Refinish or touchup Model 70 stock project?

Try touch up first, if you don't like it, strip it and start over. It looks like polyurethane finish. Try Watco wipe on poly. It's a damp rag type of a situation. Wipe on thin coats of finish, work the checkering with a toothbrush. If it doesn't work, Watco is a great, durable finish for your strip and finish. Let us know how it turns out....
https://www.menards.com/main/paint/...4453040918-c-7966.htm?tid=6930200598410747310

Wreck-n-Crew said:

I thought it was an older stock and they may have used polyurethane. Looks to be pre1992 with full gloss. Seems they went to Semi-gloss in 1992 forward as well as laminate stocks. The grain looks good and the color is nice.

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I've had good luck with Watco and a rag. Most of the handling marks will blend in pretty well. You can pick your gloss level.

Ok, here is a Tikka that I stripped from a urethane finish, lightly stained and used only Watco(not poly). I just took these photos under very bright fluorescent lights to show the satin effect. I used Citri Strip to get the original finish off.
The finish is very field worthy, and is easily re-polished with a rag and a little Watco. Unless you have experience with linseed oil, you might want to stay away from that. The gumming and darkening tendencies are sometimes not what you might like.
Having said that, Watco is a linseed oil base with formulated drying agents, that is very easy to use. Tru Oil tends to be pretty glossy.

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Wreck-n-Crew said:

That's a beauty! I Fine job. If this turns out half as good id be happy.

I ended up with some satin But they did not have any Watco so I got poly. Got a coat on but I believe I will have to wait until tomorrow to get another coat on. We will see what tomorrow brings. just glad I got the time to do anything. If it don't turn out i'll strip it and go find some at Lowe's.

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Go slow, be patient. Listen to country music. Rub down your last coat with OOOO steel wool. Make sure you de-lint and dust every crevice. Use a fresh rags piece for each coat. Work a tiny bit into the checkering with a clean toothbrush. Take some pics for us.

Wreck-n-Crew said:

First coat a little shiny...but looks decent. Hope i git the right stuff!

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Looks great! Poly is going to be super durable by the way...

Wreck-n-Crew said:

Thanks we'll see what the Steel wool does when I get it done. Then on to bedding and a sling.

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If it dulls it too much, wipe a super this coat and leave it. Like you were polishing a table with lemon oil.

I would not finish the stock before bedding it - a messy procedure with overflowing bedding compound or epoxy.

My simple procedure is to sand the stock with a orbital sander with 100 grit. This makes the flat surfaces real flat and the edges real sharp but be real careful as these sanders are a real handful and can wreak sharp edges, checkering or remove an excessive amount of wood. Stay away from critical areas. I then hand sand everything down with 150 grit, then 200 or whatever, then 320. I then apply my stock finish or choice - MINWAX Wipe-On Poly, keep the poly stuff out of the checkering, the first coat takes about 6-10 hours to dry and cure, then sand with 320, when the Poly has cured the odor is distinctive. On open grained wood such as black walnut, 8-10 coats are required, rub each coat real hard in small areas until squeaky. Sand lightly with 320. At the end sand with 400. Final coat goes on over un-sanded. Sand out any lumps or runs or missed spots having tool marks. Finally, brush in one coat to seal checkering that has had old finish removed by paint remover.

I don't like steel wool - to me it is more of a cleaning scrubbing thing and I go for a clean, extremely flat surface with no pores showing and a deep finish that can be looked into. Adequate rubbing between coats removes the glossy effect. I use the "clear satin" variety of the Poly Rub.

We all have our methods of stock finishing. I am a hand finish guy. I would never advise someone to go at a stock with an orbital sander; things could get out of control and unwanted results could appear very quickly. Wipe on poly is a great innovation, and has brought about some beautiful finishes.

Wreck-n-Crew said:

Well i made two mistakes. One the poly i got is a five day cure! Who ever heard if such! Anyhow it was not what i wanted. Going to have to make a trip to lowes.

Second mistake was the stock was not a 2 piece and even if it had been i realized the adapter i orderd would not work. So i had to make one.

I went by the recycling place that sells aluminum stick, bar stock, sheet metal, etc and picked up a piece of 1/4" of aluminum and headed to the shop. Hand work it is. I had a grinder, cut of saw etc but ni band saw. Took a while to shape it up.

Had to overlap and grind and offset so tye screw would go through both the trigger guard and the plate. I also had to counter bore the front screw in order to get it to start and tighten up.

I also discovered i may have to do a litte work to free float. I have clearance all the way down to about 4" before receiver. Not a big deal. Should be easy.

I want to use striper to remove the crap poly i put on. But ill wait until free float and bedding is done. Got a batch of devcon...that should do well.

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Five days, no I never heard of that one. Now you know why gunsmiths are grouchy. Keep plugging. Stuff happens...

It might be worth a try. Make sure you let us know...pictures too.

Get a piece of scrap wood and develop your orbital sanding skills. Paint remover with a tooth brush works great on checkering. The Gun-Line multi washer barrel channel scraper is a fast effective way to open up barrel channels. I have seen more damage done with a Dremel applied to the insides of a stock than an orbital sander loaded with 100 grit on the outside - as mentioned stay away from checkering and don't wipe out those nice sharp edges or mess up curves. Any tool can be improperly used including scalpels used in surgery - risk is present in any event.

The longest time I have ever waited for that first coat of Poly Wipe to cure enough for sanding is 8 hours and if the surface is less open the cure time will be less. Wiping down the outside of the freshly sanded wood with 91 per cent Isopropyl alcohol raises the grain for subsequent sandings and cleans dirt and grease from surfaces.

Stock project looks good, i like the bottom plate that was very well done.

If your looking for a durable gloss finish, west systems 105 plus 207 hardener produces a really solid finish that's fairly easy to apply and work with. I prefer it to the polys for atleast the initial coats.