Although I don't have a pictorial to go with it, this can serve as a simple guide to refinishing a stock.
Step one: strip the stock using brush on BBQ grill cleaner. Can be purchased at Sam's Club or a like store. I use chip brushes for this although they won't last too long as the key ingrediant in the stripper is lye soap. Please wear gloves and eye protection as the lye will definitely do damage to your skin or eyes if you should get it on you. I use this in lieu of easy off oven cleaner as it is less likely to go airborne.
Note: DOD and Proof stamps as well as cartouches can be covered with tape prior to stripping and bleaching to preserve them. It also helps when doing any sanding to stand as a reminder that you don't want to sand in that area until you get to using 500 grit.
If you strip and bleach where the stamps are, you will remove the natural grime that is in the indentations and it will not show up well, not to mention the risk of having the grain raise making the stamp shallower.
Step two: after a minute or two, rinse thoroughly. I use a hose with no real pressure so as not to get any spash back. Rub the stock with your rubber gloved hand while running the hose over it.
Step three: Once rinsed, I use a wood bleach applied in the same manner as the BBQ cleaner. The bleach I use comes in crystal form and is mixed with water. It can be purchased at just about any lumberyard or hardware store. You will notice the grain lighten right away. Again caution must be used to protect your skin and eyes.
Step four: Rinse thoroughly as done in step two. There is no wait time prior to rinsing as the bleach does it's job rather quickly.
Step five: let the stock dry thoroughly. I use a fashioned piece of wire in a "S" shape and hang the stock on the clothes line.
Step Six: Once dried, it's time for inspection. Check the stock over to see if there are any dings in it that you might want to try steaming out. If so go on to the next step. If not, skip the next step and go on to step Eight.
Step seven: Using a wet piece of cloth and a regular steam iron, place the cloth over the ding and put the iron on it. When it stops steaming take a look at the dent/ding and see if it has been removed. If not repeat the process until you have the desired effect.
Step eight: For removal of the hairs left over from using water on the stock, you can choose to use a fine grit sand paper or steel wool. I've used both to fine results.
If sanding of the stock is necessary this should be done in several grits. I usually start with 100 or 120 grit and step it up to 200 then 300. Depending on the grain of the wood, I sometimes use 600, but it's not always necessary.
Caution: Be careful not to round off any of the edges as this takes away from the general appearance of the stock when finished.
Note: I've also taken a silicone carbide sand paper and wet sanded using Pure Tung Oil as a medium. This sand the oil into the stock and makes for a great finish, but we'll discuss types of finishes later on.
Note: Always sand with the grain and not against it. When usinmg a orbital sander, don's sand too fast in any direction as it can have a less than desirable effect on the grain.
Step nine: Once you have steamed and sanded the stock to your satisfaction, it's time to decide what finish to put on it.
Traditionally speaking M14 stocks were finished in Pure Tung Oil. M1 Garrand and carbine stocks were finished with boiled linseed oil.
Step ten: Using Pure Tung Oil.....
I take a small piece of soft cloth and dip it in the tung oil and applying pressure in a swirling motion, cover the stock with it. I repeat this process 3 or 4 times over the course of a day or two, depending on how much is soaked up into the wood. Once I feel the grain has soaked up enough oil, I apply another coat in the same method. Once applied, using my bare hands I rub the stock down using a bit of friction to heat the oil into the stock. This also helps in the drying process. I repeat this process daily until I get the required effect.
Important note on Birch Stocks...... I use a wood conditionaer such as Minwax applied prior to application of the Tung Oil as it fills the soft grain and keeps the stock from getting that blotchy look.
Other finishes:
Boiled Linseed Oil or BLO as it's referred to..... I have used this in the early days of my stock refinishing and found it to be less tolerable to weather, than Pure Tung Oil. Traditionally, a new military stock was dipped or submerged in a vat of BLO and then hung up to dry. That is about all tghat was done to it. No handrubbing or multiple coats. Lets face it, they weren't designed to be "Show Pieces", but combat effective.
True Oil..... True Oil is shelac based so it will dry much faster and build up quicker often times only requiring several coats with no handrubbing necessary. It has a much glossier finish to it so may need to be dulled a bit using 0000 steel wool, depending on your preference. This can also be applied using a soft cloth but not a lot of pressure is needed. It's more important to get even coats on the stock in a with the grain motion rather than swirling. I've heard of other's using a small chip brush for application, but in my opinion it puts too thick of a coating on. I would rather use several thin coats compared to one thick coat, but that is strictly up to the individual.
Note: I use True Oil on those stocks that I want to preserve the look as it does not get darker in age as fast as Tung Oil.
Gunsmith's magical paste.... This is done by putting equal parts of BLO, Turpentine and bee's wax together heated to mix thoroughly then cooled. I've used this, but as in the BLO, I found it to be less tolerable to weather than Tung Oil. It's application would be like polishing a pair of boots. Dip your rag covered index finger in the paste and apply in a swirling motion as done in the Tung Oil application. It can also be buffed when dry to as nice dull shine.
There are other oils, waxes and concoctions out there, but for the purposes of this article, I've only listed the ones I have used.
Note: In cleaning the stock, I use Pure Tung Oil as it cleans and adds a coat of oil at the same time. I end with hand rubbing it dry before putting it back in the safe. This is done each time I have a range outing.
