Ruger .44 Carbine Refinish

12 coats huh?
Did you lightly sand it after each and every coat?
I have a custom shooter with a soft stock and every time I take it out
I manage to put another ding in it.
Those amounts of coats should really stiffen it up?

Great job ......... :cheers:
 
kamlooky said:
12 coats huh?
Did you lightly sand it after each and every coat?
I have a custom shooter with a soft stock and every time I take it out
I manage to put another ding in it.
Those amounts of coats should really stiffen it up?

Great job ......... :cheers:
Click to expand...

kamlooky - thanks. Yes, I sanded between each coat. The first 4 coats I simply used 0000 steel wool between coats. After that, I wet sanded (with water, not oil) with 600 grit for 3 coats. The next two coats I wet sanded with 1000 grit and the final two coats I sanded with 2000 grit to get it glass smooth. The final coat I diluted the Tru-oil with mineral spirits and put on a very thin coat - let that dry for 12 days and then I polished out any finger streaks from that final coat. Coating a long stock like this is not as easy as a two-piece stock (I've done a shotgun before with Tru Oil), as you need to coat it fast to prevent drips/bubbles or then streaking from hitting semi-dry oil. I'm not sure how hard the Tru-Oil is in preventing dings, but it sure will repel water now.
 
Well, on a range visit this little beast decided it didn't want to stay in the rack and down it went, denting the heck out of the left side and a little on top. I am not going to give this back like that, so I asked mrgoat to please send along pictures of his handy work in reshaping the pistol grip on this brick of a stock and he has given me the head nod to post these pictures of his labour - I personally think it is perfect for this carbine and I am going to try something similar.












 
That is a very nice job and as a person who has done more than a couple myself, may I be so bold as to give you a little tip?
The pictures don't show it very well but it appears as though you rounded the edges at the butt plate and a few other places. If this was unintentional it is easily solved next time by using a sanding block when working near the sharp edges on a stock. I made this mistake on my first few until an old gentleman showed me to use a good stiff sanding block when working near the edges. I hope you don't mind and I'm not trying to diminish the beautiful work you did, just passing along a tip that was given to me many years ago, on how to keep the edges sharp when refinishing a stock.
 
I have a couple of brand new in the box stocks from Boyds for a Browning Bar and a 30M1 Carbine. They look like they could use something before I install them. Not sure what to put on it. Or do folks just not do anything with them. I would describe them as nicely stained and a dull finish. Maybe a polish or ?
 
On the Boyds stocks I would highly suggest Schaftol (dark) oil. It will give a deep, pleasing satin finish. It takes quite a few coats (and a good week or two of final drying time) but the end result is worth it. The oil itself is non-toxic and can be applied with bare hands.
 
The Kurgan said:
On the Boyds stocks I would highly suggest Schaftol (dark) oil. It will give a deep, pleasing satin finish. It takes quite a few coats (and a good week or two of final drying time) but the end result is worth it. The oil itself is non-toxic and can be applied with bare hands.
Click to expand...

thank you very kindly! I do like a dark type finish with a bit of a satin finish. Where is my best bet to get the Schaftol oil? Do I need to sand or rub between coats? How many is "quite a few coats" approx.?
 
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