joeyclimbing
Regular
- Location
- Vancouver Island
I have a beretta 686. I like the gun except for the wood, which is finished in shiny lacquer. Is it possible to strip and refinish the wood with oil?
Conversion to oil finish
- Thread starter joeyclimbing
- Start date
Falconflyer
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Absolutely, strip it, sand it and don't round off the edges then apply oil. A lot of people like Tru oil but I find it's a bit shiney for my liking.
thats because its a whiping varnish. You can dull it after with wet/dry paper or waxing it.
I prefer Poly. tung oil followed by matte poly.
Falconflyer
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
I think you mean "wiping" varnish but I'm not sure that Tru oil is defined as varnish since it's boiled linseed oil with some solvents and hardeners.
joeyclimbing
Regular
- Location
- Vancouver Island
For the stripping process, would any paint/varnish stripper do the job without earing jnto the chequering?
Circa 1850 is what I use for stripping stocks.
Remove the stock from the gun and remove the piece that holds your forearm on the gun (Iron). Use the 1850 stripper as suggested and a toothbrush for the checkered areas. If you sand be sure to follow the grain of the wood. I have used tru oil with great results and it will become shiny as it builds with multiple coats. You can use wax as suggested or really fine 4 0 steel wool. Be patient and read the instructions of the products. Good luck.
Over the past year or two, paint and varnish stripper products have been prohibited from using methylene chloride (MC) in their formulations. The old formulations containing MC, including Circa 1850, worked as described above. The new formulations not containing MC, including Circa 1850, don't work worth a crap. My first project after the new products hit the shelves looked to be coming off the rails until I found a small stash of the old Circa 1850.
The new products are hard to work with because they dry faster than they break down the old finish. You need to use thick coats and protect them from drying. I used 1/4" thick of the stuff, held in contact with the wood surface by reams of paper towels and sealed in cellophane. Even immersed in the new stuff for half an hour, it didn't remove the finish evenly or completely. The biggest areas of poor results were the fore end and the checkering. Repeated applications and lots of scrubbing might eventually get the job done, but I wouldn't want to find out.
I have done numerous stock refinishes using the old strippers. I wish I could tell you if a viable replacement will emerge and when.
The new products are hard to work with because they dry faster than they break down the old finish. You need to use thick coats and protect them from drying. I used 1/4" thick of the stuff, held in contact with the wood surface by reams of paper towels and sealed in cellophane. Even immersed in the new stuff for half an hour, it didn't remove the finish evenly or completely. The biggest areas of poor results were the fore end and the checkering. Repeated applications and lots of scrubbing might eventually get the job done, but I wouldn't want to find out.
I have done numerous stock refinishes using the old strippers. I wish I could tell you if a viable replacement will emerge and when.
1963beretta
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Vaughan, Ontario
Most jobs? I completely disagree
that's the difference between an amatuer and a professional.
A professional knows when he screws up, and knows how to fix it.
An amateur is convinced that everything he does is great, even if it's a complete mess.
I disagree also. Been refinishing gun stocks all my life..we'll.. nearly 50 yrs of it. Don't consider myself a professional by any means...but when I get into something..I go all in and make it a point to be good at it.
My Browning 425 was in need of a good makeover. So I stripped it with Circa 1850
Ironed out the dents..sanded down to 600 grit..run a couple coats of min-wax mahogany stain over it,
then started my Tru Oil regiment. 17 coats on the fore end 20 coats on the stock . Pretty pleased with it !
Ironed out the dents..sanded down to 600 grit..run a couple coats of min-wax mahogany stain over it,
then started my Tru Oil regiment. 17 coats on the fore end 20 coats on the stock . Pretty pleased with it !
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Few more of the finished product. Got the same plans for my 625 this winter...even nicer wood !!
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even if you are a slow learner, in 50 years you might have picked up a few skills
