Stock Refinish
I'm refinishing the stock on my Ruger Mini-14. I've got it sanded down to bare wood. What are some ideas that some of you may have? I'd like to finish it off with Boiled Linseed Oil, but what do I do next? I looks like Birch wood...quite light in color. Should I first darken it with a stain, or just let the oil do it for me? Thanks, Bill
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I'm working on a project .22 rifle that I bought for $5. at a gunshow. The sporter style stock was nearly broken in two in the receiver area. 2 BIG cracks going all the way thru on one side. And one on the other.
I've had good luck using Gorilla Glue on stock repairs. And even tho I doubted this stock was salvagable, I was AMAZED that Gorilla glue did the trick! The stock now feels as solid as new!
So now I'm thinking about a finish that makes the repair job as invisable as possible. Thought about just painting it black. But I recall someone mentioning using shoe polish as a stock finish.
Would that work? If so what's the formula (mixture/type of polish/thinner etc.)? Any other ideas? Thanks.0 -
Here is an Idea that works: Some River Birch has a grain, but not too distinctive. I have redone Remington 788 Stocks and was lucky enough to get a Birds Wing Pattern on one in particular.
Take Walnut Stain, or Varnish Walnut Stain. Wipe it on thourghly, get it all over the place, all over the stock and all over Mommas Kitchen Table. (If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right?)
Rub it into the grain, and let it sit for awhile, 1hr - maybe 2. Take Acetone on a Rag and rub off what you don't want, leave as much as you want. Hopefully There will be a nice Grain and it will pick up the Stain while the rest of the stock will look a little bland. Cover with Clear Urethane from a spray can would be nice. Lacquer does an excellent Job, BUT! Is subject to some cleaning fluids and Chemicals, This Little Problem can be solved by covering the Lacquer Finish (after the Lacquer is totally dry, which usually takes about 10 min. to 1hr.) That will give the Tough,Beautiful, and easy Lacquer Finish but Chemical Proof. I generally do this with a couple hand rubbed coats of True Oil.[;)]
Ronnie G. Perkins0 -
My experience has been that birch will not darken enough when oiled, so you are probably correct in saying that it should be stained first. I only use an oil base stain, such as Fiebing's (available from many shoe repair shops); you can select your color, or blend.
I prefer a good quality tung oil (such as Formby's) to BLO. In either case, use 0000 steel wool between coats.
Neal0 -
Neal is correct. I use leather dye on birch, as water based stains won't touch it, and common paint store oil base stains won't work either. I have used Fiebing's brand, but like Lincoln Leather Dye better--wider selection of colors. The only problem is that leather dyes seldom give you the same color from one piece of wood to the next, and never the color advertised for leather. I did a Swedish Mauser stock with a brown and it came out reddish; then I added several coats of clear polyurethane. Everyone that looks at the stock swears that it's cherry wood. So, before doing the whole stock, try a little in the barrel channel to see what the dried color will be. If you like the results, use the dauber that comes in the bottle, but work fast as the stuff really penetrates, and swirl it around to avoid streaks--which you can get if you paint it on in long strokes. 0 -
Long ago when I redid the stock(birch I think) on my Plainfield carbine, I just used tung oil. It came out a nice honey blond colour. However, alwaysstain before you put any oil finish on. Otherwise the wood will not take any stain at all. 0 -
Leather dye is what I have used for years. I use Fiebing's Black and Medium Brown. The brown alone is usually too light and a bit red for me. I put some of the brown in a separate bottle and add a very little black and try it. You can add more black to get good dark walnut stain. If it gets too dark you can lighten it up a bit with alcohol on a rag. For final finish I put on sanding sealer and rub it down with steel wool, maybe more than once. Then any of several good varnishes. Lately I have been using water based polyeurethane. Best thing about it is it dries in couple of hours.
To give some 'figure' to the wood, during the dye-stain process you can apply some streaks of a darker mix of same with a rag and 'blend' it a little with a pad moistened with alcohol. In any of this try it on scrap first till you get the hang of it.0 -
Great ideas! Thank you all for your contribution. I'll give the leather dye a go and finish with a varnish. What a great forum!!! 0 -
Bill,
If you choose to use varnish for finishing your stock I suggest you use a marine grade of varnish. This stuff is extremely tuff and is designed to withstand saltwater, heat and sunlight to protect teak and mahogony on boats.
The brand I use is Interlux Goldspar 95 Clipper Clear Varnish, about $14 a pint, but it is worth every penny (and I am an extremly frugal b*st*rd when it comes to my money)! Goldspar Satin 60 Varnish results in a satin finish. They can be purchased from marine centers and over the internet.
Good luck with your project.
You can never have too many guns!!!0 -
I'll let you decide on the stain method, I've done my birch stocked 10/22, with great success, using Mini-Wax stain, takes to the wood beautifully. What I will try to impress on you is:
TUNG OIL, TUNG OIL, TUNG OIL, TUNG OIL, TUNG OIL!!!!!There is nothing better for refinishing a stock, in my opinion, and I have done about 10 or so of my own guns. A fresh can of it will give you results that will last a lifetime, is impervious to everything I've subjected my stocks to, and is so easy to do right. Its been around longer than anything else, except maybe boiled linseed oil, and I swear by it.[;)]
SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC0 -
And I'll second it!!Use the tung oil!!![8D] 0 -
I recently redid a stock on an old Western Field rifle. I tried the Formby's Tung oil and was not happy with the results. Consulted my 'smith and he loaned me his bottle of penetrating stain from Brownell's which gave the stock a really nice dark collor. Hit it with about three coats of rubbed tung oil after that and voila!!! it looks great. I am thinking of rubbing a few coats of hard drying wax on it now just to make it more satin and give the finish a little extra protection. 0
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