Refinishing 39A Marlin?

[3Crows]

Circa 1954 or so my grandfather bought a Marlin 39A Mountie for me with the intention of giving it to me when I came of age sufficient be trusted with a "real" gun. Which he did when I was about 12 or so. Of course he used the rifle as did my dad before it came to be mine.

Somewhere along the way, actually after it was given to me, my grandfather refinished the rifle stocks for reasons I do not recall. I do not know what finish he used though it may have been Tru-Oil or similar. The finish is very glossy and fairly thick and somewhat sticky at times. And over time it has taken on an amber hue even turning the white Marlin Bullseye insert into a golden or frankly ugly yellow color.

So, yesterday, I took the rifle down for annual cleaning and decided to strip the stock to bare wood and did so using a citrus type stripper augmented with gentle scrapping of a plastic scrapper. The wood is walnut and it has some figure in it but is on the light side.

I have used Min-Wax wiping poly on some air rifle stocks with okay results. I recently used Tru-oil to redo a LC Smith Damascus steel shotgun just for wall hanging duty and I only put on two coats to achieve a semi matte finish.

I do not want a glossy finish. I do not want the finish to be thick or to yellow and turn the now once again white and black Marlin Bullseye yellow! I do not want some long, complicated weeks and months long process.

I suspect the Tru-oil (if it was Tru-oil) that my grandfather applied turned yellow due to the excessive thickness he used to get a plastic like gloss. Will two or three applications of Tru-oil yellow? What I want to achieve is a useable "factory" finish that has a very low sheen or matte appearance as did the rifle originally but which will show through the wood grain and importantly, not yellow. I did get some Birchwood Casey walnut stain to darken the wood prior to application of the (?) finish.

So, thanks for reading all that, any suggestions? Now prior to stripping:



I prefer something more like this:

 

[Roverguy]

A TruOil finish will always be fairly glossy. You can use Birchwood Casey satin finish to take some of the gloss off but it will still be glossy. At the other end of the spectrum, a boiled Linseed oil finish will be closer to your second picture above. Depending on wood color when you finish stripping, you might want to start with a little walnut stain to get the underlying color you want.

 

[Dustbowl]

I use tung oil for all my rifle stocks. Apply until the pores are all full. I know guys that cut it 50/50 with mineral spirits and apply 10+ coats to get a very smooth finish but you can use it straight and get a good finish. If you want that color of the second gun the pic I attached could get you close.

Tru-oil is thick and will yellow with time and is also known on warm days to become as you described “Sticky.”

 

[3Crows]

Can I put a crystal clear poly-varnish/polyurethane or wiping varnish over a couple of super thin, dry coats of Tru-oil that are taken back down to the wood?

I got the stocks much darker with the Birchwood Casey walnut stain. But that is not a finish, just a first step water based stain. I then applied one thinned coat of Tru-oil and the wood soaked it up like a sponge. Very flat and even dull still.

So I am at the turning point, continue with the Tru-oil, perhaps only one more coat or at the most two? Or switch over now to a polyurethane for a couple of more coats to get the barest bit of sheen and provide protection to the wood?

 

[Roverguy]

Can I put a crystal clear poly-varnish/polyurethane or wiping varnish over a couple of super thin, dry coats of Tru-oil that are taken back down to the wood?

I got the stocks much darker with the Birchwood Casey walnut stain. But that is not a finish, just a first step water based stain. I then applied one thinned coat of Tru-oil and the wood soaked it up like a sponge. Very flat and even dull still.

So I am at the turning point, continue with the Tru-oil, perhaps only one more coat or at the most two? Or switch over now to a polyurethane for a couple of more coats to get the barest bit of sheen and provide protection to the wood?

If you have started with TruOil, give it a few more coats probably 3-4 and then hit it with the Birchwood Casey stock conditioner. It takes the gloss of the finish.

 

[gwpercle]

I would stain the wood to the shade of walnut that looks good with a simple stain(s) , sometimes I use a final light coat of stain with "Red Mahogany" to bring out the colors . Sometimes you have to apply different colors to come up with the one that makes you happy ...if you dont like a color 0000 steel wool will remove it . So don't dispair and one color atop another usually gives you a nice job.
Let it dry well and finish with MinWax Tung Oil Finish ... I find the Minwax Tung Oil Finish looks a hundred times better than True Oil

 

[hq]

A TruOil finish will always be fairly glossy.

Not necessarily. I've buffed the glossy Tru-Oil finish with a fine Scotch-Brite pad for a satin matte finish on a few occasions. It works a treat.

 

[dfariswheel]

After the early 1950's Marlin used some sort of varnish finish, later probably a satin lacquer finish.

