Refinishing an Enfield

sailorjosh

sailorjosh

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Ottawa (Nepean)
This is the enfield in question -

no1mk3003.jpg



the finish is a bit rough so I'd like to refinish it. What is the "correct" finish? What is the best way to get the current finish off? Is lightly sanding it to get some of smaller scratches out a no-no? Thanks!
 
Boiled Linseed Oil is the proper finish for your rifle.
From your photo , your rifle looks pretty good . Sanding , even lightly , would be the last thing to do , so just try abit of cleaning to see how it turns out at first.
IMHO , I'd take the rifle apart and wipe it with varsol to break up any grease on the stocks and metal . Wipe the metal down with your favourite gunoil .
With a scotchbrite pad , rub the BLO into the stocks and let sit for a day or two. Take a rag and BLO and wipe down again , maybe a few times .
This will leave a dull finish , but let it sit for a week . Then buff with a clean, dry cloth to brighten up the finish.
You may decide to go further with it ,that's your choice , but you also may be quite happy with a good cleaning and the rifle's own personal patina.
 
Here's what I would do..Remove all metal parts from the stock. Then give the stock a good rub down with #0000 steel wool. If there are any minor dents, you can remove them with a hot iron and wet cloth. Apply both to the dent and leave for a few seconds. The steam should raise the dent. If necessary, repeat until the dent is gone. After this, rub the treated area(s) down again with the steel wool. Then use boiled linseed oil to rub down the stock. You don't want a real high gloss though, a kinda satin gloss is closest to the original finish. Good luck with your project :)
 
sailorjosh said:
This is the enfield in question -

no1mk3003.jpg



the finish is a bit rough so I'd like to refinish it. What is the "correct" finish? What is the best way to get the current finish off? Is lightly sanding it to get some of smaller scratches out a no-no? Thanks!
Click to expand...

That stock was just treated with BLO. I wouldn't touch it with sandpaper. It was also just all apart and the metal has been oiled.
 
Thanks everyone - I've been advised to just leave it as is. I'll put a little bit of blo on the spots that are bare wood (just a couple small patches) but other than that I'm gonna leave it alone.

Thanks again!
 
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