^

I'm using high gloss tung oil. I'm actually putting it on really thick and letting it sit in the heat of my garage for a minimum of 24 hours before I even touch it. I didn't really notice any remarkable depth or shine until about the 6th or 7th coat was put on and I was amazed at how that one coat put it over the edge. Since then I've just basically going for depth and there is a lot. I'm going to do one more coat and as long as it stays glassy slick and super glossy then I'll say I'm done. I'll have my receiver done by the end of the weekend and it'll get painted with Gloss Black Gunkote. I decided I was going to build a glossy 74 once the stock started being even more glossy than I had imagined & figured I'd go that route.

I had the whole stock set stripped and sanded as slick as a possible. The buttstock was a whole lot lighter wood than the HG so I ran my torch over the buttstock and burned the grain amlittle to darken it up. Then I ran over it again with fine steel wool to remove/even out the soot from the torch. After it was smooth again I used 2 or 3 coats of dark walnut stain. I almost wish I had stopped there and stripped it back down and used a darker stain. The lower HG is solid walnut and I've not even stained it. All it's had is tons of tung oil and it looks as good as factory wood on any fancy bolt gun.

[scratchthejeepguy]

I'm using Minwax Tung Oil Finish, in a yellow can. The directions say to:
1. Sand to obtain a smooth uniform finish, remove all dust with a cloth dampened with mineral spirits.
2. Apply Minwax Wood Finish Stain, if desired, following the label directions.
3.Wipe or brush on a generous coat of Minwax Tung oil, apply in the direction of the grain.
4.After 5-10 minutes, buff evenly with a clean lint free cloth.
5.Wait 24 hours and apply a second coat. Two coats are recommended.
6.For additional gloss, reapeat after 24 hours. The brightness of the finish gains more gloss with each coat you apply.

Those are the directions right from the can. It seems if I wait too long to wipe off, the finish is so sticky, that some of the fibers of the T-shirt I'm using to wipe, comes off on the wood. It actually looks worse the more I wipe!

If I follow the directions and wipe after 5 minutes or so, the finish looks super smooth and really great actually, but it's just got that "matte" look to it. I was hoping it would be more of a "gloss" look. I can see though where that "matte" look looks really cool. It almost looks like wood that had a finish applied, then was put into storage and sat for 50 years never being touched.

I'm just not sure if I want that, or if I want it glossy....

Either way, maybe the Tung Oil I'm using, (Minwax) isn't the same that everyone else is using.

[Tx Dogblaster]

I'm using Formby's tung oil. I didn't realize there was a difference but apparently there is. The directions on my can are totally different. Interesting...

[scratchthejeepguy]

here's a pic of my furniture with at least 10 coats on Tung oil on. I think I'm going to put on some Polyurethane instead... I'm looking for something deeper and maybe with more color possibly...? Any suggestions? Should I throw some dye in there? Anybody seen any cool looking AK furniture recently?

http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/230158_1962395974830_1090746934_32315467_3035016_n .jpg

[Schuetzenman]

I'm using Formby's tung oil. I didn't realize there was a difference but apparently there is. The directions on my can are totally different. Interesting...

Formby's is what I've always used. Never tried the Minwax brand. I personally think a satin or matt look is better on a rifle. Shiny glossy reflects light and can spooke game animals or give your position away IMHO.

[romak10/63UF]

Number 1 thing i do witch it very good is go to walmart to get all your supplys your need

Cleanstrip "stripper " takes off the clear coat an the orignal oil finish with 2 aplacations NICE !

Next I buy MinWax Natural stain its way better then tung oil period.
Next i buy minwax Fast Drying Poly. In my tests the best coats are from 3 to 5 coats... light sanding with 1000 wet grit sand paper after each drying this process can take up to 7 days but you will be very happy with the results trust me i am... i can show you photo of my k98 german ww2 german stock i refinished it took me 9 days.... slow an painfull process but very well worth it... dont worry no swatiskas were defaced.. :hitler:


step one clean stripper... wait a few minutes then use scotch brite to scrub off the GOO....

