springfield m1a stock finish question

[greyling22]

My buddy wants to refinish his '90s era springfield m1a. I was going to loan him my BLO and let him put a jillion coats on it, but before we started I wanted to know if anybody had any idea what springfield put on their guns originally that is coming off? Is that some sort of stain/surface finish? Should it come right off with a little chemical stripper and a light sanding?

to be clear, this is a question about stripping and prep, not how to do a blo finish.

 

[Kp321]

The stock is birch or some other hardwood that does not stain well. The original finish was a stain/varnish combo that is now flaking and showing the light birch wood. BLO will not help any. The stock needs to be stripped with a chemical stripper and stained with a water based stain or dye then varnished. I bought a walnut stock for mine from Fred. Numrich also has them from time to time. Walnut and BLO are what that rifle needs, IMHO.

 

[greyling22]

sorry, but no. It is walnut. The grain is too open, the natural wood is too dark, and I have the advantage of having seen the whole stock. Also I called springfield with the serial number just to double check, and it has the "gi collector" stock on it, which is walnut.

 

[hoghunting]

The finish doesn't look very thick, betting it will come off with lacquer thinner rubbed with a rag. When you're finished with the rag, don't throw it in the trash can, lay it out on the driveway and let it dry or it could start a fire.

 

[greyling22]

laquer thinner is a good idea. no need to get carried away and use too strong a chemical fright from the get go.

 

[HCP Gunsmithing]

Lacquer thinner may work but it will be hard to get the stock evenly done before starting to apply the new finish. It may thin the finish and let it soak into the places on the stock in the spots were the grain is more open. Every time I have tried to strip a stock like that I end up having to sand it out evenly. I usually just sand it with 220 grit and finish from there.

If I'm off base and the thinner does work really well let me know. I'm always looking for new ways to work on stock finishes.

 

[Maj Dad]

Formby's Furniture Refinisher

It's one of my standard items on the wood work shelf. It's a thinner/stripper that often will leave an entirely acceptable finish as-is. But you can always add stain or whatever finish you choose - BLO, Tung Oil, Min-Wax, Danish Oil, etc etc.