Refinished SVT-40

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mdmaroon

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Hey y'all... I picked up a Lever Arms SVT-40 a couple weeks ago. It's a 1941 refurb.

I stripped all the original shellac off, since it was damaged by cosmoline, and refinished it with nothing but dark garnet shellac. I used the French polish technique where you apply the shellac using a small pad and oil to lubricate it (I used olive oil).

The result:




 
RMXC51 said:
Tula or izhevsk? You do know that Tula was under siege in 1941 and those guns have a ton of history.
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It's a mish-mash of early and late parts. Only the receiver is 1941 Tula.

The stock seemed to have been taken to a belt sander as part of the refurb process and there are no cartouches. If it had any history they pretty much destroyed it then.

I wouldn't do this to a non-refurb one!
 
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Brendan10 said:
Why did you cover the stock in cosmoline after doing all that work?, doesn't make sense,
are you planning on storing it for a long, long time?
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There's no Cosmoline on it. Every piece was disassembled and cleaned. The stock is shiny because of the shellac.

Color is perfect! Where did you get the shellac?
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I got the shellac from Woodessence.com. I started with dry flakes and used 99.9% methanol as a solvent.

Were you planning to shoot with it? Is it functional?
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Yes, I will shoot it. It seems to be in good condition, mechanically.
 
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I recently refinished the stock on my '44 Tula

Refinished1944SVT-40_zps4996cafd.jpg


It was beat to hell when I got it and since I have no intention of ever separating with it I figured I'd do it. I stripped the purple off the bolt as well. Looks much better in it's original silver. I was going for a nice soft looking finish and I think I got the job done.

Yes, I know, history buffs and collectors hate this but, this rifle's mine and it's not going anywhere but into my will for my future descendants.

Used white vinegar, tupperware and an sold sock to strip the purple off the bolt and bolt carrier, just be sure to get it all off after or it'll rust up. Followed up with a solid polishing and it looks great!
 
NintendoDuckHunt87 said:
I recently refinished the stock on my '44 Tula

It was beat to hell when I got it and since I have no intention of ever separating with it I figured I'd do it. I stripped the purple off the bolt as well. Looks much better in it's original silver. I was going for a nice soft looking finish and I think I got the job done.

Yes, I know, history buffs and collectors hate this but, this rifle's mine and it's not going anywhere but into my will for my future descendants.

Used white vinegar, tupperware and an sold sock to strip the purple off the bolt and bolt carrier, just be sure to get it all off after or it'll rust up. Followed up with a solid polishing and it looks great!
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That one looks great. What kind of finish did you use? Looks like satin polyurethane maybe? I considered using something like that, but I wanted to go with shellac because I already had it, and it's the original type of finish.

I considered removing the bluing from the bolt, but didn't because mine is actually a very nice black, instead of the purple that is more common. Maybe it was left in the tank during vodka break! I do like the look of the original silver bolt carrier.... I'm still thinking about stripping it. Opinions?
 
I strip mine with CLR and wire brush (soaked in CLR for 1 min. and then it comes off like a dream)
After stripping-don't forget to wash it with detergent (any) to neutralize acid.
Then I polish it with the DREMEL to luster finish.
LOOKS BEAUTIFULL!!
 
mdmaroon said:
That one looks great. What kind of finish did you use? Looks like satin polyurethane maybe? I considered using something like that, but I wanted to go with shellac because I already had it, and it's the original type of finish.

I considered removing the bluing from the bolt, but didn't because mine is actually a very nice black, instead of the purple that is more common. Maybe it was left in the tank during vodka break! I do like the look of the original silver bolt carrier.... I'm still thinking about stripping it. Opinions?
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You are correct on the finish, straight from the spray-can at CT. Did several light coats while it hung from a roof rafter over the course of a week. The stain is "red mahogany" though I prefer to refer to it as "comrade red". I also sanded mine by hand over the course of another week. Many say not to but, I find a nicely done and unrushed hand sanding to be nicer over all.

I did the same with my SKS some time ago but, felt the finish came out too shiny for my liking. So I went with Satin rather than gloss this time around. Whole process from start to finish is about 2.5 weeks per stock, I like to take my time when attempting to make art.

Your call on the bolt carrier, personally I found it ridiculously easy to do and really like seeing that silver fly back and forth at the firing line.
 
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