Chu wood...Pretty?

[jackenape]

So for kicks I decided to strip down and refinish my Norinco stock, mainly for practice before I attack a couple other rifles. I degreased it fully and it was very pale and dry after. Good, I thought, so I started to sand it smooth, and noticed it got darker, and the paper was gumming up. More oil below the nice surface I just worked on. Great...

Angry, I sanded with an 80 grit to get all the gummy, oily wood out of the surface of the stock. When I was through to dry wood, I switched to 180, and then to 220 to finish. I then applied several (8?) coats of Tru-Oil over the next few days, and was pleasantly surprised and how nice the grain looked. The right side of the stock has lots of dark vertical lines, which look pretty cool.

Now, I know the stock is still soft, but for my plinking purposes, I think it looks much better than that dull, dark finish they come soaked with.

The first pic shows the colour as close as I could. Kind of like a straw colour. I wish I had some sort of light box to capture the pics better, but these will do.

Anyone else refinish their stock this way?

 

[gnmontey]

Pics of the whole stock including both sides please!

 

[Kodiak Outpost]

I think your stock looks good.

I refinished a chu sks stock a couple years ago. It turned out pretty well. I'll eventually refinish my m14 stock too (just for fun), but I think I'll do it in a matte finish.

More pictures in this thread: http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61994

 

[jackenape]

Pics of the whole stock including both sides please!

I'll try, but I only have a cheapie camera, and only my belly as a tripod...

 

[jackenape]

As promised. I had to dink with the pics a bit, the background is snow.

Here are a couple more a bit closer. The second pic shows the vertical black flecks.

 

[rivetc78]

nothing wrong with that...looks nice.

 

[Jimbobob08]

Awesome turn out.. I'm not sure what exactly i'll do with my M14s stock I've ran it in the dishwasher 3-4 times and it turned out nice and light, after sitting overnight it was dark again and there's more oil in the wood

 

[jackenape]

..after sitting overnight it was dark again and there's more oil in the wood

Yeah, I had that problem too and it was getting me frustrated. I kept spot degreasing until the whole thing was dry and no more seepage. That's when I went out to sand, and only sanded off the very top dry layer, finding more gooey wood underneath. Hence the 80 grit attack....

 

[jackenape]

Thanks for the good words. It was my first time

 

[gnmontey]

Thanks for the good words. It was my first time

Gives me second thoughts about having done this

 

[.30/06 FTW]

I'm refinishing my chu wood stock with Tung Oil. It looks good so far, but needs more coats. It's amazing how good they can look with some hard work. Yours look good. Hopefully mine will turn out as good.

 

[paulz]

Anybody thought about trying some marine epoxy on a chu wood stock to harden it up? Lee Valley Tools has some two part clear epoxy for wooden boats ands such. I though tabout it, but ended up with a Boyds stock instead.

 

[reddawn]

I like it.

I think I'll do the same and oil it. I was going to replace my stock and go synthetic, but I really like. Nice job jack.

 

[H2O MAN]

Anyone else refinish their stock this way?

Yes, but not to the extent that have - that looks great!
Now that I've seen your stock I will degrease, sand and oil mine again soon.

 

[berger]

That stock looks great! Amazing how different the Chu wood looks....makes me think there isn't a singular Chu tree after all....

This is mine, after 2 dishwasher cycles and 4 coats of BLO:

 

[pitdogboy]

Looks great! 100x better

 

[toxic]

Started sanding. Before and sort of after picture since I've only gotten to the rough sanding so far...

 

[king66]

toxic, is that just from sanding? i have or rather had 2 norc m14's one stock was rather light like the old fn furniture. the other was almost black. was going to try that whiting stuff, or circa stripper. any one try that circa? whiting is good but takes for ever, but the end product is marvelous.

 

[jackenape]

Gives me second thoughts about having done this

Don't feel bad. I was going to coat mine in bed liner I decided at the last minute to go the hard route (which at the time I thought the stock would be junked afterwards anyways) because I have a couple rifles with nice wood that I need to refinish. Figured the Norc stock would be good practice.

Amazing how different the Chu wood looks....makes me think there isn't a singular Chu tree after all....

That's what I find unusual as well. Toxic's stock seems to have a gain pattern like mine (straight grain, looks like wood that's been layered and glued), whereas yours looks like a solid piece of wood, with no real grain pattern. I wonder if there is more than one type of wood being used.

 

[robbcart]

I refinished the stock on my Chinese SKS as well. Sold the gun recently so no pictures available. Anyway the method I used to strip the stock was Easy Off oven cleaner. Spray it on ,leave 10 minutes then rinse with the garden hose. Repeat once. Then start sanding after 24 hours drying. The Easy Off seems to draw the oil out as well as strip the shellac or whatever. Found this idea on a surplus rifles site. I have also done a Lee Enfield this way with good results.