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its way beyond time and I'd like to refinish the wood stock on my hunting rifle. I plan on using Jasco varnish and stain remover, then sand as needed, then stain and seal the wood. I've only read a little bit on the process and feel confident with the removal and sand part but have questions about the stain and seal part. I dont want a gloss finish...

Whats the best way or product to stain and seal/waterproof the wood?
 
I've used linseed oil before, but it might finish up glossier than you like. There are satin finish clears and varnishes available, some are even water-based so clean-up is easier and mama won't complain about the fumes (as much).

I once did a Marlin Model 60 stock with rub-on stain and finished it off with beeswax...left a nice matte finish and was plenty durable.

I've kinda got a thing for wood-stocked rifles and shotguns...
 
Birchwood Casey Tru Oil is what I use and is probably the easiest to work with.
Once you have four or five coats applied, you can give the stock a matte finish by lightly rubbing it with some 0000 steel wool.
If the stock is made out of mahogany, I like to fill the pores of the wood with some of the reddish solid pigments that you find on the bottom of the mahogany red colored can before mixing.
Then, after rubbing that in, take some fine steel wool to clean up the grain and finish staining with the can completely mixed together.
 
My preference is to avoid stain of any kind. It can be tricky to get it even/consistent and, just in my opinion, doesn't look as nice as an oil finish. Tung oil, Tru Oil, Boiled Linseed Oil are good options. I know some folks that have used a paste made by mixing melted beeswax with linseed oil and mineral spirits - gives a nice low gloss finish. Oils instead of stains are nice because they bring out the natural color in the wood and they seem to me to give a much more even finish.

I really like the Tung Oil finish. You can get it in high gloss or low gloss finish. It's really all you need. Just add 4-5 coats and as @jbett98 noted, rub it down with 0000 steel wool if you need to smooth it down a bit and degloss the finish if needed. If the grain raises a bit during the coating, use some 400-600 grit sandpaper before the final two coats. Here is the Tung Oil I'm currently using: http://www.amazon.com/Formbys-30064-Gloss-Finish-16-Ounce/dp/B000BZZ4ZU

Regardless of what you choose to color the wood, you can add a polyurethane coating to seal everything up. I like a product known as Wipe-On Poly over sprayed polyurethane - it just gives a better look in my opinion. You can get that in low gloss too, and as before, finish over it with 0000 steel wool to degloss the finish.

By the way, for stripping, I've had good luck using a product called Citristrip that I've used on a couple of gun stocks. It's nice because it's not toxic like some other stripping compounds, you can even use it indoors. It's worked well for me so far: http://www.amazon.com/Citri-Strip-Q...TF8&qid=1464618961&sr=1-1&keywords=citristrip
 
Ive been doing this for 10 years. Only in last years am i happy with my work

Watch a ton of youtube videos, basically Strip, lightly sand, stain and seal

Remember every stock is different. You will need different strippers. You can pop dent with steam. Do not sand off stain. Stripping can take a very very long time.

I do use jasco, but it doesn't alway work.....

I personally use minmax. Remember to use a conditioner for even stain. I use teak or tang oil of or a seal


*** not for hire***

20160413_162217.jpg 20160413_162151.jpg 20160529_153310.jpg
 
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Acetone has worked well for me for stripping, it evaporates quickly and leaves no residue. The caveat is that I've been using it to strip pistol stocks, so I soak them in a sealed jar of acetone. Just soak overnight and most of the finish comes off. A little light sanding on some of the more stubborn ones is necessary.

I've also used Formby's Tung oil with excellent results. A couple coats of low-gloss or high gloss has worked well. The result is an almost exact replica of factory finish--depending on what the factory finish was to begin with of course. :)

This is a 629-1 where I used hi-gloss finish.

WIN_20160530_09_13_38_Pro.jpg
 
thanks for the replies. There seems to be overwhelming support for using some kind of oil to seal the wood, hopefully I can find some at my local store or I can order on Amazon. I read the Tung oil provides the best waterproofing of natural oils... I'm really convinced I cant get enough waterproofing for a hunting rifle here in Oregon. Hunting is not easy on the rifle... I take good care of it but I use it rain or shine. Add a few bumps or scratches and I've noticed the rain soaks in and after last years coast elk monsoon it took weeks for it to dry out.
With the Tung oil how easy is it to maintain the waterproofness? Can I just sand and reapply any bumps or scratches?
 
thanks for the replies. There seems to be overwhelming support for using some kind of oil to seal the wood, hopefully I can find some at my local store or I can order on Amazon. I read the Tung oil provides the best waterproofing of natural oils... I'm really convinced I cant get enough waterproofing for a hunting rifle here in Oregon. Hunting is not easy on the rifle... I take good care of it but I use it rain or shine. Add a few bumps or scratches and I've noticed the rain soaks in and after last years coast elk monsoon it took weeks for it to dry out.
With the Tung oil how easy is it to maintain the waterproofness? Can I just sand and reapply any bumps or scratches?