An acceptable factory type finish would be a couple of thinned coats of satin polyurethane.
This dries fast and stays clear. It doesn't have a hard gloss.
It can be thinned and applied with a good brush, or thinned and sprayed on for a smoother finish.

To apply, prep and stain the wood, then whisker it by using a cloth or sponge to dampen the wood, then quickly dry it with a heat gun or stove burner, being careful not to scorch the wood. This causes the water to flash into steam and that causes the tiny splinters to stand up.
Use a Scotchbrite synthetic pad to lightly buff the wood. The pad will catch and cut off the tiny splinters that the water flashing to steam raised.
This makes the finish much smoother and opens the grain by blasting out sanding dust.
A green pot scrubber synthetic pad from the grocery store works well.

Thin the first coat pf poly well to improve penetration. Let dry then lightly buff with the Scotchbrite pad, wipe off with a clean cloth.
Thin the second coat less, let dry and lightly buff.
Thin the last coat just enough to give good brushing or spraying and let it cure a few days.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I wouldn’t touch it!
A Mounty like yours is going for $1,000-1,200.
Remove the original finish and you’ve got a $550-$600 rifle.

Shoot it and enjoy it.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/957856902

 

[3Crows]

I wouldn’t touch it!
A Mounty like yours is going for $1,000-1,200.
Remove the original finish and you’ve got a $550-$600 rifle.

Shoot it and enjoy it.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/957856902

The original finish was removed some 50 years ago. The rifle is nice, the wood is nice, it shoots like a dream and the little rifle has pleasant, earned patina. Since it will not be departed with until I pass and that is likely and hopefully a long time yet then the $ value is not terribly important to me.

I am not going to do a build up of Tru-oil. I just put on a second rubbing with my fingers burnishing it in. When that dries tomorrow I will decide what I should do next. I have some wiping poly and some satin spray poly (exterior) oil based and crystal clear. Thus far I have been removing any Tru-oil from the bullseye with a Q-Tip and isopropyl. I do not want another 1/4 inch thick layer of gummy, sticky yellow Tru-oil (or whatever the Hades my grandfather used), thanks grandfather (Pop) for the mess! Whatever I do next I do not want a glossy finish or any buildup. Right now both applications of Tru-oil went into the wood and I burnished them in with my fingers and my hand.

So, again, like I said, I either do another Tru-oil application and leave it be at that because the next one will certainly begin to build. Or, stay with what I have and apply the varnish/poly and then call it good. Really, I am trying to come up with the factory looks of MarShield. And I think the spray of poly over the Tru-oil will be close.

I have another (newer and not a Marlin) rifle I need to do and I will utilize some of the suggestions here more fully .

 

[silicosys4]

multiple coats of boiled linseed oil worked with steel wool between coats gave me the muted finish I think you are going for



Same finish on these grips. Pardon the storage grease.

 

[3Crows]

multiple coats of boiled linseed oil worked with steel wool between coats gave me the muted finish I think you are going for

View attachment 1126385

Same finish on these grips. Pardon the storage grease.

View attachment 1126388

I like those. I can still see and (could) feel the grain of the wood, I like that. It does look right!

 

[silicosys4]

I like those. I can still see and (could) feel the grain of the wood, I like that. It does look right!

Yup, I have a browning BL-22 with that super glossy thick urethane or whatever browning uses. It looks OK and really highlights the grain, but it feels like plastic. On the other hand you have some of the matte finishes that Marlin uses that have so little gloss that it feels good in the hand but completely obfuscates whatever grain structure might be there.They probably do that because there isn't any.

The linseed oil and steel wool is a good middle ground between a finish that feels natural, almost organic, and a glossy finish that highlights the grain but feels off.

 

[3Crows]

Just reading a bunch of www stuff today it is apparent that most want to "fill the grain" and most all (but not all) OE finishes including infamous MarShield do not fill the grain. LOL, , whatever brown shoe polish and (catalyzed) varnish Marlin used, I sort of like it so I am probably weird not wanting a thick and glossy finish.

 

[silicosys4]

Just reading a bunch of www stuff today it is apparent that most want to "fill the grain" and most all (but not all) OE finishes including infamous MarShield do not fill the grain. LOL, , whatever brown shoe polish and (catalyzed) varnish Marlin used, I sort of like it so I am probably weird not wanting a thick and glossy finish.

well, if you are looking to leave the grain structure intact without a glassy smooth finish, think about skipping the steel wool between coats. I did it to preserve the stock of the rifle because after 130 years of neglect it had dried out and all that grain structure had started to open up. Working the wood with steel wool while its still wet with oil creates a slurry of fine oil soaked sawdust that works into the grain structure of the wood and helps fill in and seal up all those gaps before they turn into cracks.

