School me on stock finishing.

[Jdubthedub]

I just got a CMP Special M1 Garand, I love the rifle, and want to do a Tung oil treatment on the stock but have never worked with wood so I have never attempted anything like this. Does anyone have a good video or have hands on experience to show me how to do it? I'm in the Hillsboro/Beaverton area.

Thanks!

Read More

 

[Koda]

I redid my stock with Tung oil and think its the way to go. I didn't think it was that difficult either just remove the old finish, dry, sand, and apply several layers of Tung oil buffing with 0000 steel wool between layers. The more layers the more waterproofing. If you want a more glossy finish leave as is on the last coat, if you want a more matte finish buff with 0000 wool after it dries.

I did a thread with good info in it here: refinishing wood stock

 

[madmax]

I redo stocks all time. It's easy, just time consuming. To bad the government ban the good stuff when it come to stripping finish off

 

[madmax]

Tung oil in for interior furniture. Teak oil is for exterior furniture. I switch to teak oil a long time ago. Better UV and water and chemical protection

Try to do as little sanding as possible. You can pop out most damage with a wet rag and iron.

You tube is your friend. Practicing is very important

 

[turq]

Please read the warnings on linseed oil if you use it ; spontaneous combustion has happened.
I used tung oil in many coats. Beware of using too course of grit as all those scratches will need to be sanded back out.

 

[madmax]

One more pro tip. Heat it your friend. Is time year is too cold to be working in not heated garage. The stain and oil need to be at room temperature to evenly soak in. I put mine over heat register over night. The heating and cooling cycles insure you get a never even color and coat. Yes this add time. It takes me a good seven days to refinish a stock. That's after fitting and sanding and any need repairs

 

[Koda]

Yeah, i purposefully did mine in the heat of summer. One thing that took a week was to let the bare stock dry after removing the original finish.... Was a gooey damp process. I wanted to make certain the bare wood was dry, and each layer of tung oil dry between coatings.

 

[turq]

To get cosmoline out of surplus wood stocks(mine were fn-fals) go to bum art for Formbys furniture Refinisher. Tin Pint can. Akin to acetone.FLAMIBLE
I heated stock behind a wood stove, wood will sweat. Take outside wipe down with the Formbys steel wool 0000 or a cloth rag. Stuff evaporates FAST. Don't breath.
Re-sweat, re-do say five times. Till wood no longer sweats any...
Tung will not stick to an oily wood stock and dry,,,,, more of a goo. Good luck

 

[Tony617]

I bought military surplus stock for my AK and took about a week the get all of the varnish off. I was gentle and and used a business card to scrape the varnish off and a toothbrush. Then I started with 120 sandpaper and then finished with 220 sandpaper. I used minwax pre-stain and then put five coats of minwax stain on it. Then I used minwax wipe on poly. I used 0000 steel wool before put the next coat of wipe on poly. I used an air compressor and blow all of the dust away before apply the next coat of wipe on poly.

 

[madmax]

The key to stripping is, keep putting it on till the paint/varnish gets soft. Keep pocking at it till is jelly/soft and you can then scrape it off in long blob. The worst stuff is when it smells like shoe polish. You know it going to fight you the whole.way

 

[User 1234]

If it is original GI wood, e.g. dark and beat up, don't refinish it. Keep it separate or sell it to someone who wants the original battlefield history.

 

[Pepe-lepew]

Since it is a CMP special it is a new CMP stamped stock. They have a light finish you can take off or oil over. If I ever refinish another, I would just oil it with tung oil or boiled lindseed oil over the original finish. I have friends that have done them this way and it looks and feels good.

I re-finished a CMP stock and made a couple mistakes I learned from. I did not like the heavy hang over or CMP cartouche so I did some sanding. I sanded it like a furniture project to 220 grit. I lifted the grain with water and sanded again to make it smooth. After applying the finish it was too smooth. None of my hardly used USGI stocks are that smooth. Roughness of the finished surface helps keep a grip, especially when shooting rapids in a match. I would final sand with 150 grit at max and not sand out when the grain lifts.
Another mistake was curing of the finish. I used tung oil and cut the first few coats with mineral spirits. I then added a few more coats giving a day to cure between coats. I left the stock in a window with the sun to generate heat. That partially frosted the tung oil. Leave the stock out of direct sunlight when curing.

