RC K98 stock finish?

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Qinzhou

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Hey guys, recently I got a Russian Captured K98. The shellac on the rifle is already becoming crisp and could be peeled off easily by my fingernails.

My question is, should I sandpaper the shellac off and give it a good oil coating? Or it will be depreciated if I do the re-finish?
 
Some will say it's an RC, so it isn't collectable anyways. I think they have their place in history and will become more and more valuable as time goes on, and any change from how it left the Russian refurb shop will reduce value.

However it is your rifle and if you will enjoy it more with a refinish than go for it. A compromise may be a new coat of shellac. The old shellac will dissolve with the solvent of the new coat and blend the two together.
 
Use acetone.

There may be numbers and marks on the stock which would add to the history of the rifle. The less you alter the original german rifle the better.
 
Just add a new coat of alcohol based shellac, the old and new finish will merge together preserving the history of the rifle.
 
cam1936 said:
Some will say it's an RC, so it isn't collectable anyways. I think they have their place in history and will become more and more valuable as time goes on, and any change from how it left the Russian refurb shop will reduce value.

However it is your rifle and if you will enjoy it more with a refinish than go for it. A compromise may be a new coat of shellac. The old shellac will dissolve with the solvent of the new coat and blend the two together.
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Any recommendations for shellac products?
 
Qinzhou said:
How much will be depreciated?
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No idea, its all in the eye of the buyer. Some like myself wont even consider buying refinished milsurp, some wont care.

cornelunc said:
For me a refinished milsurp is a bonus, because I do not like the look beaten rifle.
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The beat up milsurp received is part of its history, you can refinish your gun all you want it will only increase value of my original. In the end of the day its your gun you do as you please but i still think you are wrong for altering a milsurp for any reason other than restoring a damaged rifle to function or in case of rust/pitting, neutralize said rust to prevent further damage
 
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The original post is from a new CGN member who is asking a serious question.

The finish is peeling because no one expected anyone would care for an old bolt action 75 years later. I would NEVER use an abrasive or aggressive means to take off what can be dissolved. The Russian Capture rifles are a real mix of parts, and you never know what surprise Swastikas or Waffenampt markings might be hiding. Those have value, even on a mixed part gun. The wood will never grow back, so tread lightly.

Secondly, there are no new Mauser 98s coming into the country. We have all there are - until someone finds a new treasure chest of old rifles. The Russian Captures have gone up probably three times in retail in the space of 10 or 15 years. Clean it, carefully make it better, but do no harm. It will turn out to be a good investment.
 
JP said:
Just add a new coat of alcohol based shellac, the old and new finish will merge together preserving the history of the rifle.
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100%. I’ve used the B&T Garnet and the Lee Valley generic (dark amber?) and had good results, just dissolved the flakes per the mixing instructions, and gently blended until the flaking edges weren’t. I don’t care for the shellac myself but it’s part of the history.
 
maple_leaf_eh said:
The original post is from a new CGN member who is asking a serious question.

The finish is peeling because no one expected anyone would care for an old bolt action 75 years later. I would NEVER use an abrasive or aggressive means to take off what can be dissolved. The Russian Capture rifles are a real mix of parts, and you never know what surprise Swastikas or Waffenampt markings might be hiding. Those have value, even on a mixed part gun. The wood will never grow back, so tread lightly.

Secondly, there are no new Mauser 98s coming into the country. We have all there are - until someone finds a new treasure chest of old rifles. The Russian Captures have gone up probably three times in retail in the space of 10 or 15 years. Clean it, carefully make it better, but do no harm. It will turn out to be a good investment.
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I will probably go with soft wool brush and towel, thank you for your clarification, the current finish of the gun is not good looking, I guess a re-finish could even extend the useful life of the rifle.
 
Acetone and/or mineral spirits will thin that wood to original and get awful 70year old attic smell most Mauser seem to have.

Once done cleaning and minor sanding, I used tung oil.

Finish is up to you.
 
The one I have the shellac could be wiped off by hand it was so badly flaking
What didn’t rub off by hand I think I used some acetone and rubbed off the rest
Just put some BLO on the stock afterwards and it turned out great!
 
Is there still cosmoline or oil in the stock of the rifle? It will dry and flake off if is warmed up and then cooling over time. To leave the rifle basically as is if somewhat refinishing them I never ever sand a milsurp. The bumps and bruises are part of the rifle. I have very good luck with WD40 on metal parts and also can be used to wipe of the stock. If there is significant build up I use mineral spirits. Then stock is hot oiled like they used to be or if its a rifle I plan to ever take out hunting I may seal it with true oil....that stuff works great and makes a rifle shine, plus the coating is very durable. If the Shellac is gone you can start with mineral spirits to strip all oils and then spray with some type of mild paint stripper I use the natural orange one from Home depot or non-bleach Tilex though if you go to this length your going to get to base wood that needs to be then retreated afterwards. Remember if you are like me and use the garden hose to spray off stocks to wash off the applications and rinse off the mess. Then you will also want a fan to help dry the stocks while hanging them free to dry rapidly so they don't warp. Then refinish linseed or tung oil or true oil... Or if it doesn't really bother you, you could stop scraping your rifle with your thumb nail and just shoot the thing. Just make sure the rifle is clear of cosmoline in the internal parts. If bought from a dealer they may not have fully stripped the rifle down. All milsurps should be at least fully field stripped and cleaned of any and all Cosmoline.
 
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