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[jegner]

This weeks tip is a bit of a departure from the normal, but here goes.

I had an opportunity to work on some gun parts, and I wanted to share what I learned. As many of you know I'm a big fan of the CMP. [www.odcmp.com] and some of the M1 Garands you get from them can have some pretty raggedy wood on them. Over the past 8 or 10 years, I've been refinishing gunstocks, and I wanted to share what I have learned.

First, a couple of observations. If you have a stock and it only has a few nicks or dings in it, my suggestion is to leave it alone. Only refinish, when the stock looks like something used to stir rocks with. Most military stocks have inspectors stamps on them, and are more valuable un restored than restored condition. Also, remember, a military stock is suppose to look like it was used. A few dents gives it character.

Now, assuming you have a stock that needs some help, here is what I do: Strip all the metal off the wood. Next, soak it in some boiled linseed oil. [BLO] Scrub with a sturdy cloth to remove any old gunk and grime. Look at your efforts. Does the stock look any better? BLO can act as a mild detergent on these grime soaked stocks.

If it still looks too bad to deal with, you need to move on to a stronger cleaner. I use Gilispe [sp] Antique Finish Remover [with conditioner]. Formbys makes a similar product. Be carefull, wear gloves, and eye protection. I have a metal bucket and place the parts in there and dump in a cup or two of the refinisher. I use a wire brush and scrub the wood. Drain, repeat, until most of the gunk is gone. Set aside and allow to dry. A couple of hours is really all that is needed.

At this point, the old finish is gone, and what you have is discolored piece of wood. Dents actually can be steamed out with a clothing Iron and a wet rag, or if you have one of those steamers, they work great. It takes time to raise the dents, and deep ones will not raise up fully. You are stuck with them. Live with it. I can pull minor dents out, assuming the wood fibers are not broken.

Time to put some color back on it. I use Chestnut Ridge's Antique Military Gunstock Stain [with a touch of red]. This gives a good result if you are after that 100 year old museum relic look. I then add a bit of Minnwax Walnut stain, but thats just me. These stains are alcohol based, and will dry quickly. Rub a bit in and wait. Matching wood is an artform, and will require some mixing of colors to get all the wood to match.

The final step, for me is to add a Tung Oil Finish. This is close to what the military used, dries in a couple of hours, and you can touch it up, add more layers, until you get the sheen you want. A few coats is all I apply. I brush it on, then let it soak in. Then if I need to, smooth it out with some 000 steel wool.

The final step is to mix up Major Culvers magic paste. This is some natural beeswax melted in the microwave, some odorless turpentine, and boiled Linseed oil, mixed in equal parts. [don't heat the turpentine or boiled linseed oil]. Once mixed, you have a rubbing base, that will give you a had rubbed finish, any DI would approve of.

These are just the basics and really only apply to military stocks, but I've done a dozen or so vintage stocks, and this works great for me. I even have done laminated AK47 type Romanian stocks that had that gawdy poly-urethane finish, with good results.