Marlin 6079 collector stock re-finish

[THELMAN]

Hey Guys, I just bought a Marlin 22LR 6079 for my sons and it has some dings and marks on the stock and Im planning on re-finishing. I was told its birch. has anyone sanded one down? I want to stain it to show the grain of the wood, not the painted look it has now. Any suggestions?

 

[Kp321]

If it is birch, very likely, it will be white with no grain after sanding. The grain is painted on with the finish. You can get a nice color on the stock by using leather dye or some type of water or alcohol based stain followed by polyurethane. Oil based stains do not penetrate the dense birch wood well. Search this forum for stock finish instructions or go to Gunboards Forums and do the same search.