Stock refinishing

[fireman610]

Hey all I have a Savage MKII BV 22LR Long story short it was at he range and it fell off a concrete shooting table to the concrete floor marring the stock barrel and thrashing the scope Luckily Rich at Mueller Optics is going to take a look at it and see what can be done wether its trashed or fixable trashed hes going to make me a good deal on a new scope fixable well it'll get fixed Anyone got any tips on how to fix up the stock its all minor cosmetic but while I'm at i figured i would take it form its walnut stain to a darker stain and make it look a lil more tactical any hints tips advice

 

[LJH]

How bad is the damage to the stock, is the wood cracked, chiped, dented, or just scrached?

 

[fireman610]

dented scratched and a couple minor chips

 

[blackthorn762]

Since you are planning to refinish the stock anyway, removing the dents and scratches will be relatively easy. Here is how I have done it in the past with very good success.

Once the finish is removed, take a very damp, but NOT dripping, piece of thick cloth - a baby diaper or something similar works well - and place it over the dent. Place an iron that has been set to high (steam) so that it just covers the dent or scratch and press down lightly so the steam is forced into the wood. This will cause the wood to swell just in that spot and raise the dent. You might have to do this more than once. When you can't see the dent / scratch anymore or, at least see that it is very shallow, allow the wood to dry for several hours - overnight is preferable - and then lightly sand around the area to even everything out. Depending on how deep the scratches are, they may not raise all the way out so you will have to decide how much sanding you are going to want to do and still maintain the original shape of the stock.

Regarding the chips, I would suggest looking at Brownell's site - this link will take you directly to their stock repair area - (http://www.brownells.com/aspx/ns/store/catsearch.aspx?c=1479&p=4812). You can also call their Tech Support line, I have found them to VERY helpful when I have been faced with a repair I have not yet had experience with.

Hope this helps,

--Mike

 

[LJH]

Exactly what blackthorn said, let me just add that the steam will ruin an oil finish very quickly. You will defiantly need to refinish the wood. But removing the dents will be worth your efforts.