Clean with water if you want USE GLOVES stripper burns ! Then let dry 10 to 15 min then re strip.... To get all of the old oil off the wood...
Clean with warm water let dry over night

The use minwax natural stain with a FOAM brush it does not smear . Put on a light coat sit on newpaper in the garage an let dry for 12 to 24 hours.... Apply another coat of Minwax natural stain... Repeat this process 3 to 4 times.. eazy money... 4 days...

After the natural stain is done comes the fun part the POLY yaaaa!!! your almost done... Apply a light coat an let dry for 24 plus hours... if in doubt do not touch .. you do not want the FINGERPRINTS.. to inbead into your poly coat trust me ! lol
Repeat this process poly coat 3 to 5 times 5 days.....

You will be more pleased then the use of tung oil... this is my 2 cents on everything.

[Broondog]

this is how i roll......

http://www.gunsnet.net/showthread.php?1054-Restoring-an-old-gunstock-pic-heavy

use the parts of the process that apply to your situations but wood is wood, new or old.

also, when i stain a stock, like for an AKM, i use RIT dye (with alcohol) and make my own color. for instance i used 1 part Scarlet, 1/2 part Sunburst Yellow and a touch of Dark Brown to do an Ironwood stock set and got very close to a blood red color. i'll post a pic on request.

i stay away from polyurethane unless i figure the stock will have to take a beating, and even then i cringe when i put it on.

[Tx Dogblaster]

...I personally think a satin or matt look is better on a rifle. Shiny glossy reflects light and can spooke game animals or give your position away IMHO.

I agree 100%. I've never built a glossy rifle. So I figured what the hell, I'll just build a pretty toy and shoot the shit out of but not beat it up.

[scratchthejeepguy]

i use RIT dye (with alcohol) and make my own color. for instance i used 1 part Scarlet, 1/2 part Sunburst Yellow and a touch of Dark Brown to do an Ironwood stock set and got very close to a blood red color. i'll post a pic on request.


I'd like to see a pic of that red color... Today I looked at the wood again. it is super uber smooth to the touch which I love. The satin look of it is starting to grow on me now after all these days of wanting super gloss... I don't know. It seems when I put a coat on, and it's all glossy, I think I want that. But then when it dries and is all super smooth and satiny... I like that.

I have seen some cool reds though that I like. Maybe I should do one satiny like it is, do one in red, and buy another one and do that in gloss...

ugh. I hate decisions. will somebody make my mind up for me please...

[Broondog]

I'd like to see a pic of that red color... Today I looked at the wood again. it is super uber smooth to the touch which I love. The satin look of it is starting to grow on me now after all these days of wanting super gloss... I don't know. It seems when I put a coat on, and it's all glossy, I think I want that. But then when it dries and is all super smooth and satiny... I like that.

I have seen some cool reds though that I like. Maybe I should do one satiny like it is, do one in red, and buy another one and do that in gloss...

ugh. I hate decisions. will somebody make my mind up for me please...

here ya go, as requested.

http://i549.photobucket.com/albums/ii365/broondog007/guns-n-gear/S6300227.jpg

[scratchthejeepguy]

Nice coloring! When you say alcohol, you mean like rubbing alcohol with the Rit in there? Is that all it is? Brush or wipe on like stain, then clear over it?

[Tx Dogblaster]

Nice coloring! When you say alcohol, you mean like rubbing alcohol with the Rit in there? Is that all it is? Brush or wipe on like stain, then clear over it?

That's it. Really simple. I apply it the little foam make-up pads from Wally World. The alcohol flashes off quickly and the wood is stained. The color combos are basically limited only to your imagination.

[Broondog]

That's it. Really simple. I apply it the little foam make-up pads from Wally World. The alcohol flashes off quickly and the wood is stained. The color combos are basically limited only to your imagination.

yep, simple is right. except i use a 1" chamfer tip disposable foam brush that can be had from the paint supply section at your favorite hardware store.

just remember to test your color mix on a comparable piece of scrap wood before you do the real thing. i went through 3 mixes before i got the color "right".