What to use to shine up a stock?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Beak50

Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2011
Messages
257
Location
Harrisville P.A.
I'm thinking of "Shining up " the stock on my old turk Mauser for something to do.More of a learning experience then anything.This past weekend at the Flea market a guy told me to use car wax,is that really feasible or would a polyurathene spray be better or is there anything out there made for this purpose.I ordered a 2-7 power scope from sportsmans guide for it.And I paid peanuts for both I would just like to do something now that my pain is under control.
 
clean it real good, scuff it with grey scotch brite and spray your polyurathane on it. Light coats work best and give it time to flash between coats. If you get a run, don't fret, just sand and buff for a glass like finish.
 
Birchwood-Casey Tru Oil stock finish.

Just follow the directions on the bottle.

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/326934/birchwood-casey-tru-oil-gunstock-finish-3-oz-liquid

You might find it at Walmart, or any sporting goods store that sells shooting supplies.

Once you get the depth of finish you want, rub it out with automotive clear-coat rubbing compound.
But be sure and wear your sunglasses or the shine will blind you!!

IMO: Polyurethane spray is about the worse possible thing you could put on top of the old military finish.

rc
 
I use an old traditional wood finish that is a pretty simple combo for old military wood. It perks up wood without doing any harm to it. 1 part boiled linseed, one part turpentine, one part beeswax.

Usually I steam out any bad dents with an iron and an old sock. Let dry. Go over the wood with a piece of smoothed antler to reset any fibers that were loosened by the ironing. Then apply the above mixture to the wood. Let dry to the touch and buff with another old sock. Repeat as neccesary.

Anything with true collectors value I leave alone. ;)
 
I agree with rcmodel as to the Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil. I believe it is linseed oil based and when done correctly using time and patience yields a beautiful stock. It does take time patience and work.

Another process I used on old military surplus stocks was to clean them using TSP (Tri Sodium Phosphate) available in just about any home improvement store. Toss a few containers of the stuff (It comes as a powder) in a deep sink with scalding hot water. Let the stocks sit overnight. When dry the wood will appear a gray color. Gently sand, stain and finish with the Tru-Oil.

Minor dings and dents can be raised with a steam iron.

Ron
 
Depends on the original finish.

If all it ever saw was wood oil, then that's all you should use. If it was finished using a varnish or polyurathane, then that's what you should use, respectively.

But be careful...you said "shine" up the stock, not "re-finish". To me, these are two entirely different levels of work and effort.

Shine up, to me, means "clean and polish". This means clean all dirt/debris off the stock and, essentially, buff it. You can buff by hand or with a buffer, either way. For an oiled stock finish, you can re-oil and buff.

Refinish is entirely different. This involves smooth-sanding the stock down, usually to the wood, to remove at least any excess or damaged finish. Personally, I'm of the opinion that if you re-finish, you should take the time to smooth-sand the entire stock because you'll likely want to re-stain the wood...or otherwise sand it until you get a uniform wood finish by removing all the existing finish.

Staining does a couple things: it gives the wood a color you like and it brings out the wood grain, both of which enhance the appearance. Oil based stains also add an extra layer of moisture protection to the wood.

The stock should then be re-finished using THIN coats of finish. A minimum of three coats, allowing plenty of time between coats for the finish to dry/cure (read the instructions for the finish you are using) and lightly sand between coats using a really fine sand paper. 400 to 600 grit is good for this. Just prior to the final finish coat, use 0000 steel wool.

The quality of your final finish is entirely dependent on your cleanliness and preparations which take place during the entire process, so don't skimp on this if refinishing is the route you decide to take.

The finish coats do a couple important things, too: they seal the wood against moisture and other contaminants, which protects the wood. They also enhance the appearance of the wood, as well.

I suspect, based on your question, that all you really want to do is clean it up and buff it out a little bit. Either way you go, however, do a little research online about this. There are a lot of products out there for this, for oil finished, varnished, and polyurathaned stocks. Choose a method and product which suits the existing finish on your gun, especially if you're just looking to maintain the original finish and just clean and buff it up. A complete refinish you could pretty much choose whatever you want to use and it wouldn't matter.

Which ever way, have fun with the project. There is great satisfaction in such a job when it's well done.

:):)

EDIT:

I'm not a big fan of "waxing" stocks, especially older stocks with original oil finish. It may look good, but it's kind of an apostasy to me to "violate" an original, possibly antique, finish by slathering on coats of wax. I'm more of a "restoration" kinda guy. Either restore/repair the original finish, or refinish it entirely by some method commensurate with the period methods in which it was originally built.

But that's me.
 
Last edited:
DO NOT use polyurethane...unless you want to completely refinish the stock and bubba it up.

Casey's as suggested or Tung Oil...many old military stocks, particularly the reddish ones, were Tung Oil finishes.
 
Thanks,I think I'm gonna go with a combo of Sanding it per Retiredusnchief and RCmodel.If I can ever get my wife to show me put photo's on the web I'll post them thank's alot.
 
An excellent choice to go with rcmodel!

I was going to type out a bunch of basic instructions on how to go about getting an awesome final finish, but through the miracle of modern technology (read: google), I found several good links which already do this. What a time saver!

Here's one such link...you can find more yourself:

http://www.outdoorlife.com/articles/jim-carmichel/2007/09/refinish-your-rifles-stock

Remember that the quality of your final finish is at least 90% dependent on the quality of all your preparation work before you even start to apply the Tru-Oil...sanding, staining, cleanliness, etc. When you start applyint the Tru-Oil, it's all pretty much just elbow grease in working it in and polishing it with lots of loving care with each coat you apply.

If you pay attention to the details like this from start to finish, when you sit back and look at the final product you'll say "HOLY COW! That's a kick-*ss finish!"

Good luck, and have fun! And post the results when you're done.

:):)

EDIT:

Take a look at the sanding tips in this link before you start:

http://www.doublegunshop.com/phiatt3.htm
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top