Stock refinishing?
What would be the best way to refinish a Browning BLR 22 mag stock and forearm. I have a friend who sister is a stripper for a furniture restoration place. She could put it in the tanks for me to remove the old finish. Would that work? If so where do I go from their? This will be my first one, so I want it to come out nice. But the least complex way would probably be best. Time consuming does not matter.
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When I refinish, I use a quick-and-simple method thatn seems to work just fine:
(1) Remove old finish and stain
(2) Sand lightly
(3) Remove sanding detritus with acetone on a rag
(4) After acetone is completely evaporated, use lemon oil; if
you don't like the color, then use whatever stain looks good
to you.
(5) Allow lemon oil or stain to soak in, then coat with Minwax
Spray Polycrylic (NOT Polyurethane, please note) in multiple
light coats. Allow one whole day to dry after last coat.
(6) If finish feels too slick, rub quickly and lightly with a
soft cloth moistened with Windex. The alcohol in the Windex
will slightly "matte" the Polycrylic finish. BE CAREFUL.
Anyhow, that's how *I* usually do it.
Hope this helps!0 -
It always helps to get some experience before you jump into the problem. Whatever method or recipe you use, try it out on scrap before experimenting on your gunstock. 0 -
I'm refinishing a Ruger M77 stock right now - have done about a dozen this way and they all turned out pretty nice:
1) After stripping (the tank idea is a great one) and drying, use some 220 or 320 sand paper (regular or wet/dry, doesn't matter) and smooth down. If any scratches or dings are present, place damp cloth over the spot and using a hand iron, steam the spots to raise the grain back. Deep dings will take numerous applications, so stay with it until they are raised back to the surface. If too deep, they will just have to stay.
2) Apply stain/filler (available at the hardware store), leave for the period stated on label, then rub off excess CROSS GRAIN with a coarse (burlap or similar)cloth. Make a hanger (a dismembered coat hanger works fine), find a quiet area where a lot of foot and body traffic doesn't happen (don't want a bunch of dust or lint flying around to stick on the fresh coating - this applies all the way on the refinishing process. LET DRY FOR 48 HOURS!
3) Whiskers will be raised, in addition to filler that did not rub off. Use the sandpaper again lightly to smooth back down. Now, here is the trick of a successful stock finisher - buy a Tack Cloth at the hardware store to rub the stock to remove any dust/lint, etc and be careful to handle in areas not being finished.
3) Use a varnish, polymer, acrylic - whatever, for a sealer coat. I usually use an exterior marine spar varnish for this coat. Apply evenly and try not to cause runs or drips. At this point, I'll let you in on another stock finisher's trick - hand rubbed finishes are far better than sprayed-on finishes. Use your fingers as applicators and spreaders, using the palm if desired. I just use the fingers. A light coat is far better than a running heavy coat. LET DRY FOR 24 HOURS.
4) Lightly sand to remove any roughness and back to smooth finish - don't worry about taking off too much - the stuff has soaked into the wood grain for a seal. Just don't get more aggresive than necessary to get a smooth finish. Remember, with this coating as well as the finishing coats, any imperfection left will show up grossly as the coatings are applied. Sand carefully between all coatings and USE THE TACK CLOTH WITH GUSTO.
4) I use Fromby's Tung Oil (satin or low gloss) for the finishing coats. Boiled linseed oil (BLO) can be used also, but I like the tung oil best.
5) Carefully apply the oil by hand to small areas, rubbing in well to the wood and continue for the entire stock. I start at the toe of the buttstock and work my way around the buttstock and up the stock, checking for complete coverage and any runs from just applied oil. If you miss a spot or wipe a run to find a smear from the wipe, don't worry - you've got a lot of coats to go and can correct it before the next coat. LET DRY FOR 24 HOURS.
5) Now, the use of 000 or 0000 steel wool or the equalivant in synthetic sanding applicators are to be used - just enough to remove any smudges, dust or finish bubbles. Get the stock back to smooooooooth finish. USE THE TACK CLOTH!
6) Repeat the hand rubbing of the oil, letting dry completely for 24 hours before next coat. Rub down with the fine applicator, clean with tack cloth and apply next coat. Keep up the process for as long as you have the patience to do. I normally apply at least a dozen coats of finish before giving up.
7) To knock back the gloss if you feel it is too flashy, a felt pad of about 1/4" thickness and some J-B bore paste with Hoppe's #9 solvent as a lubricant that is used to gently rub down the finish will leave a dull sheen that the old masters would be proud of.
Simple, isn't it?
Keep off the Ridgeline0 -
I have used "artists grade" linseed oil when refinishing my stocks. It is a very light grade of linseed oil and penetrates faster and better than any other type of linseed oil that I've tried. You will have to get it from an art supply store.
I've recommended this to a couple of other fellows that have refinished far more stocks than I have and the artists grade of linseed oil is now what they use.
Whether you use linseed oil or tung oil follow Kdub's instructions and be patient. A good finish takes time and patience.
You can never have too many guns!!!0 -
I recommend using all wood finishing products outdoors & while wearing heavy rubber gloves. Most contain solvents that are carcinogenic, mutagenic, & toxic.
Yes, the old timers rubbed them in with their bare hands; but, the old timers tended to die early.
Neal0
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