Tung or lindseed oil takes days and sometimes weeks to fully cure. When applying an oil finish I leave a small oil patch on the bench to dry. When it is dry I know the stock is fully cured and dry.

If you want a true USGI look, you will need several different types of oils and other specialty finishes. Start by the standard Tung or linseed oil finish and let fully cure. Next, throw the rifle down the driveway a few times and leave it bouncing around in the back of a pickup for a week. Next apply and remove specialty coats of used motor oil, grease, cosmoline and linseed oil until you get the color you prefer. To add the look of a arsenal rebuild, half sand off the CMP cartouche and sand a few other area of the stock with 80 grit leaving the sandpaper scratches. Then apply your oil finish followed by your choice of the other treatments I mentioned.

Hope that helps!

 

[Whisky Tahoe]

Consider Tru-Oil, and a large assortment of you tube videos along with warm weather.
It is a labor of love which is why I pay a guy to do it

 

[Jdubthedub]

Consider Tru-Oil, and a large assortment of you tube videos along with warm weather.
It is a labor of love which is why I pay a guy to do it

Who do you go to?

 

[Whisky Tahoe]

Who do you go to?

I ship it to a friend from our shooting club who has moved to Idaho. I can check and see what his backlog is.
For sanding and a clear coat finish, it ran $200. Might be more if you are looking at multiple coats sanded in between.
Send me a PM if interested.

Like I said labor of love. I understand why people want to do this themselves

 

[madmax]

200 is fair. It's a fair about of work and a lot of waiting

 

[Jdubthedub]

I ship it to a friend from our shooting club who has moved to Idaho. I can check and see what his backlog is.
For sanding and a clear coat finish, it ran $200. Might be more if you are looking at multiple coats sanded in between.
Send me a PM if interested.

Like I said labor of love. I understand why people want to do this themselves

Lemme know when you know!

 

[coop44]

After 3 decades of refinish work on guns and furniture. I can strip a dry stock in less than an hour. Ready to finish immediately. Took a clue from an old G.I. on how they used to strip black finish from well used garand stocks with broken glass. Basically shaving it off and learning how to raise dents.

 

[ron]

I just got a CMP Special M1 Garand, I love the rifle, and want to do a Tung oil treatment on the stock but have never worked with wood so I have never attempted anything like this. Does anyone have a good video or have hands on experience to show me how to do it? I'm in the Hillsboro/Beaverton area.

Thanks!

CMP stock most likely will require minor fitting for accuracy. Barrel, trigger group and rear handguard clearance. I have fitted several new CMP
stocks with a little sanding. I have always used BLO. Boiled Linseed Oil. Several coats sanding in between coats. God home project.

CMP M1 Garand, Part 3: Making the Most of Your Rifle -

If you read the previous two installments on how to order from the CMP, then you have a good idea about how to get eligible, fill out your paperwork, and send in your packet for a Field- or Service-Grade M1 Garand rifle. Now what? Once the waiting is done, and your rifle arrives at your … Read...

www.thefirearmblog.com

Account Suspended

How's the fit of new CMP stocks? - CMP Forums

Please post your questions and comments regarding CMP Garand Sales here!

forums.thecmp.org

 

[Bon Sauvage]

If you have a CMP stock why not follow the CMP recommendations?

Wood Cleaning Article - Civilian Marksmanship Program

USGI Rifle Stocks and Hand Guards: Walnut and Birch Entry Level Care and Preservation Tips and Considerations for CMP Wood (August 2005 Revision: Sections 6.1 and 6.7 have additions and Sections 6.4a and 6.4b are new.) CMP surplus rifles such as the M1 Garand, M1903 Springfield, and the various...

thecmp.org