Sorry for the silly question but, I know didly about wood. I'm a gear-head.

I'm picking up a project gun and want to do some stock work and refinishing.
About the only thing I know is not to sand the checkering. I guess I could brass brush those areas....not too sure, and that's why I come here to the .Nut!

We are talking Euopean walnut (I think), exactly like the stock on the Baikal/Remington I got last month.

I think it's lightly oil finished and am wondering how to prep the surface and what finish to use to make it really really shiny and glossy like them super fancy stocks have at the trap range and so forth. I want it to be super duper shiny and with a deep, deep gloss.

Hints, suggestions, comments, BEER , ....as always very much appreciated.

-kevin.

Kevin,
First go read the article "In The Wood Stock Finish." The article is a description of how to create a stock finish that looks like polished marble.

Refinishing a stock that has a light oil finish is pretty simple, as long as it only has a light oil finish. First remove all of the wax, oil or greese, by washing the stock down with a wet lent free rag and a solvent like Acetone or Alcohol---no beer. Once the stock is clean, tape off the checkering with masking tape, laped to fully cover the checkering. Once the checkering is covered, lightly sand the rest of the wood surface with 320-400 grit wet and dry paper. You are just scuffing the surface, not sanding it to remove anything. Make sure that you sand 100% of the surface, right up to the edge of the checkering and you sand with the grain not across the grain. When your are done with the sanding, wipe the stock down well and proceed to follow the article.

After you apply the last coat of finish and it has dried, remove the tape from the checkering. Then with an old tooth brush, apply the finish oil to the checkering, slowly rubbing in both directions of the pattern. As you go, make very shure to rub off any fine spray that gets on the surrounding finished surface.
Best,
Ed

Oppps!....there it is...

www.huntingnut.com/ind...cle&sid=49

Thanks Ed! Sorry for the overlooking this thread.

I aint that bright sometimes.

Is that the recipe for a super glossy stock?

The one's I've seen on high end stuff look like epoxy or urathane are on them.

You can use multiple coats of linseed oil to achieve high lust glossy stock.
It is all elbow grease.
A two part urethane also can achieve this, again in multiple layers with light sanding between layers to promote better adherence.

Personally I like my stocks with slight matte coating rather than high gloss.
They improve grips in wet/sweaty hands.
But, to each their own.

If you insist to use drinkables for stock preps, 100% proof vodka or tequila can also be used to wash the oils.
Beer have too high water contents.

Kevin,
To achieve the solid coat like you see on a factory urathane finish, you must fill the pores and then the grain of the wood. If done correctly, and if you are lucky, after about three coats of Pro Custom or True Oil you will start to see a gloss or shine. When you get the stock fully done, the wood will take on the look of polished stone.

Unlike a urathane finish, a highly polished oil in the wood finish can be repaired. If you ding urathane, it is a remove and start over process and urathane will crack, egg shell like, with an impact and the oil finish will not crack.

If you want a quickie, you can buy true oil or pro custom in spray cans. Cover the checkering, sand lightly and spray, careful it will run like painting a car fender. Between dried coats sand. After about 12-20 coats it will be gloss & deep, but it will have the same type of problems urathane has, as it is a "painted on" style finish.

If you do an in the wood finish you will find out why none but the best have in the woos finishes, the finish, time wise, is worth more than the wood itself.
Best,
Ed

...Glen, like the tequilla rub idea...little for the stock, little for Stovey....rinse and repeat.

SwampFox wrote:

Kevin, Unlike a urathane finish, a highly polished oil in the wood finish can be repaired. If you ding urathane, it is a remove and start over process and urathane will crack, egg shell like, with an impact and the oil finish will not crack. Best, Ed

Excellent, excellent point and I knew there was a reason for all that rubbing. Just hadn't put two and two together. Thanks for the insight. You were a very big help and I'm a lot better informed.

I'm off to buy a bucket of elbow grease, and, a bottle of tequilla!

-k.

That sanding between coats is the real important part that gets left out alot because people get impatient its extremely important in the first coats until the grain is filled and you can't see it in the glare. make sure every coat is rock hard if you're using a uruthane or poly. don't try to build up the finish in a couple of coats it will only prolong the drying time and make you have to sand more. some oils that are are pure take weeks to dry. go ahead and use a lower grit sand paper on the first 3 coats and you'll see the tops of the peaks getting knocked off and the valleys filling faster the valleys will stay shiny and the peaks will get frosty. in the first couple of coats don't be surprised if you sand almost all the finish you're putting on back off that normal. also back your sand paper with some thing other then your hand it will flatten out faster. on the outside corners use a block on the inside corners use the biggest dowel can mask the chekering using at least 3 layers of masking tape you can cut it out by following the border with an xacto knife or scalpel. you can check my photo gallery this is an "old world" style in the grain finish thats kinda matted but the technique is the same until the last rotten stone rubbing.

If you get the correct poly urethane mix, they are really tough with very high knock and abrasion resistant.
Sorta like the wheel off a skate board.
Properly applied, you can really abuse your stock before it even got a ding and it would never ever crack like eggshell.

I believe Duracoat is also one of the type of polyurethane.

Hey gents, thanks for all the info, very much.

I'm starting get a little better idea of what actually takes place during the process. Pretty interesting. Never even heard of rotten stone, till now.
I got some scraps and a fore end I'm gonna practice on first, too.

More's the merrier and I like hearing your experiences and techniques.