Stock Stripping, sand or chemical?

10x

10x

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Our local gunstore manager is refinishing a wood stock.
He did a poll on how to get the old finish off. The majority said "sand".
I suggesed a quality stripper (1840 furniture stripper), a laundry sink and nylong brush to get the stripper off, raise the dents with steam, then sand.
I was told I was wrong.
Have I been doing this wrong for twenty five years???
 
I have always used chemical as well. I assumed the stain was deep enough that too much wood would be removed by sanding??
 
I have found that some of the clear laquer finishes (Winchester) don't come off with chemical strippers. I have found that (except for on checkering) scraping the dry finish with the side of a chisel worked best. Then a couple of times with a chemical striper & plastic scraper, then sanding. For finish in checkering used a tooth brush so you don't flatten the checkering.

Steaming

Use a cloth iron on steam or a kettle. Hold the dented area over the steam as it will cause the wood the swell. Then sand smooth.
This steaming is also used to bring up the grain on walnut stocks.
 
Use a stripper first. There are a variety, might need to experiment. Some finishes are more resistant to strippers. After its stripped, raise dents, sand or steel wool as necessary, prepare for new finish. It is REALLY easy to remove lots of wood by sanding, particularly where the wood meets the metal. If a stock really looks refinished, it may not be that good a job. if you are restoring a firearm, let's say one that has had a coat of varnish slopped on by bubba, a stripper is the only way to start.
I'd be interested in seeing your gunstore manager's work.
 
tiriaq said:
Use a stripper first. There are a variety, might need to experiment. Some finishes are more resistant to strippers. After its stripped, raise dents, sand or steel wool as necessary, prepare for new finish. It is REALLY easy to remove lots of wood by sanding, particularly where the wood meets the metal. If a stock really looks refinished, it may not be that good a job. if you are restoring a firearm, let's say one that has had a coat of varnish slopped on by bubba, a stripper is the only way to start.
I'd be interested in seeing your gunstore manager's work.
Click to expand...

I also am awaiting his results.
BTW: the gun is a Golden State Arms "target" rifle built from a 1903 Springfield. Asking price is $1000.00.

I'm redoing a beat and dented stock on a savage pump I bought from him for $75.00 several months back. Five hours and I have the finish off, many of the dents raised, some of the scratches and gouges worked with steam, it does help, and after about two weeks of drying in my basement rafters and a final light sanding it will get an oil finish. It will look odd on a gun that has 95% of the blueing gone but I'm going to deoil, steam, and card with 0000 steel wool as well to bring back what I can.

I wonder how those little spot steam cleaners will work to raise dents.
Anyone try them yet?
 
I usually use a cabinet scraper and then finish with sandpaper. Its faster than sandpaper alone by far and isn't messy like chemical stippers. The only thing you have to watch is that some woods like beech have a very hard layer at each growth ring and if you're not careful you can get a rippled surface because the scraper removes the softer wood in between but rides over the harder rings.
 
Is it possible to refurbish the checkering? As in recut it, or something?

While we're at it, since it is relatively easy to strip off the bluing, how good is the rebluing process? Can very-good to excellent results be had by rebluing
 
You can touch up the checkering but you will need to buy a checkering tool. You can either buy a multi-point tool that matches the pitch of your gun's checkering or use a single point tool and carefully follow the checkering grooves. Its very easy to jump out of a groove so you have to be careful and also clamp down the stock so it isn't moving while you're trying to work.

Cold blueing is only for cosmetic touch ups, it is never a really good, durable job if you try to blue an entire gun with it. Hot bluing takes a fairly elaborate set up to do and it takes a lot of work to properly polish in preparation for blueing. I've bead blasted and parkerized using a friend's home made outfit on a Coleman stove and it worked fine. I've read about good results with some of the new bake on epoxy finishes at reasonable cost and just bead blasting in preparation.
 
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"...a laundry sink..." This is the only 'wrong' part. You're sending toxic chemicals into our water. Otherwise, wood is wood. You refinish a stock the same way you do fine furniture and with the same products.
 
sunray said:
"...a laundry sink..." This is the only 'wrong' part. You're sending toxic chemicals into our water. Otherwise, wood is wood. You refinish a stock the same way you do fine furniture and with the same products.
Click to expand...

My laundry sink drains into a 20 litre pail bucko and it does get disposed of properly...
 
of course not sunray......

sunray said:
"...a laundry sink..." This is the only 'wrong' part. You're sending toxic chemicals into our water. Otherwise, wood is wood. You refinish a stock the same way you do fine furniture and with the same products.
Click to expand...

Personally, I collect all my chemicals, paints and solvents and store them in used 4-litre paint cans. Once a year our municipality holds a collection drive where people can drop off environmentally dangerous products. These products are collected by a company called Sani-Vac and subsequently disposed of in a safe manner (we hope).

Regards
robert
 
10x said:
I wonder how those little spot steam cleaners will work to raise dents.
Anyone try them yet?
Click to expand...

I have never used one on a rifle stock, but have done so with great success on a number of woodworking pieces.

Good thread, thanks for the info all.
 
Hey guys. I just saw this post and I have a few questions. Today I bought an Enfield MK4 which was sporterized and the stock was sawed off. I also bought a brand new set of stock with no stain. I am planning on reusing the buttstock and combining it with the new set. My questions is: After cleaning and removing the old stain from the buttstock how do I achieve the same tone throughout? I want the buttstock to be the same as the rest of the stock. Should I use mineral oil or stain? Any ideas? If anyone can post the steps for mineral oil finish that would be excellent. Thanks,

pubbrowse.asp
 
If you want to restore the rifle, you will need a new buttstock as well. The one on the rifle has been reshaped when the rifle was sported. Try to get the same species of wood as the forend. It looks very light, so is probably birch or beech.
 
To bring this topic back up on chemical strippers...

Anyone try Recochem's Methylene-Free Paint Remover? It's supposed to be safe on wood and fiberglass as per container...........BUT it contains acetone.

Any comments?

And how about that plastic bottle all-purpose stain and paint remover found at Home Depot, Canadian Tire and etc.....sorry never bought nor tried it, can't remember name, but will likely pick one up...should be a light stripper since it comes in a regular plastic bottle(question is whether it is effective).
 
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