Refinishing a Garand Birch Stock

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x westie

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I want to refinish my H&R M1 Garand stock, ..its a Birch stock and im looking for advice on what to do...do i need to stain it first..and if so what sort of stain i should use...then use either BLO or Tung Oil.

Thanks for your help guys:dancingbanana:
 
Use Tung Oil. Lee Valley sells sealer tung oil which is very thin and soaks into the wood. Use sparingly and it sets up overnight. Takes 4 or 5 applications. You can top coat with with their Tung Oil final finish however I find it too glossy for military applications. Any oil based stain can be after the first and final coats. If there good strong cartouches on the stock, pls don't sand. If a lttle rough, use 0000 steel wool in between coats. Take your time and you'll end up with a real good job.
 
A real Garand stock is done in BLO. I just redid mine, and it turned out great.

If the stock is kinda a beater, and you're looking to get rid of a lot of dings and dents - a cycle through the dishwasher gets it done! :)
 
rgg_7 said:
Use Tung Oil. Lee Valley sells sealer tung oil which is very thin and soaks into the wood. Use sparingly and it sets up overnight. Takes 4 or 5 applications. You can top coat with with their Tung Oil final finish however I find it too glossy for military applications. Any oil based stain can be after the first and final coats. If there good strong cartouches on the stock, pls don't sand. If a lttle rough, use 0000 steel wool in between coats. Take your time and you'll end up with a real good job.
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X2 on the Polymerized tung oil from Lee Valley,excellent product.
 
Light Infantry said:
Not true. Tung oil was adopted in late 1941.
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Source?

AFAIK, BLO was the approved finish for Garands throughout the war except for a while when RLO was used.

If the US Military switched to Tung oil, it would have been after WW2 since tung oil comes from Asia and linseed oil was available domestically ;)
 
Claven2 said:
Source?

AFAIK, BLO was the approved finish for Garands throughout the war except for a while when RLO was used.

If the US Military switched to Tung oil, it would have been after WW2 since tung oil comes from Asia and linseed oil was available domestically ;)
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Scott Duff good enough for you?!:D
 
Ok, now you've gone and done it. I had to go pull my books out.

The M1 Garand: World War II, Scott A. Duff.

Apparently it wasn't even BLO that was used but raw linseed oil.;)

To quote a section found on page 77:

"Through the combined efforts of Springfield Armory and the Pratt & Lambert Company of Buffalo, New York, a substitute for the raw linseed oil used to finish M1 stocks and hand guards was developed. Wood finished with linseed oil had a tendency to smoke and sweat during prolonged periods of firing. a China-wood oil (Tung Oil) compound was developed in early 1941. One thousand rifles were assembled with stocks and hand guards treated with this finish and sent to the army for field testing. This treatment was deemed an improvement and adopted as standard in late 1941."
 
Light Infantry said:
Ok, now you've gone and done it. I had to go pull my books out.

The M1 Garand: World War II, Scott A. Duff.

Apparently it wasn't even BLO that was used but raw linseed oil.;)

To quote a section found on page 77:

"Through the combined efforts of Springfield Armory and the Pratt & Lambert Company of Buffalo, New York, a substitute for the raw linseed oil used to finish M1 stocks and hand guards was developed. Wood finished with linseed oil had a tendency to smoke and sweat during prolonged periods of firing. a China-wood oil (Tung Oil) compound was developed in early 1941. One thousand rifles were assembled with stocks and hand guards treated with this finish and sent to the army for field testing. This treatment was deemed an improvement and adopted as standard in late 1941."
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The smoking part is the truth. I used RLO on my 98k Israeli as the stock and the hand guard was darn dry! I put several coats on it and it came out beautiful. I haven't done another application in quite but I can almost bet you that the handguard will smoke and beads of sweat will appear on the upper after several rounds. Kind of neat really.
 
Winchester-1897 said:
The smoking part is the truth. I used RLO on my 98k Israeli as the stock and the hand guard was darn dry! I put several coats on it and it came out beautiful. I haven't done another application in quite but I can almost bet you that the handguard will smoke and beads of sweat will appear on the upper after several rounds. Kind of neat really.
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It would be an interesting sight to see the smoke like that!:)

Then you can turn around and say to the newbie: "too bad i only brought a thousand rounds to shoot today!":D
 
Claven2 said:
LOL... go check it.

EDIT: Oops, just saw you did ;)

That being said, several other references contradict that one, including:

Thompson's Complete M1 and the CMP website, for starters...
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I will believe Scott Duff on Garand's long before a whole bunch of others.

He makes mention of Tung oil in a number of spots in his book, so it just isn't just a single comment that could have slipped past his research.
 
Light Infantry said:
It would be an interesting sight to see the smoke like that!:)

Then you can turn around and say to the newbie: "too bad i only brought a thousand rounds to shoot today!":D
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Actually that is quite true about handguards smoking when firing continuously..in the book "U.S.Small Arms in Combat" ..a Korean War veteran wrote that when attacked by thousands of Chinese his M1 handguards were actually on fire a few times..the next moring after the attack the rear handguard was gone..the front handguard looked like a piece of charcol..and the front of the stock was completely burned away.!..yet his rifle fired all night..

The M1 rifle is rated very highly in this book by all the veterans who wrote in .

This book is a must read for all Milsurp fans...lots of good stories on all U,S small arms....M1 rifle.. M1 and M2 carbine....45 auto pistol..Tommy gun..BAR..M3 grease gun..Browning .30 and .50 cal mg..grenades..rocket launchers
 
Claven2 said:
LOL... go check it.

