Another Stock Refinish Thread

[TheWoodCrafter]

I bought a shooter off Gunbroker.com that has some water damage on the stock.
Other than that the carbine was UN-FIRED.
It is a 1971 20" 30-30 standard old carbine.
As the pictures show I stripped it today.
To my surprise I found out that my walnut stocked Winchester didn't have a walnut stock.
It may be maple or birch or beech but I never heard of anything but walnut or maple.
Anyway, the color was in the finish and it just melted off.
If the color was on/in the wood it would not have come off.
In a production environment when color is added to maple it is usually sprayed on and never wiped on out of a can.
Maple is about the worst wood for blotching when stain is applied directly to the wood.
Even after sealing the wood with the many many "Pre-stain Conditioners" applying a liquid oil based stain can be tricky.
I always use a gel stain on maple or spray a diluted dye stain.
Don't have any spray equipment anymore so gel stain it is.
As the picture shows the stock has quite a bit of water damage/staining.
I will bleach it tomorrow in an effort to even out the color.

More pictures to come.

[92&94]

I'm going to guess birch, but could easily be maple too. Not beech though.
Pity about that stain... was it a steel buttplate or plastic? Looks too extensive to have come from the buttplate though, more like it sat in a flooded closet for a few weeks.

[JB]

I'm going to guess birch, but could easily be maple too. Not beech though.
Pity about that stain... was it a steel buttplate or plastic? Looks too extensive to have come from the buttplate though, more like it sat in a flooded closet for a few weeks.

During the lower quality 94 years, Winchester did indeed use some birch stocks.

[TheWoodCrafter]

I'm going to guess birch, but could easily be maple too. Not beech though.
Pity about that stain... was it a steel buttplate or plastic? Looks too extensive to have come from the buttplate though, more like it sat in a flooded closet for a few weeks.

It does have a steel butt plate but it is not rusted at all on the outside.
The backside does have some deep pitted rust and the screw threads are pretty rusty.

It does look like it sat standing up in water.

It has to be birch then. Doesn't really look like maple and seems to be pretty light.
Maple is a dense, heavier wood and this is softer than maple.

Birch doesn't stain that well either.

[K1500]

Embrace it and go honey blond. At least it will be different.

[Pete44ru]

.

I betcha it's an M94 Ranger econo-model, with that non-walnut stock.



.

[FatJackDurham]

Take care when you apply your first coat of finish not to lift the stain. I found that the gel stain lifts a little to easily when I added the oil.

[TheWoodCrafter]

Thanks Jack.
I think I am going the spray on a satin finish.
An oil finish isn't very durable and you are right the color may smear.

Maybe a satin poly
Shouldn't look like plastic if a satin is used
And should last for years.

[BenT]

Red oxblood shoe polish with carnauba wax works in well and gives the french red tint. Give it a try.

[FatJackDurham]

Red oxblood shoe polish with carnauba wax works in well and gives the french red tint. Give it a try.

Direct on wood or over an oil finish?

[TheWoodCrafter]

That type of finish is about 100 years old and goes right on the wood.

It is pretty but it would be the least durable finish that could be used.
Wax is way to soft for me to use on anything I use outdoors.
I hand made Chippendale table or a finely crafted Maloff rocker but not a gun butt.

[TheWoodCrafter]

Got around to bleaching the stains out of my stock today.
Took about 20 minutes.
A little Clorox goes a long way.
The picture makes the stock look whiter than it is.
There is the stain and sealer I plan on using.
Tomorrow a little sanding and maybe sealing.

[Sixgun]

Properly applied, leather dye will color anything. I've used it on hard to stain wood, like the junk wood on Chinese SKS's.-----6

[TheWoodCrafter]

After using 2 different stains I think I got the color I wanted.

Applying the finish tomorrow.

[FatJackDurham]

Nice Color.

I am still applying oil to mine, trying to get a finishe I like. Originally, I wanted it to look flat and a little aged. however, the grain gets shiny with the oil finish and shines out even if I rub it with wool, so I am having trouble....

If I fill in the grain all the way, it looks plasticky.