You can just as easily wipe it on and work it in with a cloth instead of steel wool, wipe it down, let it dry, and repeat.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

Not necessarily. I've buffed the glossy Tru-Oil finish with a fine Scotch-Brite pad for a satin matte finish on a few occasions. It works a treat.

Ditto. I start with a rubdown with fine steel wool, then switch to a coarse shop towel to help remove any fibers.

The handguards on this Garand are an example. When this replacement stock arrived from Sarco, the buttstock had an oil finish and the handguards were bare wood. I gave the latter about 6-7 coats of Tru-Oil (no sealer or stain) and then used steel wool to remove the sheen. If anything, the guards are duller than the buttstock.

 

[3Crows]

One of my challenges here is that if you notice in the pic the aft end of the butt stock is as if cut from a branch intersection. There is a lot of what I would call end grain that sucks up the Tru-oil and remains flat while the remainder of the stock begins to build thickness. This morning I put on another coat of Tru-oil after using steel wool lightly dry and then worked it (barely) wet with the steel wool and additional Tru-oil. I have to fill the pores in the rear of the butt stock so I can get an even matte sheen with no build thickness. Arrrggghhh.

 

[hq]

Ditto. I start with a rubdown with fine steel wool, then switch to a coarse shop towel to help remove any fibers.

I avoid steel wool. The fibers and strands stick to Tru-Oil and it's a real PITA to get rid of them afterwards. #600...1000 emery cloth works great, sometimes I even use it for the first three or four applications of oil. Starting with a tung oil soak for a few hours, wiping it extra clean with white spirit, let it dry a bit and start applying layers of Tru-Oil sanding it wet very lightly every time as you go. Here's the resurrection of a very battered Stoeger M2000 stock as an example. (Yes, it also went into a dishwasher and dried for several days before I started applying oil )

 

[3Crows]

@hq, that is a nice job on that stock and it looks appropriate on that shotgun. Way more gloss than I want on my 39A. I am trying to get close to the original finish as best as my memory from 50 years ago allows to recall (but a little darker). It was not a glossy or shiny finish, but very matte and at most a gentle sheen that would barely reflect light.

I think I am making progress .

Thanks for the tip on the steel wool, I know it is controversial, one of the guitar forums had a melt down over it and something to do with magnetic pickups. Beats me, I like my rock and roll on an LP .

 

[hq]

It was not a glossy or shiny finish, but very matte and at most a gentle sheen that would barely reflect light.

Finish it normally and buff away the gloss with Scotch-Brite. You can leave it satin or go for full matte, depending on how coarse pad you use and how long you buff it.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

I avoid steel wool. The fibers and strands stick to Tru-Oil and it's a real PITA to get rid of them afterwards.

Nice work! Can't argue with your results.

My experience is that the fiber problem depends on how open you leave the grain and which direction you rub. I put down all of my finish layers first with a fine wet sanding between and then finish by rubbing in circles rather than with the grain using 0000.

I also do the bit about raising and knocking down the grain, by wetting the wood surface and fine sanding about three times (and then drying thoroughly!) before applying finish.

BTW, have you tried 3M synthetic steel wool pads? A couple steps up from Scotchbrite, but otherwise fairly similar. I usually go one grade finer than actual steel wool, as new pads seem to cut a bit more aggressively.

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b00051157/

 

[GooseGestapo]

I’ve had real good results with Danish Oil.
It contains a stain and results in the hand rubbed finish you desire.

I recommend coating with a 4-OOOO steel wool pad. Then let sit over night. Next day rub a light coat on with your fingers, then lightly rub with 400-600grit wet-dry sand paper.

Repeat till you have filled the grain and have a smooth finish.
My preferred stain is dark walnut.

My M39-D
More fun than shooting an AR !

 

[dfariswheel]

Be careful applying other types of finish over Tru-Oil..... some are not compatible and may make a mess. Test first.

 

[3Crows]

Here it is thus far. It is not as shiny as it appears. I have to let it dry for a few more days before I can knock the sheen down some more. I buffed it with a cotton cloth and it really looks very close to the way I remember it except darker. This rifle always was kind of light even before Pop (my grandfather) refinished it. I applied Birchwood Casey walnut stain diluted 50% with water for the first application post stripping and then two more applications straight from the bottle. Followed by four applications of Tru-oil burnished in with my fingers and palm.

Before:



After:



And the Marlin Bullseye is properly white and black now, not yellow and brown . And the bullseye will stay that way because I masked it off. I am hopeful after I knock the finish down a little it will be very original looking appearance save for being darker. After I knock it down I can either leave it be or overspray with oil based crystal clear satin poly. I am now thinking to just leave it be.

 

[Shanghai McCoy]

Looks good, nice work.