MN, may I respectfully suggest that if you're going to take the time to do it, do it right.
The Soviets and their satellites used different methods and it has been suggested that the "reddish Shellac" was put on as a preservative rather than an issue finish. This is a quote from gunboards.
This was posted at russian forum, I tried to translate it as good as possible. This is quote from prewar production standarts. SVT stocks finish was the same, at least before autumn 1941.
- Drying stocks by two-year exposure, to a moisture content of 6-8% (absolute humidity).
- Polishing the outer surface of the stock before finishing, according to the samples.
- Soak stock with boiled linseed oil, or roast stock superficially (I can't find equalent to this word in English, roast have close meaning).
- Shellac 8 layers.
- Final polishing, according to the samples.
I can suppose that during wartime shellac finish can not be used at some stocks (as at the stock that I posted above)
But as I mention, I own prewar Izhevsk stock without shellac finish.
Last edited by Ratnik; 11-11-2013 at 04:59 AM.
This was Russian referenced, right? It makes sense. Google roasted wood, it is real, done to maple and birch. Leaves a brown toned durable finish similar to what has been presented here in the non shellac state. Wood is heated to 360-400F in the absence of oxygen. BLO finishing would appear as a varnish product. Pictures above even with flaking shellac show something similar underneath, not just white wood. A roasted stock would have color in the barrel channel. So, roasted or BLO, maybe both, maybe topped with shellac, in some instances not. Refurbs appear not to have been roasted.