I hate finishing wood. I am aweful at it.

[JohndeFresno]

It's fun watching the process. Almost like having a workshop here at home. Thanks for posts!

[TheWoodCrafter]

It's fun watching the process. Almost like having a workshop here at home. Thanks for posts!

Glad you guys enjoy these refinishing threads.
I know I like to see them.
I may do a video of the next one.

[TheWoodCrafter]

Hey Jack,

How many coats of oil did you put on?

Your wood must be walnut.
Walnut has an open grain. The birch, I found under the color in my stock, doesn't have open pores.
When I apply enough coats of poly to my stock I think I may have to LIGHTLY hit it with green scotch bright.
That will cut the sheen down without removing any finish.
You may want to try that.
You can just add another finish coat if you don't like it.

[FatJackDurham]

I was up to eight coats, but i didnt like the color, so I rubbed it all off with steel wool and added a coat off stain and started over.

[LeRoy.Beans]

looks like you are getting where you want to go but I was wondering if maybe an aquafortis stain as used on traditional muzzleloaders might have been an interesting way to go with that wood.

[TheWoodCrafter]

I have never used aquafortis stain but I have read that it is used on highly figured wood.
I guess it really makes the grain "pop".

This stock didn't have much grain. Though it is maple, has hard and soft spots in the grain, I sealed it first to prevent blotching.
Then used a surface stain. Looks ok for a shooter.

Jack,
Sure seems like 8 coats is a bit too much.
No wonder you filled the grain.
An oil finish is supposed to look natural.
Too much of a good thing can change that.
Plus many oil finishes have a color to them.
The more coats you add the more the color of the oil effects the stain color.
Strip it again with stripper. Sanding with steel wool will not get the oil out of the grain.
BTW - steel wool used on something like this should be 0000.
And should never cut through the finish and touch the color (stain).

[Grizz]

Properly applied, leather dye will color anything. I've used it on hard to stain wood, like the junk wood on Chinese SKS's.-----6

I have a junk wood stocked Savage 99E that needs fixing. I might try the leather dye if I can find a reddish color I like.

Is there a source of pre-inletted walnut stock kits for Savage 99s?

Grizz

[FatJackDurham]

Is there a source of pre-inletted walnut stock kits for Savage 99s?

Grizz

Try this guy... Prices are reasonable.
http://www.gunstocksinc.com/web_pages/P ... stocks.htm

[TheWoodCrafter]

Here is the almost finished product.

I will let the finish cure for a few days, the sheen will go down some.
Then maybe wipe it with some scotch bright and put the gun back together.

Wish I have a walnut stock to refinish.
A buddy saw it and wants me to do one of his.
Don't know if his is walnut or not.

[FatJackDurham]

Looks great, TWC.

I am plugging away at mine. Hopefully, I'll have pictures in a few days.

[Mike Armstrong]

Looks very nice to me! Thanks for giving us all the details.

I just found a mechanically excellent (except it needs a bath) Winchester Model 37 single shot .410 at a garage sale for a very reasonable price and bought it as a project. I have an identical gun bought new in 1951 when I was a kid (first gun I bought for myself) for $23.50 at the local hardware store. IThat one's seen a lot of hunting miles and had the wood refinished twice, so I have some wood experience on Winchesters. This "new" one is gonna need a new buttstock, so I'm shoppin for that. Gonna use some of the tricks and materials I have learned about on this thread and others on Leverguns to make it look like an original Winchester stock, I hope.

This gun is identical to my old one except that it has a 28" full choke barrel instead of the 26" my old one has. Best rabbit guns ever made, IMO. I have a .410 Lee Loader and load my own shells, which is fun and cuts the cost. People leave empties at the skeet range all the time; expensive .410 skeet empties. I also load .410 loads in .444 Marlin cases, also free from the rifle range. Have 3 .410s to feed: the old Win 37, a Savage Model 24 combo .410 and .22WRM, and an 870 Wingmaster.

Does the TOP lever make this 37 a levergun????

[TheWoodCrafter]

Does the TOP lever make this 37 a levergun????

Sorry, No.
Has to have a bottom lever.