refinishing a rifle

[454 Big Block Chevy]

ok, so i'm working on a rifle for my neighbor... a winchester 70 in .30-06... the stock was badly marred and dinged and dented... but he got it for a great price.  i told him i'd refinish the stock.  he wanted it a red mahogony, and its been stripped, sanded, Ironed to bring out the dents, and stained... however i'm confused on what type of clear coat to use... he wants high gloss, and i've never used anything except satin... whats the best, creme of the crop so to say... of gloss clear coats???  posting pictures soon.

[454 Big Block Chevy]

ok, well we tried some kind of gloss, and it didn't look good... so we stripped the gloss off with thinner... and 0000 steel wool... so now its just down to wood... here's a question... how do i weatherseal the wood??? or will the minwax stain do that?

[JonnyReb]

 I think there are a bazillion options open to you. When i've done mine, i simply sand, stain and then seal with a polyurethane finsh right out of a can. Seems to do a great job. If you want to get fancier, go to places like midway usa or brownells and they sell specialty refinishing products for professional results. Also kmart and maybe walmart sells a line of birchwood casey brand refinishing supplies. They worked good for me too years ago. Look forward to the pics,  J

[DMikeM]

Gloss Tung oil finish. Not pure Tung oil. Get the Formby's stuff. This the first coat about 25% with mineral spirits, then allow it to dry over night. Apply 2 or three full strength coats 6 to 8 hours apart using a finish pad or fine 0000 steel wool, and tack cloth after the wool. You will get a finish like this.


If he wants a full glass look you will want to wet dry sand it with 600 to 1000 grit paper after each coat using thinned down Tung oil as the wetting agent. This will fill in the wood pores and create a full gloss seal. then do a final coat full strength at least 10 hours later.

[SDale]

Mike's dead on with the Formby's Tung Oil and mineral spirits. But I usually use 1000 grit sand paper in between coats. Then finish with 3 coats of Tru Oil thinned 50/50 with mineral spirits and rub the finish out with 3M automotive compounds. Taking the time for all the steps makes the finish come out like glass.

[JonnyReb]

 Thats great to know, how do you deal with the checkering? J

[peashooterjoe]

Try Truoil made for gunstocks and you can get a glass finish with it(also finish wont crack or peel). Use panty hose balled up in a knot and dab till checkering is lightly saturated. The panty hose is lint free also. It makes touch ups a breeze..Good Luck..PeashooterJoe..

[daveshoot]

Or scotch-brite. +2 to Tru-Oil. Finish with automotive paste wax. Stain is for color, not protection.

[DMikeM]

Thats great to know, how do you deal with the checkering? J

I stripped it out with a good liquid stripper and a heavy plastic brush. Dried it well and tapped it off with blue tape until done with the stock sanding and staining. Then I reversed the tape and stained the checkering with a darker stain. Let sit over night and then started applying the tung oil avoiding the checkering until the last 2 coats. I did apply one very thin coat of oil to the checkering to allow deep penetration though. over all it cam out great.

[Alan]

I'll toss in a vote for Tru-oil.  

SDale, thanks for that tip on the 50/50, gotta try that on my next one.  The stuff gets thick and sticky quick in native form.

I used "CitrusStrip" spray, worked great.  Did several passes of spray/wait/wipe with stripper until satifisfied.
Lots of sanding....and more sanding....stain/sanding.
Went to TRU-OIL.  Did about 6 or 7 coats and kinda rushed the last couple.....ended up RE-stripping,  it was easy to re-strip.  I was amazed.    

I had fun, it was my first strip-tease.   Not much at risk, just a $54 Storm XT from wally.  

[SDale]

It's a fun process... But the end result is worth it!

The 50/50 Tru-Oil Mineral spirits mix works great for the last 2 or 3 coats. I go even thinner if I'm doing a 100% Tru-Oil finish. I mix it 20/80 to soak into the wood better, and for wet sanding, grain raising & filling.

Another tip, don't use a brush or swab or anything to spread the Tru-Oil. Use your bare fingers! Just dip a finger or 2 in your container & get ta spreadin! You can put nice THIN coats on and easily tell when you use too little or too much. When you've got just enough, your fingers slide across the surface. Too little and they stick a bit. You also don't get lint or brush strokes in the finish. It's easier to flatten and buff out.

[esyadam]

i will agree on the finger dipping /hand job. formbys is all i use.for a durable /watertight finish that will remain flexible try verathane. its a poly eurathane clear that buffs up nicely.

[deanda]

I have used minwax wipe-on poly on a couple of stocks. Just sanded to 400 grit, used cheese cloth and wiped it........worked great.
When I use oil, I use JM'S London Rose Oil........that stuff is the shiz-nits, dries fast, keep doing coats until it is as glossy as you want it, and it's oil based. Just way to easy to use and a super nice finish. I used to use Danish oil, but it takes a long time to dry between coats, and very little sheen. Danish is nice, but the London oil is just so much easier to work with, and much faster.
Working on one today.