- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
I used a product called Circa 1850 Heavy Body Paint & Varnish Remover. I simply applied this gel like substance using a $1.59 foam brush, waited 20 minutes, and carefully scraped the resulting gooey varnish residue off with a wood scraper. You don't really need the scraper -- 00 steel wool will do.
Afterwards, I buffed and cleaned the finish with 00 steel wool, followed by 0000 steel wool, followed by a very fine grit sandpaper. The finish became as smooth as a baby's bottom. The redish colouring is natural, or, its the remanants of the original stain coat, I'm not completely sure. I finished the job by adding 3 or 4 coats of Circa 1850 tung oil, which is a natural oil extract from an Oriental nut tree. This left a nice deep satin finish. I never use urethanes or shellacs on anything I refinish anymore. Tung oil has been used for centuries to protect and beautify wood. It provides a low-lustre, hand-rubbed finish and protects wood from water marks. Tung oil gives it an "old world craftsmen" type of finish which I feel suits this vintage of SKS. Once a year you add a coat or two of tung oil and you're good to go.
Except for a final quick once over with very fine grit sandpaper, I would not suggest you use coarse or medium or even fine grit sandpaper, as it will show grooves and lines. When these stocks were produced, there was no care given to the orientation of the wood laminates. As a result, there is not a single direction of grain. Fine steel wool will help remove the varnish and help buff the finish without unsightly lines.
