Ak stock refinish......tung oil?

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phantomak47

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I am still stripping my ak47 stock, next time I will get the gel instead of the liquid as the good people in Romanian really "stained" my SAR stock with burgandy paint.


Anyways I bought some minwax oil based stain and I dont like it , I tested it out and it just doesnt look right. I am thinking about going the tung oil route, but I dont know how it will look on an ak, opinions?
 
Tung oil may darken the wood somewhat, but it's not a stain. It results in a more or less natural color. Don't count on it changing the appearance of your stock. It gives poor protection and a dull sheen until you apply three to five coats, light-sanding between coats. I use a product called Waterlox, a mixture of tung oil and linseed oil. Another one I've heard good things about is ArmRSeal. If the wood of your stock isn't taking stain too well, you may want to try a gel stain.
 
IMHO,Tung oil is THE best finish for wood

...It's also the most work,and the most expensive.

It will change the color of the wood only slightly but you can stain it before you apply the oil (NOTE:use a STAIN only, NOT a stain/finish(like some MinWax products).

Apply the tung oil with a rag, let dry for 24 hours. During the first few coats, "knock down" the grain with 0000 steel wool, between coats (use coarser if its REALLY rough. I've used tung oil on antique furniture, modern furniture, and gunstocks. I usually apply 8-10 coats, but have laid down as many as 20 coats.
 
Minwax is out, although I did some reading some people using their waterbased stain.....any opinions about that?


Also found an ak guy who used rite dye(the stuff you dye shoes and stuff like that with) .


The problem is that the wood is going to still have a light red tint to it, so I am going to have to use something with a little stain.
 
Tung oil creates one of the prettiest finishes on fine wood. For an AK though, I think I'd go with spar varnish. Spar varnish is far more weather resistant, and typical AK wood really doesn't benefit from Tung oil as far as looks go, so weather resistance would be my main goal.

Also, oil based furniture stains don't usually work well on gunstocks with their varying grain types. Water or spirit based stains tend to color more evenly, especially as grain opens on the ends.
 
If using a water-based stain, use one with pigment AND dye. It colors wood more evenly than one with pigment only. Just check the can for ingredients. Water stains also raise the grain of the wood, so you'll just have to knock it back down with a light sanding or steel wool as dfaugh suggeted. Plink has a good option, you may have to live with the coloring of your stock. Those woods used to make AK/SKS stocks are typically dense and closed-pored, i.e. hard to get to take stain. A dye may be best?
 
Also you may want to be aware that many common products that are labelled "tung oil" (such as Formby's Low Gloss Tung Oil) contain zero tung oil and are actually thinned varnish ("a wiping varnish"). That is not necessarily a bad thing because, as stated above, varnish is a lot more durable and resistant to moisture than natural oil finishes (and looks great too). In fact I would go with a varnish on a Romanian AK stock myself.
 
tung oil makes for a very nice finish. the more you rub it in over time the better it will look
 
Here's mine after 3 coats of tung oil. I decided to stop at this point and not take it to the parade-ground look.

DSC02437.jpg
 
Here's mine after 3 coats of tung oil. I decided to stop at this point and not take it to the parade-ground look.
Click to expand...

I think it looks just right. :)

Does anyone know what kind of wood that is?
 
I've also had good luck with BLO on my WASR furniture. It lends a nice finish, is super easy to prep and apply, and even smells good.
 
Mine looks very similar to MikeH's - I use Aniline dyes, then 5 coats of Tung Oil, followed up by 4 coats of paste wax, with healthy doses of 0000 steel wool, 2000 grit sandpaper, and a lot of elbow grease!:D
 
I stripped my Romy kit with Citrus strip, lightly sanded it, washed it with a Rit dye/alcohol combination, and (as of the time of this pic) applied 1 coat of tung, with plans for about 7-8 total:

AK2.jpg
 
I use Analine dyes, then 5-6 coats of Tung Oil, followed by 4-5 coats of paste wax. You can mix the Analine dyes to get just the color you desire - The Tung oil will add some yellow over the color of the dyed wood. They turn out Great!
 
I used the minwax + polyeurathane 1 step on my Romanian AK and it looks great. Got a color so that the wood and the bayonet handle all match. Two coats and it looks super!
 
dishwasher

if you look above at the pic links i posted i just threw the wood in the dishwasher on pots and pans cycle overnight. and it came out looking beautiful. i took out all the finish cosmoline and the black stripe on the buttstock. takes alot less time and don't have to buy striper and fill the house with smelly fumes.
 
dishwasher

if you look above at the pic links i posted i just threw the wood in the dishwasher on pots and pans cycle overnight. and it came out looking beautiful. it took out all the finish cosmoline and the black stripe on the buttstock. takes alot less time and don't have to buy striper and fill the house with smelly fumes.
 
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