red renewal

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cruddie

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I have a few reds that the finish is less than perfect. They are not flaking too badly but look 'dry'. What would you guys recommend to lube them up without a full strip and refinish. They are hardwood SVT 40's and a Mosin. I'm hoping to keep them as original as possible. Is boiled linseed oil the answer or will that accelerate the light peeling already happening? Thanks
 
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There is not much you can do short of removing the original finish. Boiled linseed oil is the answer. Some people use lemon oil but I don't have any experience with it.

If you were to strip the finish and refinish the rifle without any sanding or modification whatsoever it would be restoration work rather than bubba work.

I did read the translated snippets of the 1943 and 1950 repair manuals for the Mosin-Nagant and SVT-40 from gunboards and here is the correct finishing procedure:

193X-mid 1942: Boil linseed oil, followed by 2 coats of nitrocellulose lacquer, followed by 1 coat of a nitrocellulose lacquer / shellac dissolved in alcohol mix and a final polishing with shellac dissolved in alcohol.
Late 1942 ersatz wartime finish: Pine tar followed by 3 layers of nitrocellulose lacquer
 
Thanks for the tips. Does the restoration work as you describe it add to the oils in the wood? Have you done either systems to a gun and what colour can I expect. My stocks have a medium colour and grain from what I can tell
 
cruddie said:
Thanks for the tips. Does the restoration work as you describe it add to the oils in the wood? Have you done either systems to a gun and what colour can I expect. My stocks have a medium colour and grain from what I can tell
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Yes, the boiled linseed oil with put oil back in the stock and the lacquer and varnish will seal it in.

Well, the manuals indicated the stocks were dyed with a mordant dye but I have have no idea its composition or colour were.

Check out woodessence.com, they carry shellac. The only colours I've seen on non-refurbished original rifles were blonde and orange but I know dark red was used during refurbishment.
 
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I see clear and orange. It it really that bad to strip, stain and re-shellac?

Can you add a little tint of some kind to the clear so it is not back to a washed out blond color?
 
thealchemist said:
The have a nice Amber and you can tint.

The other option is boing to a specialist and purchasing Shellac flakes and mixing/tinting yourself. Zinsser offers a great alternative.
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Unfortunately, using Zinsser would not be a restoration. Only dissolved shellac flakes in alcohol with a mordant based dye is correct.
 
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