Stock refinishing: stripper or sanding?

alltieear said:
thanks for all the advice. I am gathering all the materials and will take my time with it over the cold winter. I want to shoot as much as I can now while the gun is still fully assembled.

Also, is there a special kind of sand paper i should be using or just the regular run of the mill at home depot will work?

I like to finish with boiled linseed oil, but I heard it will need like 30 coats.....
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There's a saying in the woodworking community...always use sandpaper like someone else is paying for it.

Get the good stuff, use crepe to prolong it's life...but when it's dead, change it. You'll save time in the end and it'll do a better job.

David
 
What type of rifle is this? If it is something collectable than any refinishing might seriously affect the value. Generally speaking sanding rifle stocks is never a good idea.......
 
55recce said:
What type of rifle is this? If it is something collectable than any refinishing might seriously affect the value. Generally speaking sanding rifle stocks is never a good idea.......
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its a beretta s680. the previous owner(s) have already attempted refinishing the stock, but apparently only parts of it rather than the whole piece. Just has a bunch of dings and different finishes on the stock that I would like to get rid of and make it look better.
 
As guntech said - use stripper first and then sand as little as you can get away with - and still have a good surface. 400 should be fine enough - it is for me. Once you're finished sanding, wet the entire surface with a sponge or cloth - not dripping wet, but not just damp. You're not trying to drown the wood, just wet the surface. Set it aside for a few hours - you want it bone dry. You'll find that the surface is somewhat rough, as the grain has been raised. Then get some 0000 steel wool and go over the entire stock - with the grain. Then do it again - until wetting the wood and letting it dry, no longer raises any grain. Three times should do it. I much prefer Tung oil over BLO. If you can find the polymerized Tung oil sealer and Tung oil (more expensive) it works much quicker. Gives a really nice durable finish and you can make it satin or shiny, whichever you like. Easy to maintain, too.
 
Update to Post #17. Was in local Co-op lumber yard store today - turns out there is also a product "Circa 1850 Furniture Stripper" - only difference I can see on cans or instructions is the "heavy body" stuff refers to sticking and working on vertical surfaces, whereas the "furniture stripper" refers to working on "intricate details". Both show that they contain dichloromethane and methanol as ingredients, but no concentrations given on the cans. I picked up a 3.78 litre can of the "heavy body" stuff.
 
I looked at my can, says made Swing paints ltd, montreal, www. circa 1850.com Home hardware , any paint should should have it
I thought MinWax owned it , guess not. If you are doing checkering use a old tooth brush, it will eat them, so have a few, to clean out the lines.
If you happen to use a water based finish, don't rub down with steel wool, use those 3m fiber pads, Mind you No redneck gun guy uses water base finishes.
 
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