Refinishing a stock

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TheAirMan

TheAirMan

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Moss, Tennessee
I had a stock that needed some work. The gun is nothing expensive and won't ever be a collectible so I decided to do it and do it myself. I have removed all the old finish and steamed out some dents. I was going to let it dry a day or two before I sanded it. For those who have done it, what do you recommend finishing it with? I am more concerned about a good even finish than I am trying to get an exact shade of color. I have no idea what the wood is. It and early 90's factory Marlin stock.
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^ put a good stain to it then multiple coats of tru-oil with lite polishing with steel wool in between coats ,it will last a life time
 
Surface prep is probably more important than the brand of stain you use. Lightly sand the surface thoroughly before you start. Wood oxidizes and that will give you uneven absorption.


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Sanding is key. Make sure you sand well and finish sanding with something north of 300 grit. That wood is likely beech or somehting similar. Before staining, I would wipe on a wood conditioner as stain will likely be splotchy if you do not condition the wood first. After the conditioner, use whatever stain color you want and then an oil finish. I have never used Tru-Oil but I am sure it is fine. I do all of mine with Tung oil. I do three light coats then hit it with 00 steel wool. I do this process 4 to 5 times, giving me somewhere between 12 and 15 coats. The best part about an oil finish is that if you scuff it up in the field, come back and hit it with another coat and you are good to go.
 
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Hmm. I had a Marlin Glenfield Model 60 22 that i tried to refinish.

I sanded and sanded some more, noticed the very slight pressed checking was no longer pressing, more sanding, more sanding. I liked the old ADL fore end reverse cut so i did that, more sanding.

Finally got the wood where I wanted and then stained it with Minwax in IIRC red oak. I followed instructions to the letter.

The wood immediately streaked and mottled. The stain penetrated some portions nearly instantly, like water into a sponge. Other portions it barely darkened the surface.

After about ten coats of stain the entire stock was dark enough to hide most of the imperfections, or so I thought. After a few weeks of smart aleck remarks I put the gun away until my Boyds laminated arrived.

I wish you the very best of luck.
 
That's why I'm thinking I'll have to do what TNRifleman said and put some conditioner on first. The situation you're talking about is what I want to avoid.


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I've re-finished 3 stocks and probably spent at least 5-6 hours hand sanding the stock until it really felt like a piece of glass. Then used a clear Tru Oil rubbed on with my finger, then sanded, then Tru Oil, then sanded. Probably put 12-15 coats in this manner before I got it where I wanted it. Turned out really good.
 
I found some stain in the cabinet we used to touch up the floor when we put it down. I didn't do it and don't know where the spot is to see how it matched so I can't go by the color of our floor. Reckon how this would look. It's Minwax red mahogany. Our floor isn't anywhere near red. I'm saying it will be brown.
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I would bet that on the Beech stock it won't be quite that dark but should still look really good.
 
10 POINT":1m0otppo said:
I've re-finished 3 stocks and probably spent at least 5-6 hours hand sanding the stock until it really felt like a piece of glass. Then used a clear Tru Oil rubbed on with my finger, then sanded, then Tru Oil, then sanded. Probably put 12-15 coats in this manner before I got it where I wanted it. Turned out really good.
Click to expand...

I'm at 8 applications now on a vintage M700 stock.
This is getting old, but the stock is looking good.
 
This is the before and after of an old Rem 721 stock I did. I believe this one ended up with 15 coats of oil with no stain underneath. Just natural wood.
 
I hit it with some 120 then 180 and decided to call it a night. There are 3 little places that wouldn't iron out and I believe it will take to much to sand out. I saved some dust. May try to fill them up.
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I wouldn't fill unless you plan to paint. Wood and filler don't absorb stain the same way and you will have a mess on your hands. Finish sand and use the conditioner, then stain and finish. Some beauty marks won't buff out short of sanding it to a toothpick.


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Use a walnut stain if you want a walnut look. The red mahogany stain is supposed to mimic mahogany on light grained woods. The walnut you used for your test piece overpowered the color of the stain.


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I have done several and yes 100% use a pre stain conditioner prior to staining the stock. You will have much better results. I never liked the plastic feel of tru-oil. I prefer Waterlox original sealer/finish and as a last coat I use Waterlox satin finish.
 
Also when you are finished sanding wipe your stock down with denatured alcohol and a lint fee rag. Let dry overnight prior to conditioner and staining. If you want to knock the gloss off between coats it is better to use copper wool vs steel wool. Steel wool will leave more fibers behind and will actually rust and work back towards the surface.
 
Here it is after hitting it with 220 and 320 grit
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And here it is with Minwax pre-stain conditioner on it. In case anyone was curious, no the wax paper didn't stop the conditioner from getting on the table lol
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And here it is with one coat of Minwax special walnut. I know the pics aren't to good but I didn't really have a better out of the way place
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After one coat of tru oil I can't really tell much difference. How long to you guys wait in between coats?
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Your first few are soaking in and filling the grain. With these types of finishes, you gradually build it up with multiple coats. I'd follow the directions on the bottle. It's been a while since I did one.


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I usually do a new coat each morning.
Apply thinly and then leave in the garage for an hour or so (dang cats in the house, don't want to take a chance of a hair in the finish). Then bring inside to fully dry.
 
The first 2-3 costs I do quickly. As soon as one coat is dry to the touch I do another coat. After that I will do one a day.
 
Roughly 24 hours later. Did some 0000 steel wool followed by a tac cloth, then added a second coat.
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I buffed with steel wool again and added the third coat of Tru Oil this evening. The stock is definitely getting a good sheen in it. I'm personally not seeing much change in color. If I get home before dark tomorrow, I'm going to take it outside and check how it looks in the daylight. How do you guys know when to stop. I thought it was supposed to make the stock darker. Maybe it has and I just can't tell. Maybe I haven't added enough coats yet. I just don't want to be adding coat after coat for no reason.


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It won't darken it any more now that the grain is sealed. It may darken some with age but with a naturally light wood, you've pretty well got what you're going to get. Looks good. Stop when you are satisfied with the sheen and feel.


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That's what I was needing to know. I'm ok with the color I just didn't know if I needed to keep going. I'll do at least one more tonight then that may be it.


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