Shellacking a Mosin

[Mosin Bubba]

I botched a stain job on a Mosin 91/30 stock. I was able to get most of the stain out by using enough paint thinner to kill almost every brain cell I had, but there is still a dark brown tint left behind. So now I was thinking about going and doing a colored shellac finish over the top of it.

Would this end up looking OK, or would I just be screwing up more? And if it will work out, where can I find some of that Russian red/orange shellac at?

Thank you

 

[Gottahaveone]

Not sure what it'll end up looking like, but here's all the shellac a man could want

http://www.shellac.net/ShellacPricing.html

 

[OilyPablo]

Post some pictures. It may be fine, but just dark. Hard to say.

What look are you trying for?

 

[Mosin Bubba]

I don't have any pictures right now, will try to get some up tomorrow or Saturday if that helps.

I am not really aiming for any particular look; just a gun that looks decent.

 

[akv3g4n]

You could always just pick up a few more stocks from AIM as insurance if you don't like how it turns out.

http://www.aimsurplus.com/product.aspx?item=X9130Set

 

[Mosin Bubba]

A dumb thought: Would brake cleaner get rid of any of that stain?

 

[akv3g4n]

Not sure about brake cleaner but you could try wood bleach to remove it.

http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/products/catalog/wood-bleach/

 

[Lucifer_Sam]

I'd try a chemical stripper. I've used this to take care of quite a few similar mistakes

http://www.wmbarr.com/product.aspx?catid=72&prodid=119

You can get it at Lowes.

 

[brickeyee]

Shellac is one of the least protective finishes out there.

Even a drop of sweat will cause it to blush white if not removed very quickly.

 

[mookiie]

Brickeye - what would suggest to use instead of shellac?

 

[Racinfan83]

Clear polyurethane.... If it is too shiny for you - you can dull it up with 0000 steel wool and it will still protect the wood...

 

[akv3g4n]

Clear polyurethane.... If it is too shiny for you - you can dull it up with 0000 steel wool and it will still protect the wood...

I'd be careful with that. Poly probably won't be able to handle the heat if you shoot it long enough to heat the barrel up any.

 

[funnelcake]

Minwax Antique Furniture Refinisher should pull the old stain out, leave it ready for finishing, and is actually good for the wood.

Funnel

 

[mookiie]

I'd be careful with that. Poly probably won't be able to handle the heat if you shoot it long enough to heat the barrel up any.

What would you suggest instead then?

 

[Tolkachi Robotnik]

Suggest boiled linseed oil

Mosin stocks seem to be open grain. I suspect mine is made of finest Siberian elm. Mine improved a great deal with boiled linseed oil rubbed in. It took the woolly look out and made it a uniform light brown color. It repels water better, instead of soaking it up.

 

[Cosmoline]

Poly based finishes are horrible on mil surps. I just got through sanding off a tru-oil finish that ruined a nice Lithgow SMLE. Poly finish feels wrong, it looks wrong and it's too slick to hold. Use BLO or tung, hand rubbed in thin coats with fine steel wool polish after each. Shellack is another route but I've never tried it. I'd use the real thing. You can find the chips for sale on art sites.

 

[dastardly-D]

What racinfan83 did worked for me on a type 44 and 1 AK !

 

[brickeyee]

Brickeye - what would suggest to use instead of shellac?

Varnish.

 

[Racinfan83]

What racinfan83 did worked for me on a type 44 and 1 AK !

I have done it on a couple guns in the past and working on another one right now. Never had a problem with it. And the nice thing is that if you DON'T like it - get out your sander and fine paper and take it off....

 

[Racinbob]

I have sprayed lacquer on many projects. I use satin because I prefer low gloss. I've never seen a problem and they have turned out beautiful but I'm interested to hear what everybody thinks.

 

[Tolkachi Robotnik]

Boiled linseed oil matches the red color.

Both Mosin stocks I've dealt with are about same tint. They are a sort of brown reddish color. I do not think the boiled linseed oil really changes color much, so if there are streaks of dark they will likely still show. It will just gloss it up a little and even the color out a little.

What boiled linseed oil did on on mine is seal the end grain and prevent water soaking into the stock. It also made it look enough better people complemented on it, as the refinished stocks were not around when I started with the first Mosin. The second one was redone by Russians and they let the final layer run in a few places, they were in hurry. I suspect it might be a near linseed oil type varnish, so that is why they look about the same.

 

[brickeyee]

I do not think the boiled linseed oil really changes color much

As it slowly cures and picks up dirt and grime it turns darker and darker and ends up nearly black.

 

[Mosin Bubba]

I've been pretty busy lately, and am just now getting around to working on the stock again.

Thank you for the suggestion, funnelcake. I found a can of Minwax Antique Refinisher in the garage and applied it liberally. It worked pretty well, and removed a lot of stain. There are some areas around the metal parts and some end grain where it just would not come out - oh well.

Would a garnet shellac work on that stock, or would it be better to try and stain it again?

 

[Lucifer_Sam]

Personally, I'd just give it a few coats of BLO and then top that with the shellac of your choice. It should come out looking pretty nice, shellac is a very attractive finish.

 

[OilyPablo]

That has potential. I second Lucifer's Recommendation.....THAT was hard to write

My AK has several coats of spray shellac and it's holding up fine.