Best way to refinish an old shotgun stock?

Trumpet · Jul 21, 2020

So I have this old, beat up Springfield SxS 12 ga. It really doesn't have much value at all, so I thought I'd take it apart and re-do the wood. I figure I need to get a longer screwdriver tomorrow (none of what I have fit so I gotta stop and get one), so while I'm at Lowes what should I get for refinishing the wood on this thing? Stripper and Tung Oil? Stop and get Tru Oil? I'll probably turn this into a "coach" gun so fancy-schmancy finishes need not apply.

willtill · Jul 21, 2020

Trumpet said:
So I have this old, beat up Springfield SxS 12 ga. It really doesn't have much value at all, so I thought I'd take it apart and re-do the wood. I figure I need to get a longer screwdriver tomorrow (none of what I have fit so I gotta stop and get one), so while I'm at Lowes what should I get for refinishing the wood on this thing? Stripper and Tung Oil? Stop and get Tru Oil? I'll probably turn this into a "coach" gun so fancy-schmancy finishes need not apply.

Strip it, stain it and then shellac it.

rob · Jul 21, 2020

I refinished a couple of 870 police wingmasters I got from Lou45 back in the day. Sanded, stained and sprayed on several coats of polyurethane. It seemed to work pretty well.

Rob.

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Ranchero50 · Jul 21, 2020

Maybe strip it, gently scrub it with a scotch brite, stain it a bit and linseed oil or truoil. Not a fan of poly at all. The truoil feels plasticy enough once you get a couple coats on.

hermyjoe · Jul 21, 2020

i second the truoil. i was surprised how nice it came out. It made an old pig look decent.

tallen702 · Jul 21, 2020

Tru-Oil works really well, but is labor intensive and I tend to use it for restoration projects that call for it. If you're going to chop it anyway, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't just go with a wipe-on poly in a satin finish.

Applehd · Jul 21, 2020

Lightly sanded... Rust-oleum Summer Oak... then satin clear... These are two that I got from Lou and my son refinished them in about an hour. I think they turned out beautifully. This is a before/after but they both look the same upon completion.

Trumpet · Jul 21, 2020

Applehd said:
Lightly sanded... Rust-oleum Summer Oak... then satin clear... These are two that I got from Lou and my son refinished them in about an hour. I think they turned out beautifully. This is a before/after but they both look the same upon completion.

Those are nice. From what I understand Tru-oil gets pretty glossy. Something I definitely don't want. I'll probably strip, sand, and do linseed oil

newmuzzleloader · Jul 22, 2020

I used the orange stripper from home depot ( Zep?) on a police magnum earlier this year. Stripped it, scrubbing with a nylon scrubber then wiped it down and put multiple coats (10 +) of boiled linseed oil on the stock. It was the first time I've done this and I thought it turned out turned out pretty good. There are some threads from on here where some others have done that also. The one without the sticker is refinished, the one with the sticker I haven't got to yet. Oddly enough the forearm was just as light as the other one before I stripped it but it was all heart wood walnut and immediately darkened with the BLO. It only has 3 coats on it.

Mike3888 · Jul 22, 2020

Oil finish is the best way to go. Dings and scratches are easy to repair. Hard finish isn’t easy to fix. Get your stock to the point of finish and really wet it with chosen oil and hang it in shed or something overnight, next day wipe it down with dry cloth, scuff lightly and keep repeating till you get it built up. Oh yeah once you get desired coats on it let it dry a few days and use an auto wax on it.

Pinecone · Jul 22, 2020

I have used this stuff. I like it.

https://www.arrowwoodfinish.com/

You can go from matte to glossy. Fills as you use wet/dry sandpaper while it is wet for the first coats.

Trumpet · Jul 22, 2020

Mike3888 said:
Oil finish is the best way to go. Dings and scratches are easy to repair. Hard finish isn’t easy to fix. Get your stock to the point of finish and really wet it with chosen oil and hang it in shed or something overnight, next day wipe it down with dry cloth, scuff lightly and keep repeating till you get it built up. Oh yeah once you get desired coats on it let it dry a few days and use an auto wax on it.

Pffff..I'm not even worried about that. Adds "character". I just need to get rid of the cheesy-shellac-y finish.

Topher · Jul 22, 2020

Go to the dollar store and get oven cleaner.
Spray it down and then then use a fine scotch brite pad.
Rinse with Mineral Spirits.
Dry and use a fine sand paper.

Finish with Boiled Linseed Oil. Remember to completely clean your rags and air dry in the open. (Spontaneous Combustion is a real thing!)
Remember many light coats does the trick.

Mike3888 · Jul 22, 2020

Just use stripper. My point was that if an oil finish was done it’s easier to fix versus a hard finish, as others refinish stocks also.

kgbreen · Jul 22, 2020

Is there much difference between TruOil and plain boiled linseed oil?

Doco Overboard · Jul 22, 2020

kgbreen said:
Is there much difference between TruOil and plain boiled linseed oil?

Yes and no, T-Oil has a lot of polymers in it that are designed to dry to a hard finish. BLO has polymers included as well to aid drying but not to the same extent.

The best way to use T-oil is to cut back the finish and wet sand in between coats. Make sure you have allowed ample time for drying in between thin coats. If you glob it on, it will dry with runs and sags and look like crap.

BLO is more forgiving needing several applications done the same way without the wet sanding unless you want to include that as part of the process. The trick to either is to not over apply, allow ample drying and then reduce the top coat to the same level without pockets, runs drips sags etc.
De greased steel wool or copper wool scrubber works. Use mineral spirits or turpentine as a lubricant and the wool or wet sanding paper as the vehicle to move the product around and level.

For a quick built up finish, use Blo to penetrate and moderately fill the grain to build some structure underneath and then a few top coats of RLo or equivalent. Sometimes if you force the last coat to set up you can get an ultra shiny finish with depth. Most people like to see that on a fancy hunting rifle or shotgun for looks. Or a period ML.

Tru- oil is a good finish when done with out haste. It's easy to fix too as long as you know whats on there to begin with.

I just went over a P-14 and forced finished it with flax seed oil over BLo. Looks like a shiny bumper except it has the original greasy dirt finish under it. If i want to put a haze on it I can wax it on with a powered wool bonnet used for auto finishing.

Finishing gun stocks is like cutting own a tree. Everybody has their own recipe for success.

Trumpet · Jul 22, 2020

I'm on the second coat of citrustrip now...

Topher · Jul 22, 2020

Citrus stuff is a pain the ass to use...

It's too friendly to the enviroment.
You need the most caustic stuff you can get your hands on.
If it will burn your flesh it will strip that stock in no time!

Applehd · Jul 22, 2020

Here is one I picked up for next to nothing. It was beat to shit... I mean REALLY abused... sad part is my son did not take a before pic... this one was lightly sanded and clear coated. This gun came to me brown... as in someone painted it... with a spray can. I do love this case-hardened blonde. And so does my grandson... it's his first... :innocent0

Trumpet · Jul 26, 2020

So here's a couple "before" pics....

I finally got the damn stock off. The screw was a real, frozen up bitch to get moving. After getting the buttstock off, the innards of the action look pretty rough...

I'm not going to attempt to take it apart, but I'll probably get in there with some solvent and a brush for shits and giggles. Looks like more a combination of gunk (probably decades of shitty WD40) and rust and not just rust. Any recommendations? For now I just put some CLP in there. Otherwise, it's a beater and it still works.

I did two coats of Citristrip a couple days ago, and put on the first coat of BLO.

After first coat...

I'll probably only do one or two more coats. Then to chop the barrels.....

Best way to refinish an old shotgun stock?

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