Hope this assists you with a better understanding of basic stock refinishing.
Step one: strip the stock using brush on BBQ grill cleaner. Can be purchased at Sam's Club or a like store. I use chip brushes for this although they won't last too long as the key ingrediant in the stripper is lye soap. Please wear gloves and eye protection as the lye will definitely do damage to your skin or eyes if you should get it on you. I use this in lieu of easy off oven cleaner as it is less likely to go airborne.
Note: DOD and Proof stamps as well as cartouches can be covered with tape prior to stripping and bleaching to preserve them. It also helps when doing any sanding to stand as a reminder that you don't want to sand in that area until you get to using 500 grit.
If you strip and bleach where the stamps are, you will remove the natural grime that is in the indentations and it will not show up well, not to mention the risk of having the grain raise making the stamp shallower.
Step two: after a minute or two, rinse thoroughly. I use a hose with no real pressure so as not to get any spash back. Rub the stock with your rubber gloved hand while running the hose over it.
Step three: Once rinsed, I use a wood bleach applied in the same manner as the BBQ cleaner. The bleach I use comes in crystal form and is mixed with water. It can be purchased at just about any lumberyard or hardware store. You will notice the grain lighten right away. Again caution must be used to protect your skin and eyes.
Step four: Rinse thoroughly as done in step two. There is no wait time prior to rinsing as the bleach does it's job rather quickly.
Step five: let the stock dry thoroughly. I use a fashioned piece of wire in a "S" shape and hang the stock on the clothes line.
Step Six: Once dried, it's time for inspection. Check the stock over to see if there are any dings in it that you might want to try steaming out. If so go on to the next step. If not, skip the next step and go on to step Eight.
Step seven: Using a wet piece of cloth and a regular steam iron, place the cloth over the ding and put the iron on it. When it stops steaming take a look at the dent/ding and see if it has been removed. If not repeat the process until you have the desired effect.
Step eight: For removal of the hairs left over from using water on the stock, you can choose to use a fine grit sand paper or steel wool. I've used both to fine results.
If sanding of the stock is necessary this should be done in several grits. I usually start with 100 or 120 grit and step it up to 200 then 300. Depending on the grain of the wood, I sometimes use 600, but it's not always necessary.
Caution: Be careful not to round off any of the edges as this takes away from the general appearance of the stock when finished.
Note: I've also taken a silicone carbide sand paper and wet sanded using Pure Tung Oil as a medium. This sand the oil into the stock and makes for a great finish, but we'll discuss types of finishes later on.
Note: Always sand with the grain and not against it. When usinmg a orbital sander, don's sand too fast in any direction as it can have a less than desirable effect on the grain.
Step nine: Once you have steamed and sanded the stock to your satisfaction, it's time to decide what finish to put on it.
Traditionally speaking M14 stocks were finished in Pure Tung Oil. M1 Garrand and carbine stocks were finished with boiled linseed oil.
Step ten: Using Pure Tung Oil.....
I take a small piece of soft cloth and dip it in the tung oil and applying pressure in a swirling motion, cover the stock with it. I repeat this process 3 or 4 times over the course of a day or two, depending on how much is soaked up into the wood. Once I feel the grain has soaked up enough oil, I apply another coat in the same method. Once applied, using my bare hands I rub the stock down using a bit of friction to heat the oil into the stock. This also helps in the drying process. I repeat this process daily until I get the required effect.
Important note on Birch Stocks...... I use a wood conditionaer such as Minwax applied prior to application of the Tung Oil as it fills the soft grain and keeps the stock from getting that blotchy look.
Other finishes:
Boiled Linseed Oil or BLO as it's referred to..... I have used this in the early days of my stock refinishing and found it to be less tolerable to weather, than Pure Tung Oil. Traditionally, a new military stock was dipped or submerged in a vat of BLO and then hung up to dry. That is about all tghat was done to it. No handrubbing or multiple coats. Lets face it, they weren't designed to be "Show Pieces", but combat effective.
True Oil..... True Oil is shelac based so it will dry much faster and build up quicker often times only requiring several coats with no handrubbing necessary. It has a much glossier finish to it so may need to be dulled a bit using 0000 steel wool, depending on your preference. This can also be applied using a soft cloth but not a lot of pressure is needed. It's more important to get even coats on the stock in a with the grain motion rather than swirling. I've heard of other's using a small chip brush for application, but in my opinion it puts too thick of a coating on. I would rather use several thin coats compared to one thick coat, but that is strictly up to the individual.
Note: I use True Oil on those stocks that I want to preserve the look as it does not get darker in age as fast as Tung Oil.
Gunsmith's magical paste.... This is done by putting equal parts of BLO, Turpentine and bee's wax together heated to mix thoroughly then cooled. I've used this, but as in the BLO, I found it to be less tolerable to weather than Tung Oil. It's application would be like polishing a pair of boots. Dip your rag covered index finger in the paste and apply in a swirling motion as done in the Tung Oil application. It can also be buffed when dry to as nice dull shine.
There are other oils, waxes and concoctions out there, but for the purposes of this article, I've only listed the ones I have used.
Note: In cleaning the stock, I use Pure Tung Oil as it cleans and adds a coat of oil at the same time. I end with hand rubbing it dry before putting it back in the safe. This is done each time I have a range outing.
Hope this assists you with a better understanding of basic stock refinishing.