Wood Stock Refinishing

[Windsor]

I read on one site that you should thin it 50/50 for the first coat. That sound right?

 

[jbett98]

After staining to the desired color and letting the stain dry overnight, just wipe on a thin coat with a small piece of lint free cloth, then let it dry for over 24 hrs.
Then lightly rub the surface of the stock with 0000 steel wool to burnish off the gloss finish
Wipe off the dust, then repeat two more times, or, until the wood pores are sealed.
If you want the glossy look, pay special attention to the last coat, making sure you coat the stock very evenly and with a little more Tru-Oil then the previous coats.
I prefer military stocks to have a vintage look, so after the last coat, I lightly rub the stock with steel wool, and then coat it with black Kiwi shoe polish.
Let it dry for about an hour, then buff off.
Repeat at least once. You then have a more worn vintage look, instead of a brand new glossy refinished look.
One thing I have learned refinishing old stocks, especially old walnut stocks, is that when I go to stain a vintage stock, I take a screw driver and scrape up some of the solids from the bottom of an old can of walnut colored stain and rub into the wood grain with the putty like solids.
Let that dry, and rub with a medium coarse cloth. Then apply the stain to match the color you want.
This method fills in the little dents and hairline cracks that would look funny if they had the glossy finish in them.
The old master stock makers would use the same method, but they called it the French Red process.
Hope this helps.

 

[Windsor]

Help a lot. Thanks. I'll try that Kiwi trick.

 

[Windsor]

Probably a little too "pretty" for some of ya. Didnt stain it, just 6 coats of oil (with some wet sanding and steel wool) then two coats of conditioner.

 

[theperk63]

Oregon Timberwolf Custom Gun Works in Mulino does stock work.