K-98 laminated stock finish

PerversPépère

PerversPépère

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Hello! one of my comrades has bought a very nice original laminated stock for his Mauser.
There are some blemishes but nothing bad. He plans on cleaning it, steaming the pocks out and putting a new finish on the wood.
What was the regular finish on a Mauser laminated stock?
PP.
 
Linseed oil will probably be closest to original finish. Don't sand the original stock though. I wipe the stocks down with turpentine and extra fine steel wool and rags to clean the wood and the add some hand rubbed coats of BLO. Be sure to allow drying time in between coats.
 
LINEN is made from FLAX.

FLAX-seed oil IS LIN-seed oil.

The German stuff is very lightweight and has a deep RED colour. You can buy it from Waffenfabrik Mauser, Oberndorf a/N, Germany. It's about $120 a gallon but they sell it in smaller bottles, too. Know anyone in der Vaterland who might send a small bottle or three? You are looking for Holzschaftol: wood stock oil.

Hope this helps.
.
 
It's all about the Pure Tung Oil baby! (Not Tung Oil Finish)

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3-6 coats lovingly rubbed into the stock while watching the movie "Stalingrad"... ;)
 
Tung oil will work but isn't authentic.

The Germans used flax seed oil - it's well documented, and as pointed out, it's pure (non-boiled) linseed oil - same stuff. At various times, a red tint was added to the oil to give the stocks that reddish colour they sometimes have. I suspect this was an oil-based leather dye or a very similar oil-soluble stain.

That being said, MANY stocks left German factories at various times with a clear flaxseed oil finish with no red tint, particularly when the white glue laminates were "de rigeur". It also seems the 1941 Portuguese Contract Mausers were not tinted.
 
Smellie;

Is this what you are refering to?
(remove spaces)

w w w.schaftol.de

It is availible at Lever Arms in Vancouver, and Bits of Pieces in Delta B.C.
I have nothing but good things to say about this stuff!
 
The stuff my friend bought was straight from the Mauser factory and was their own brand IIRC. Took 6 months to get, too.

If this brand is available here, then it would be a good substitute. Faster, too!

The Mauser stuff was the red colour of the right-hand bottle. It's a lot lighter on the cloth, but it does add that nice Mauser factory "glow" to an original stock.

It does do beautiful jobs.

Hope this helps.
.
 
I'm not sure why folks persist in using boiled linseed oil (BLO) on MILSURP stocks. Unlike raw linseed oil, BLO contains a drying agent which will produce a glossy, slick, and unmilitary looking finish. It is very pretty though, and is a classic finish for sporter stocks.

If you want to refinish/recondition a MILSURP stock and end up with an authentic looking military finish either raw linseed oil or pure tung oil is the way to go.

Flax is an amazing plant. As previously mentioned, linseed oil is derived from flax seeds which are saturated with it and are a good source of Omega 3 oils in vitamin supplements as well as being an excellent source of fibre in breads and cereals. Flax fibre is also used to produce linen textiles. If you ever have an opportunity to walk through a field of dead ripe flax you will find your pants stained with flax oil from the knees down. Another old farm boy caution of flaxseed; don't ever get into a grain bin and try to stand in it as you might with wheat or barley. The shape and oily nature of flaxseed is such that it won't support your weight and you may well disappear into it and have a tough time getting out. A tip for prairie hunters; be very careful when driving across flax swaths as the stems are very wiry and hard and can get wound up in prop shafts and wheels and cause damage. This is why most flax growers burn their straw instead of trying to work it in. It burns well and is hot as hell.
 
purple said:
.....
If you want to refinish/recondition a MILSURP stock and end up with an authentic looking military finish either raw linseed oil or pure tung oil is the way to go.
........
Click to expand...

I understand that the Germans dipped the earlier stocks in Linseed oil for a couple minutes, and later war stocks received a spray on application of linseed oil.... but I still prefer the pure Tung oil treatment myself. :)

It smells soooo good too! ;)

In reality, one could use lemon oil, bees wax, motor oil :eek: ..... I am sure that during the war, German troops used whatever they could get their hands on to protect the steel and wood of their rifles.

Cheers!
 
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