What color stain mosin stock.

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Slikker

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Hi All

I recently picked up a mosin stock with some nice brass end caps. Unfortunately the rest of the stock was stripped.

I'd like to restore the wood back to the typical dark red/brown color normally found on mosins and sks. I am open to ideas
for different stains as my plan for this mosin is to be a display peice, I figured a dark stain with the shiny brass end caps would be a nice contrast.

Thank you
 
If you're looking for a nice deep red I've had luck with Varathane "Cabernet" from Home Depot. I'd recommend taking a trip over there and getting some samples of the different stains, then decide which one will tickle your fancy.
 
Slikker said:
I'd like to restore the wood back to the typical dark red/brown color normally found on mosins and sks.
Click to expand...

If you're after a Darker Red/Brown. Hit it up with some MiniWax Ebony 2718 first.
I've had very good results.
Then use maybe a Dark Walnut or Dark Mahogany

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Mosin Nagant were finished in shellac. I stripped and refinished two mosins with dewaxed "Dark Garnet" from Wood Essence. If I remember correctly they are in Saskatchewan. I applied many coats that were much less than one pound cut...test to get the right colour. With each coat the colour will darken and with patience you can match the original colour of the mosin stock.
 
Minwax Red Chestnut gives a walnut stock a color close to what the older Winchester stocks looked like. It is not an in your face red, fairly subdued.

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There are a few good video online about stock repair and refinishing that I watched and adapted some of their processes.

Acetone is your friend. As mentioned above, there is a fair amount of oil soaked into the wood on these old stocks, and acetone does a good job of drawing that out. Try not to huff the fumes, they may be unhealthy. Real stubborn oil can also be drawn out with heat. I use a heat gun, it has more than enough heat, enough to char wood if you're not careful. Iso alcohol is also a good solvent, it is the main ingredient in rubbing alcohol, about as safe as water. It will remove oil on the surface of wood, acetone draws it out. You can soak the wood in acetone for a few hours to draw out the stubborn oil. Acetone is expensive, I soak a rag with it and hold it on the bad spots, and that works for me.

Towards the end of WWII the armorers were using tung oil to seal the wood on rifle stocks. Once dry, tung oil is less "oily" to the touch when the wood is hot, according to one source. I apply a coating or 2 of tung oil and follow up with a light application of Tru-Oil. Tung oil is cheaper than Tru-Oil. I used to do the same with boiled linseed before switching to tung.

I didn't do it, but I watched a video where the tung oil was diluted with turpentine 50/50 to get better penetration for the first coat.

Nitro
 
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