Finishing an SKS stock

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MisterJ

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I have a Russian SKS which is in pretty good condition apart from a couple of issues with the stock. Firstly there is a bit of a split in the wood under where the bayonet sits and I was wondering if it is a big deal or if it is a relatively easy fix. I'm thinking of trying wood glue and clamping it.

Secondly the stock looks like the original finish has been sanded off (on a belt sander by the looks of it). I'm not after restoring it to pristine condition but I would like to bring it back to looking as original as possible.

I'd like to know what the original process was that was used in the factory and what would be the closest thing to it that I can do at home.

Thanks
 
MisterJ said:
I have a Russian SKS which is in pretty good condition apart from a couple of issues with the stock. Firstly there is a bit of a split in the wood under where the bayonet sits and I was wondering if it is a big deal or if it is a relatively easy fix. I'm thinking of trying wood glue and clamping it.

Secondly the stock looks like the original finish has been sanded off (on a belt sander by the looks of it). I'm not after restoring it to pristine condition but I would like to bring it back to looking as original as possible.

I'd like to know what the original process was that was used in the factory and what would be the closest thing to it that I can do at home.

Thanks
Click to expand...

As far as I know it was a dye tinted shellac
 
personaly, The best way to refinish the stock is to heatthe stock up with a heat gun and draw all the cosmoline out... once its dry, give it a light sanding, then use a stain of your choice, then rub on clear coat.
 
The original finish is an Amber type shellac. It is generally a fairly shiny finish. Shellac was widely used on wooden stocked firearms like the Mosin Nagant, SKS, AK47 etc., by China, Russia, Romania and other countries, according to Google.

That being said, I have Chinese SKS rifles that were military issue, rather than the commercial grade rifles we mostly see and they both have some sort of dark brown oil finish on them.

The shellac finish wears off pretty quickly when used in the field from what I've seen. A lot of the first SKS rifles that first came into Canada didn't have Shellac finishes on them. Mostly because they had been used in the field, cleaned up, floated in Cosmoline and put into storgage, without being refinished.
 
sand it in stages to get rid of any rough sanding marks stepping the grit from coarse to fine. dont start too coarse, but go as fine as you can. then sand it with 0000 steel wool. a lot of elbow grease and youll have the wood looking good. prepping is the most important thing. for an original look follow the advice above with shellac.

for finishing, I always used boiled linseed oil and a bit of stain to taste. i usually a mixture of any shades i have on hand, until im happy. Oil is applied, dried, sanded with 0000 repeated a few times until I have a mild shine. some very fine sandpaper doesnt hirt either. like 1000. I found finishing it with a vigerous buff with a red shop rag really gives it a nice effect. thats what I do. not for a shiny original look but just ends up with a nice, tasteful, elegant finish. occasinally over time i add a coat of oil and give it a buff.
 
I have refinished an sks that was sanded when it was refurbished, I gave it 3-4 coats of amber shellac buffing between coats with 0000 steel wool and a final light buff with steel wool to take the shine down a notch. Turned out nice, I’ll see if I can find pics of it.
 
the crack will continue unless mitigated. show pics

generally if its a big crack drill a small hole at the end for a brass pin. degrease the wood drill the hole saving the shavings, mix with a slow bond strong glue that is clear or stock coloured and squirt it in the crack and on the pin in the hole. wrap it tight with rubber bands (i use hospital turniqets). wipe away excess... then sand if required and refinish with linseed, true oil or stain and laquer or true oil.....do multiple light layers buffing btw each layer. if you need more help i can post examples.


dollar store is where i get brass pins (im cheap). Buy a cheap brass picture hanging set...they often come with multiple little brass pins and screws to uselessly mount pictures on your walls...just use em as gun pins cutting them to size.
 
Where you’re is cracked must be a weak spot in the stock design as I had an sks that was bought years ago from milarm and it has an arsenal repair in this exact spot.
As far as refinishing goes I had a stock that looked like it was belt sanded and had no shellac on it except for on the very bottom and top edges
I just sanded it smooth with fine sandpaper and used tru oil on it and it looks decent enough
 
Thanks for all the info. Looks like I'll be buying a tin of amber shellac. I'll look into posting a picture of the crack. I don't have imgur or anything like that yet.
 
MisterJ said:
Thanks for all the info. Looks like I'll be buying a tin of amber shellac. I'll look into posting a picture of the crack. I don't have imgur or anything like that yet.
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A couple tips on working with shellac if you’ve never used it before, it dries very quick. I used a foam brush to avoid brush strokes, do multiple thin coats to avoid runs as it’s got a pretty thin consistency. Steel wool between coats and wipe down with a tack rag to remove and steel wool bits and dust, to get a nice smooth finish.

Good luck!
 
Butcherbill said:
A couple tips on working with shellac if you’ve never used it before, it dries very quick. I used a foam brush to avoid brush strokes, do multiple thin coats to avoid runs as it’s got a pretty thin consistency. Steel wool between coats and wipe down with a tack rag to remove and steel wool bits and dust, to get a nice smooth finish.

Good luck!
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Do you apply it straight from the tin or can you thin it down with some thinner or spirits?
 
Here is a No factory Norinco sks with a blade bayonet I did a few years back with bulls eye amber shellac from Home Hardware. I used food coloring to die the shellac but cannot remember the formula now. IMG_4890.jpgIMG_4891.jpg
 

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Oh man, that looks sweet too. Other things I'm now wondering about is how easy it would be to strip and redo the blueing with something like the Birchwood casey cold blue. And maybe run the bolt carrier over a buffing wheel. As you can see, I have too much time on my hands.
 
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