Places like Fred Meyer, Home Depot and Lowe's will all carry Tung Oil - look in the painting section. I use the Formby's brand, but there are others. I haven't had any issues with water myself. The nice thing about oils is that they are naturally water resistant and help to fill the pores in the wood. You can definitely brush up the finish with a new coat or two from time to time if you need.
 
My preference is to avoid stain of any kind. It can be tricky to get it even/consistent and, just in my opinion, doesn't look as nice as an oil finish. Tung oil, Tru Oil, Boiled Linseed Oil are good options. I know some folks that have used a paste made by mixing melted beeswax with linseed oil and mineral spirits - gives a nice low gloss finish. Oils instead of stains are nice because they bring out the natural color in the wood and they seem to me to give a much more even finish.

I really like the Tung Oil finish. You can get it in high gloss or low gloss finish. It's really all you need. Just add 4-5 coats and as @jbett98 noted, rub it down with 0000 steel wool if you need to smooth it down a bit and degloss the finish if needed. If the grain raises a bit during the coating, use some 400-600 grit sandpaper before the final two coats. Here is the Tung Oil I'm currently using: http://www.amazon.com/Formbys-30064-Gloss-Finish-16-Ounce/dp/B000BZZ4ZU

Regardless of what you choose to color the wood, you can add a polyurethane coating to seal everything up. I like a product known as Wipe-On Poly over sprayed polyurethane - it just gives a better look in my opinion. You can get that in low gloss too, and as before, finish over it with 0000 steel wool to degloss the finish.

By the way, for stripping, I've had good luck using a product called Citristrip that I've used on a couple of gun stocks. It's nice because it's not toxic like some other stripping compounds, you can even use it indoors. It's worked well for me so far: http://www.amazon.com/Citri-Strip-Q...TF8&qid=1464618961&sr=1-1&keywords=citristrip
Citri-Strip is the citri-sh*t...
 
IMG_20150627_090630.jpg total time to strip look less than 30 minutes, NO CHEMICALS, stain was a mix of two colors. Sealed with polyurethane.

I have bee REFINISHING wood for 40+ years.
Chemicals will raise the grain almost every time, requiring sanding.
All commercial gunstocks are stained, difficult to match color, I have at any time 6 different colors to mix to get close.
Ding repairs are difficult, if it is minor fill it with clear finish. Steaming by a non professional will only increase the difficulty and size of the problem area.
Achieving a satin fInish is easy.
 
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well here's what I'm stuck with... Jasco varnish remover and Cabots Tung oil. Those are what my local hardware store had.

I'm not certain yet if I want to go with the natural wood color or stain it but I'd rather have a darker color stock so I picked up a small sample of Cabots dark walnut wood stain.

thanks for the tips everyone, originally I was going to go with a polyurethane stain then hit it with a spray can of matte enamel but my feeling was against that so I asked and glad I did.
 
personally I like a tinge of red in my stain, like winchester used.Experiment with tung oil, for BLO I
I add a bit of a volatile petroleum product (this is very dangerous do it out in a well ventilated area) it accelerates the drying time, but will require more coats.

you probably don't want a true matte finish, the irregular surface will trap dirt and moisture to the stock. A satin finish will be low reflective. To achieve this after you have built up the final finish, take a walnut sized piece of 4/0 steel wool lubricated with your tung oil (or BLO) and use light small circular strokes to "knock off" the glossy shine. think of the same method used to spit shine boots with a cotton ball. wipe it down and let t dry again and you are done.

btw madmax if you knew what you were doing you would be dangerous.
 
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thanks for the replies. There seems to be overwhelming support for using some kind of oil to seal the wood, hopefully I can find some at my local store or I can order on Amazon. I read the Tung oil provides the best waterproofing of natural oils... I'm really convinced I cant get enough waterproofing for a hunting rifle here in Oregon. Hunting is not easy on the rifle... I take good care of it but I use it rain or shine. Add a few bumps or scratches and I've noticed the rain soaks in and after last years coast elk monsoon it took weeks for it to dry out.
With the Tung oil how easy is it to maintain the waterproofness? Can I just sand and reapply any bumps or scratches?
A nice gun stock stain can be made by putting a plug of chewing tobacco in a mason jar with ammonia. Let it sit for a couple weeks.
 

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