I have an old Spanish Mauser. The barrel and action are in excellent condition with all numbers matching. Unfortunately "BUBBA" Got at the stock. Looks like he used coal tar as a stain and sealed it with spar varnish. No amount of sanding or stripper will remove this evil concoction.Does anyone think that some sort of a dip strip would work? What are the pros and cons? thanks for the help.
Stock Refinishing -Again
- Thread starter Win/64
- Start date
Are you having problems with the varnish or the stain? Most varnishes come off easily with stripper and a bit of scraping and sanding. The stain which has penetrated the wood may come out with wood bleach. Most well stocked lumber yards and some paint shops carry it. It's a two part solution and I've seen it remove some nasty stains, even from iron pots that were put on fine tables wet and left black rust rings in the wood.
Stock stain and soaked in oil can dampen the spirits of most stock refinishing jobs. Diswasher is not a good idea as it can cause damages...tired it and don't like the results. The repercussions from the little lady can be painful...she reminded me that this was her kitchen and my shop was the in the garage....and that was that!!!!!
What I found the best is.and I've tried many methods.....is to soak the stock in very hot water and TSP. Rinse off the residue and repeat the process and it will leach out the stain to bare wood. Blow dry with a hair dry and let stand over night. Raise the dents by hot iron and start your refinishing process with a dry, bare stock. Warning....once the stain is out, some woods are an eyesore however they can be brought back with a little TLC!!!!!!
Good luck with your project.
What I found the best is.and I've tried many methods.....is to soak the stock in very hot water and TSP. Rinse off the residue and repeat the process and it will leach out the stain to bare wood. Blow dry with a hair dry and let stand over night. Raise the dents by hot iron and start your refinishing process with a dry, bare stock. Warning....once the stain is out, some woods are an eyesore however they can be brought back with a little TLC!!!!!!
Good luck with your project.
TSP....as described by Win94...it's a powder that's water soluble and available from just about any hardware store like Home Depot, CTC, Walmart, etc. TLC....Tender Loving Care....you can't buy this however you certainly apply it and it will be reflected in your finished product.
Thanks guy's; the TSP did the job. It leached out most of the old stain (or Coal tar) and evened out the colour. Now its just a matter of light sanding with 600 grit and an oil finish and I'm done. It sure brought up the grain. Finally I've beaten "Bubba". Thx. again.
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I filled the bathtub with extra hot water poured in 1 whole container of tsp and let soak (turning occationally). The stain evened out eventually. Was pleased with the way it turned out considering the condition it was in. There was one problem though, guess I didn't clean out the bath tub very well, the girlfriend had a terrible rash on her butt after her bath. Myself I prefer to shower.triton said:
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Win/64 said:
Thanks. I just got a parker hale enfield. It has a gorgeous tiger striped grain in the stock. Problem is is the varnish is scraped up pretty good. I'm going to re do the stock. I thought it would look nice a touch darker. I'll bet the girl friend loved that. LOL. Maybe I'll try that on the soon to be ex-wife
Thanks for the info!Dave.
If it's just varnish don't bother with the tsp. A little mineral spirits and 0000 steel wool will take that off in a hurry.triton said:Thanks. I just got a parker hale enfield. It has a gorgeous tiger striped grain in the stock. Problem is is the varnish is scraped up pretty good. I'm going to re do the stock. I thought it would look nice a touch darker. I'll bet the girl friend loved that. LOL. Maybe I'll try that on the soon to be ex-wife
Dave.
