Gentlemen prefer blonds - even dirty ones!

homefront · Post by **homefront** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 9:49 am

For your viewing pleasure:
L to R, my '05 .30-30 '94; my son's Marlin model 60 .22 (the dirty blond); my '70's vintage Sears model 54 (Win. 94) .30-30. All bereft of there original distasteful finishes and refinished au natural.
The newest 94 had a truly ugly dark purple/black/brown color that had no character whatsoever. The plastic (catylized lacquer?) coating was very difficult to remove. I was happy to see the nice, blond wood revealed. I refinished with Formby's Tung Oil Finish, 2 coats, which has made me happy on my daily carry .38.
The dirty blond model 60 was a cosmetic mess when I got it. My son Chas was dismayed when he saw me attack it with paint stripper and steel wool, but said "wow" when he saw the bare receiver against the blued barrel, and the beauty of the wood. This one got a coat of Minwax Natural Stain, and top coated with Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil.
The Sears 54 was in very good mechanical shape, but some knothead had let the original varnish start peeling, and drilled a half-depth hole in the side of the buttstock. It too has been beautified with the blond treatment, protected by Formby's, and a .30-30 case head neatly filled the mysterious hole. It normally wears a tang sight, but I had set it aside during the refinish.

C. Cash · Post by **C. Cash** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 10:08 am

Those look really good homefront. I am growing more and more fond of the blondes. They provide a nice contrast. I recently did my Stevens 311 as a Blondie too and will get some pics up.

jbm1968 · Post by **jbm1968** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 11:07 am

Very Good Looking Blondes!

kimwcook · Post by **kimwcook** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 11:17 am

Good job. I refinished my first '94 and it was blonde like yours. I was like 13 years old. Can't tell you much about the oil I used other than it was some form of linseed.

Post by **Old Savage** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 12:22 pm

I like it.

rjohns94 · Post by **rjohns94** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:41 pm

sweet!

Blaine · Post by **Blaine** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:44 pm

Without looking, I would have had my doubts. But: Those are truly beautiful, Sir!

homefront · Post by **homefront** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 5:32 pm

Thank you, gentlemen!
I'm tempted to give my Marlin CB the same treatment, because the grain is so beautiful and the stain a little dark for my taste.
I did the same on 3 different Savage .22 autos (for my dad, my daughter, and me) and was pleasantly surprised at the curly/wavy wood underneath the bland stain.
I'll to do the same with my latest Marlin .357 this week - will add pics in a few days.

505stevec · Post by **505stevec** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 6:09 pm

Those blondes are nothing to joke about

nice looking though

Post by **Ysabel Kid** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 10:39 pm

I've always preferred brunettes, but darn, those are beautiful! Think my dark-haired wife is going to get jealous if I go out and do my own "blonde project"?

homefront · Post by **homefront** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 11:00 pm

She'll be ok as long as she knows the blond is second fiddle!
I know I was taking a chance that the forearm and butt stock would not match well enough after the stain/varnish was removed - I was lucky.

azoil · Post by **azoil** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:12 am

C. Cash wrote:Those look really good homefront. I am growing more and more fond of the blondes. They provide a nice contrast. I recently did my Stevens 311 as a Blondie too and will get some pics up.

Oh Yeah,

I wanna see that one Chris!

leverhunter · Post by **leverhunter** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:24 am

That is beautiful work. Very unique look. I may try that on my Win 94.

C. Cash · Post by **C. Cash** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:12 am

For Azoil. Sorry about the tiny picture. I used to have the opposite problem but now I can't get them to post bigger. The stocks didn't come out as nice as I had hoped, but the blonde wood has grown on me!

Post by **Hobie** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:21 am

And I thought this was going to be a HUMOR post...

I've got a blond of my own with her lever over the top tang.

C. Cash · Post by **C. Cash** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 1:02 pm

Hobie wrote:And I thought this was going to be a HUMOR post...

I've got a blond of my own with her lever over the top tang.

Me likee!

edsguns · Post by **edsguns** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 2:32 pm

Homefront...VERY nice. I have done several of my rifles in a similar manner...very little or NO stain. I'm surprised not more folks like the light wood. My last refinish was a 99E with an absolutely gross finish on the stock...almost had a green tint to it...yuck. I stripped it down to bare wood, sanded (all but the impressed checkering...lol), and then used 2 coats of yellow shellac, which works as a great wood filler when cut about 50/50 with spirits, and finished with three coats or so of satin spray-on poly. Two old model 100s were redone in a similar manner and the walnut found under all that stain and old finish is gorgeous. One is still looking great after almost 20yrs. I also absolutely HAD to have a blonde Sako .270 as soon as I laid my eyes on it's light stock. Yup, even my wife knows that blondes do it for me!

Post by **Hobie** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 5:16 pm

C. Cash wrote:
Hobie wrote:And I thought this was going to be a HUMOR post...

I've got a blond of my own with her lever over the top tang.

Me likee!

There is a story behind the old gal.

C. Cash · Post by **C. Cash** » Mon Mar 17, 2008 10:20 pm

Thanks for posting that link again Hobie...great story and family history on that little gun.

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Tue Mar 18, 2008 1:17 am

Mine's more of a "redhead", but predates your little Stevens Hobie.

1919 product of, Riverside Arms Co. Chicopee Falls, MA

I bought it back in '72 or 3 during a brief leave while in the Navy. It and my 870 escaped being stolen by hiding under the bed in '74 while I was at school and the wife was at work. (Shotguns being the sensible weapons that they are). A rather furious ex-sailor trimmed some extra metal off the business end, leaving twin tubes of 18-Â½". It also requires an little extra help to fully expose the chambers, but I understand there's a trick that can fix that. I've had to rebuild/weld and recut the left firing pin and trigger 3 times, but the last was about 10 or so years ago. It generally accompanies me to all matches, for nostalgia's sake. Skeet is definitely a challenge in its current form. I've often wondered if a set of 311 barrels would fit. Many of the internals are interchangeable. Numrich has been instrumental in keeping this ol' girl out of the "wall-hanger" category!