So, Im refinishing my mosin stock, what kind of finish should I apply

[flyboy1788]

On a whim, I decided to sand down the stock of my 1909 M91, and man does she look beautiful now that shes all sanded down. As of right now she is a really light blonde color, but I was wondering what are some of the best and most "authentic" options as far as applying a finish is concerned?? Thanks

 

[j-easy]

shellac?

 

[flyboy1788]

Im pretty sure that is what I spent hours getting off. I want something that looks true to the original, but isnt as sticky and holds up better.

 

[offthepaper]

I refinished one of my MN's 91/30's with BLO.
While not authentic, I like it. Really all that mattered to me on that project. I have quite a few MN's. I might experiment more with the next project for the proper "Ivan" look.

 

[j-easy]

BLO= boiled linseed oil, or you could use tung oil there very similar and thats what the US used to do the finish on M1 garand and M1 carbine stocks. its slightly darker and its an oil that you rub into the stock.

 

[lipadj46]

Tung oil is a better finish. I like BLO but Tung Oil will provide a better finish easier.

 

[Gryffydd]

I refinished mine recently...
before:


Then I stained it with a Rit dye/ denatured alcohol mix and then applied several layers of Tru-Oil. Not authentic, but it looks nice and works.


Turned out a little redder than what I wanted, but they did originally have somewhat of a reddish tint.

 

[DC300a]

I have been thinking about doing the same thing with my M38... I am interested in seeing what pops up on here.

+1 for oil... I was just unsure which I should use. ....

 

[flyboy1788]

Is there a good link on how to properly apply BLO or tung oil, or any tips that anyone wants to share? How would I go about rubbing it in? What supplies will I need??

 

[LJ-MosinFreak-Buck]

I refinished my Mosin and my K31 with Minwax RedOak 215 then rubbed Tung Oil over the stain (when dry and after four or five coats of stain).

I just cut a bit of material off of an old cotton t-shirt and poured some tung oil onto it, then applied it rubbing the tung oil into and along the grain of the wood. I did the same method with the wood stain.

Before:


After:

 

[juk]

Oil finishes are generally very simple. Find a clean rag, put oil on rag, rub rag on stock. It will take several coats to get the desired effect. It is hard to mess up to. If you get a glob or a run, rub back over it and smooth it out. No harm or foul. Just give the oil time to be absorbed into the stock between coats and make sure the rag isn't dragging debris all over your previous coats.

 

[sniper5]

I refinished both of mine by wiping with alcohol and scotchbrite to strip the old shellac and smooth and then wiped on several coats of orange shellac with old t-shirt material using extra fine abrasive pads between coats. Looks beautiful, not strictly authentic, looks close enough and very simple to do.

 

[flyboy1788]

cool, thanks guys. Which one is a darker shade, the tung oil or BLO???

 

[chuwee81]

milsurprifles.com has a pretty good instruction. I did mine with ebony stain, tung oil, and for now only a coat of poly.

 

[lipadj46]

cool, thanks guys. Which one is a darker shade, the tung oil or BLO???

Neither both will give the same effect just like getting the wood wet, they are oils not stains. BLO may darken more over time.

 

[offthepaper]

While not a Mosin project, This is by far the best method I have found for BLO.

Credit goes to ScottGT (mine didn't turn out quite as nice as his, but very nice nonetheless)

Scroll down to post #19 and see a pair of beautiful stocks.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=331736

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

Which finish can make it look MOST like it wasn't refinished, and might possibly be a good original military finish, to the untrained eye?

 

[GBExpat]

shellac?

Im pretty sure that is what I spent hours getting off. I want something that looks true to the original, but isnt as sticky and holds up better. ...

Since shellac looks shiny and plastic, you may want to use polyurethane or, perhaps, a lacquer. Don't forget the stain.

For future reference, alcohol dissolves shellac, so, with this knowledge, shellac removal is relatively quick and easy.

 

[flyboy1788]

Dr. Tad, yes, which finish will LOOK close to the original, yet will hold up better, not be as sticky, etc, etc???

 

[DMK]

The original finish was shellac. If you ever look at really nice unissued Mosin nagant or Russian SKS refurbs, they are quite shiny. You could take some of the shine off with some 800 grit sandpaper or a scotchbrite pad.

US rifles used Tung oil and/or BLO. So that's what most people are familiar with. Plus it is a superior finish that can be maintained and refinished more easily. But the Russians and Combloc nations did not use this method.


If you are interested in restoring the wood on your rifle correctly, poke around this forum:

http://parallaxscurioandrelicfirearmsforums.yuku.com/forums/101/t/C-R-stock-cleaning.html

 

[Storm]

It amazes me that the Russians used shellac. It does poorly around alcohol, including vodka. I work with shellac quite a bit, and it would not be my choice for a rifle finish, especially with Russians about.

I would probably go with multiple coats of tung oil. You can control the gloss by the number of coats, but I don't think you'll ever get to the gloss of the Russain shellac, but I'm not sure if that's a bad thing. I also like Watco's Danish Oil finish but it tends to be more of a satin finish, which is why I often layer it also using tung oil.

If you do use shellac again you might consider using Birchwood Casey gun stock wax. It puts a protective layer on without changing the finish in any significant way. I use a final coat of gun stock wax on all of my finishes, no matter what type.

BTW, if you wish to stain the wood I highly recommend aneline dyes. They can be both water or alcohol based. I prefer alcohol as a base as the stain seems to get deeper penetration. You can also mix them stronger or weaker adding another dimension of control the finish beyond merely how much you wipe on.