EDIT: Oops, just saw you did ;)

That being said, several other references contradict that one, including:

Thompson's Complete M1 and the CMP website, for starters...
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I went to the CMP website and they listed a very good article on wood stocks.

http://www.odcmp.com/Services/Rifles/wood_cleaning_article.htm

I copied a section over form the website. CMP does not really contradict Duff's statements. Although Duff mentions LO, CMP does mention BLO. Both, though state that they did switch over to BTO. In fact, CMP states it was "believed" as to what was used originally, so they are not even sure. One thing I learned is that there is TO and BTO. Never knew of BTO!


"Nature of Original USGI Wood Finishes

From the Trapdoor Springfield 45/70 era through the end of the M-14 era, the essential nature of manufacturer applied wood finishes included linseed oil, tung oil, boiled linseed oil, and what might be called boiled tung oil. While used by the Armed Forces of the United States, the rifles were usually cleaned and protected by the soldiers, sailors, and Marines using boiled linseed oil.

As to the M1 Garand Rifle, it is believed that the original manufacturer’s finish utilized boiled linseed oil into which the stocks were dipped and then dried. Subsequently, what might be called boiled tung oil was used instead. The boiled tung oil was a mixture of real tung oil, a carrier or solvent such as mineral spirits or turpentine, and driers similar to those added to boiled linseed oil to help cure the oil.

2. Why USGI Walnut Takes On the “Springfield Arsenal Red” Color

M1 Garand USGI wood was finished with boiled linseed oil at the beginning of manufacture and then with boiled tung oil later into the manufacturing era. Green can issue BLO was added on purpose along with dust, dirt, body oils, other petroleum oils and lubricants, Mil-Spec firearms lubricants and greases and rust preventatives. Plenty of the fluids got onto the wood. Dust and dirt tended to soak up a lot of oil coming out of the wood. Handling and field conditions got rid of the excess, if any. Periodic additions of well rubbed in BLO actually cleaned the dry dirt away and lightly re-oiled the wood."
 
"...tung oil comes from Asia..." And South America and some parts of the Southern U.S.
"...need to stain it first..and if so what sort of stain I should use..." Always stain first. Birch does take stain fairly well. Any wood stain will do.
"...BLO or Tung Oil..." Both oils will protect the wood. Both only need a bit more oil applied in the event you scratch the stock. Use a clean lint free cloth to apply either and properly dispose of the cloth. Especially if you opt for BLO. BLO soaked rags can spontaneuosly combust.
BLO gives a flat finish and is not waterproof. Takes less time to apply. Several light coats with drying time. Do not use plain linseed oil. It doesn't dry.
Pure tung oil, properly rubbed in, gives a hard, waterproof, shiney finish. The more coats you rub in, the shinier it will be. It gets applied in several light coats with 24 hours drying time between coats. Do not use a Tung Oil Finish. It's not the same.
"...handguards smoking..." 40 rounds, rapid, did that with C1A1's too. Guaranteed after a 'Mad Minute'. Never managed to get an actual flame though. No matter how much we tried. Some forestocks got fairly heaily charred on the inside. Throws a new shooter off when his rifle was smoking after two mags.
 
get a sray bottle and fill it with 2/3 ammonia 1/3 water and spray your stock. All the dirt and old finish will come off. Rinse in hot water and let dry for about 2 days. Then use marine grade linseed oil and coat to desired finish. Imperial War Museum tip.....
 
Strip with Minwax Antique refinisher and laquer thinner to remove old finish and oil.Rub these products on the stock with a synthetic sanding pad. Avoid soaking in water -dishwasher,bathtub,etc. Excess water is destructive to wood.

Steam out dents or dings and/or fill with a mixture of Elmer's carpenters glue and sanding dust from the stock about the consistency of peanut butter.Allow 3 days to dry,then sand or file down to level of the stock. Minor gouges can also be eliminated by filing down the surrounding area.The stock can be lightly sanded and scraped down with a sharp steel to eliminate irregularities.Avoid removing stampings/markings and do not reduce areas of wood/metal fit.

Stain to taste with an alcohol based stain.Fiebings leather stain,medium brown is good. The stock filling mixture will also accept the stain.Birch accepts this stain well and will yield a mottled,somewhat red appearance.

Apply one coat Minwax 209 clear stain to bring out the contrast in colors. After 2 days apply Minwax Tung Oil Finish -2 successive coats 24 hrs apart normally works out fine.When applying these products do not let them dry and build up on the surface.You want them IN the wood,not ON the wood. Wipe them off with a rag 7-10 mins after application.The end result will be a durable,re-treatable,low sheen finish. Soak and dispose of rags to avoid spontaneous combustion.
 
"...tung oil comes from Asia..." Domestic U.S. tung trees are grown in Southern States and were planted long before W.W. II.
If you opt for tung oil(a hard waterproof finish) any stain must be put on before you apply any tung oil. The oil will keep any stain out after the first appication.
 
I know this is an old thread, but I thought I would add my two cents as a certified milsurp restorer!

Firstly, I don't think your stock is Birch, but rather Beech. Someone could correct me on this but I find it highly suspect.

Secondly, if the stock is milsurp and has been used it will have very dark spots on it that will likely never lighten up unless you sand the bejesus out of them which is undesirable. What you should do after your light sanding is stain it with Minwax Ebony. This will bring the wood into color conformity with the very darkest area and give it a vintage oxidized look. Then finish with several coats of Lee Valley tung oil or their Tried and True blend of Linseed and Beeswax.
 
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