M95 stock finish coming off

Zoltan · Nov 8, 2020

I have a new-to-me Mannlicher M95 I just finished cleaning up. The stock has a dark brown finish on it, but the top layer of the finish appears to be coming off. It's already missing in patches, and it can easily be scraped off with a fingernail. Underneath it is...another brown finish.

I suspect maybe the layer that's coming off was applied after the fact? Regardless, is there any reason not to take the rest of it off?

tallen702 · Nov 8, 2020

Zoltan said:
I have a new-to-me Mannlicher M95 I just finished cleaning up. The stock has a dark brown finish on it, but the top layer of the finish appears to be coming off. It's already missing in patches, and it can easily be scraped off with a fingernail. Underneath it is...another brown finish.

I suspect maybe the layer that's coming off was applied after the fact? Regardless, is there any reason not to take the rest of it off?

Likely shellac over the original oiled finish. OG finish should be oil (BLO). It's possible it was a post-war refurbish that the Soviets shellacked, but not very likely. If you apply fuel alcohol (like you'd pick up in the paint aisle) with a soft cloth, the shellac should dissolve away. If it doesn't then it's something else applied over the top of the OG finish.

Zoltan · Nov 8, 2020

Since it's definitely not an oiled finished it sounds like I'm okay to remove it.

Thank you for the alcohol suggestion, I should actually have some on hand and will give it a try before just scraping it off.

MilsurpDan · Nov 8, 2020

Post pictures before you do anything

Zoltan · Nov 8, 2020

MilsurpDan said:
Post pictures before you do anything

I've attached two pictures that hopefully show the issue well enough. The dull areas are where the finish has already come off.

tallen702 · Nov 8, 2020

Looks like shellac over oil alright. That said, give it 48 to 72 hours before stripping it off in case someone on here recognizes it as some rare variant or the like.

Zoltan · Nov 10, 2020

tallen702 said:
Looks like shellac over oil alright. That said, give it 48 to 72 hours before stripping it off in case someone on here recognizes it as some rare variant or the like.

It's really slow going with the denatured alcohol and it's really difficult getting it out of the grain. In hidden spot I also tried acetone, mineral spirits, and Citristrip and the denatured alcohol works the best. Do you see any issue with soaking the stock in the alcohol for a while, then going at it with a scraper and brush?

Melnic · Nov 10, 2020

I had that and it was a nasty brown. I thought I used mineral spirits. Mine was not that bad to remove though.

mawkie · Nov 11, 2020

Kinda late but the warm Indian Summer weather lets you place the stock in a black plastic bag and place it in the sun, heating the wood organically and drawing out the oil from the pores. Kitty litter or Oil Dri added to the bag speeds up the process.

tallen702 · Nov 11, 2020

No issue with soaking it in alcohol at least for a little bit (not more than say, a few hours) Your other option is to give lacquer thinner a shot. Both shellac and lacquer are alcohol-based finishes, so while both of them will strip using alcohol, lacquer is generally a little harder to remove and lacquer thinner seems to do the trick a little better.

It's also worth trying the blue scotch-brite "no-scratch" pads soaked in alcohol or lacquer thinner to get the crap that settles in dings and divots. Go gently with the grain and it should help lift some of that junk out without marring the wood. Alternatively, 0000 steel wool can also be of help if used very gently and sparingly.

My Savage Lend-Lease No.4 Mk.1* had thick shellac over the OG oil finish on the buttstock and cut-down forend. It took copius amounts of alcohol and a lot of old undershirts to get it all off of there. Patience, time, persistence, and a lot of alcohol (both to remove the finish and a bottle of your favorite type to drink) will get it done in the end.

The only other thing to maybe try is Formby's Furniture Refinisher. It's a mixture of Acetone, Alcohol, Lacquer Thinner, and Mineral Spirits that will help remove all kinds of junk without removing too much oil from the wood. I always go back over it with more pure alcohol or thinner as it tends to leave behind a bit of a residue thanks to the mineral spirits.

Here's what my Enfield's forearm looked like before:

And this was after a significant amount of alcohol and pads:

Zoltan · Nov 11, 2020

So the winning solution was Scotch Brite Heavy Duty Industrial scrubbing pads. They tear through the shellac/lacquer/crap that's on there and don't harm the wood underneath. I'll post up some pictures once I'm done.

The wood underneath still looks good. If there anything I should do to protect it once I'm done?

Squaregrouper · Nov 11, 2020

Zoltan said:
So the winning solution was Scotch Brite Heavy Duty Industrial scrubbing pads. They tear through the shellac/lacquer/crap that's on there and don't harm the wood underneath. I'll post up some pictures once I'm done.

The wood underneath still looks good. If there anything I should do to protect it once I'm done?

Tru Oil is time consuming but provides excellent results.
The picture below was the result on a Swedish Mauser.

Zoltan · Nov 11, 2020

squaregrouper said:
Tru Oil is time consuming but provides excellent results.
The picture below was the result on a Swedish Mauser.

Do I need to worry about incompatibility between the existing oil finish and TruOil?

Squaregrouper · Nov 11, 2020

Zoltan said:
Do I need to worry about incompatibility between the existing oil finish and TruOil?

I can't answer that, as my stock was raw/in the white.

Zoltan · Nov 11, 2020

squaregrouper said:
I can't answer that, as my stock was raw/in the white.

Roger. I'll just go ahead and research that. Researching makes me happy.

tallen702 · Nov 11, 2020

RE: Compatibility, no, no issues that I've ever seen. TruOil is a combination of 56% mineral paint thinners, 33% oil varnish and 11% linseed or Tung oil, so it'll go over any oil finishes easily.

Alternatively, you can pick up a can of boiled linseed oil from the hardware store and rub a coat on, let it sit for 10-15 minutes, and then wipe it off with a lint-free cloth. That'll keep it well protected and "correct" in terms of finish for collectibility.

M95 stock finish coming off

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