Notes from: The Gunsmith Shop, Inc
Gun Stock Refinishing 201
By ALAN DOSS
Info Northeast contributor
There are a number of steps required to refinish a gun stock and in Stock Refinishing 101 we ran through the preliminary steps of disassembly, stripping, and sanding. Remember, the process can be long and tedious, so be patient and don’t hurry through anything. Any scratches, dents, or serious gouges take extra steps later to repair so stay away from metal paint scrapers, files, belt sanders or any other tool of potential mass-wood destruction.
The best way to know if you’ve prepared the wood surface properly is to feel with your fingers. While sanding, stop periodically to wipe off the sawdust and feel all the surface of the stock. You can feel rough spots or small scratches that are not easy to see with your eyes. Wood preparation is a critical step. The filling and staining processes will only make flaws more visible and may force you back to the sanding phase in order to achieve perfection. This can be frustrating. Trust me I know!
Checkering –
Many rifles have checkered stocks. During the refinishing process it is important NOT to sand off the checkering patterns unless it is something you want to do. Preexisting checkering is always difficult to handle. You need to get all the old finish off or the appearance will be different where the stock is checkered. The new finish may not soak in properly or color variations may result. Either way, it is not what you want. So, sand as lightly as possible over the checkering. The little bit of finish on the ‘points’ or the checkering should come off okay. You may want to do a double or triple paint stripping process on the checkered areas to reduce the amount of sanding needed. That still leaves the cuts to deal with. As a gunsmith, I have the proper checkering cutters to trace over the pattern and re-cut through the old finish. The proper checkering cutter has an elongated blade which helps to keep it in the grooves. It would be best to get yourself a single blade checkering tool for this process but you can achieve satisfactory results with the tip of a small pointed file or other tool of your choice. Take your time and be careful not to pull the makeshift tool across the cuts or you will scratch the pattern. Once the checkered areas have been cleaned up, follow the other processes as with the rest of the stock but always be gentle when working over the checkered patterns.
What finish do you want?
There are some choices here and though there are differences, this is your gun we’re talking about. The final result only needs to be what you’re going to be happy with. Think of it in three levels: basic Stock Protection (this sounds bad but if you’re refinishing your shoot-the-rat barn-gun it may be all that’s needed,) a good quality Hunter’s Finish, and an ultimate Presentation Finish. There is no absolute right or wrong. I think that a full, hand worked oil finish is the utmost in stock beauty. Someone else may like the hard sheen finish that Urethane based products offer. I usually take a middle ground for my customers based on time and cost restrictions. A true English Oil finish takes some 15 minutes a day for most of a month and that makes for a costly finish. Beautiful but not needed for your basic hunting rifle. Remember too, the higher the final sheen on the gun, the more chance of a stray glint of sunlight spooking your target. On the other hand, if your gun is being used for display or you want all the ‘Oohs’ and ‘Ahhs’ at the target range, highly polished may be one of your goals. I repeat, there is no absolute right or wrong.
De-Whiskering –
A touchy but needed step. Skip this step you may find that the final coats won’t get as smooth as you’d like because the ‘hairs’ of the grain tend to rise when they dry. This step entails wetting the stock but you need to be careful to NOT get it too wet. This step can be repeated, so it’s better to do it twice rather than soaking your now unprotected gun stock too much. The goal of de-whiskering is to get all the tiny, almost microscopic strands of cut wood grains to stand up from the main body of the stock. So…
1) Dampen a cloth, rub the moisture all over the stock. Try not to grab the stock afterwards as you will just crush the ‘hairs’ back down and not be able to shave them off
2) Dry the stock completely by either waiting long enough or holding it over a mild heat source (if you scorch the stock here you will go back to the sanding phase again)
3) Cut off the Whiskers by using 000 or 0000 steel wool to shave off the resulting ‘hairs’, this will also be the ONLY time you want to work across the grain of the stock.
Light, cross strokes will cut these ‘hairs’ off just like you were shaving. Feel it with your hand before and after. You will be able to tell when it’s done. It takes some practice to get this just right so go slow the first time and don’t use too much water. It won’t hurt to repeat this step as long as you don’t get the wood too wet.
Filling the stock –
Different woods have more or less porosity, the grain if you will, and even after sanding some woods will need assistance in achieving a perfectly smooth surface. This process is more common when heading for that ultimate Presentation Finish. There are a number of products available for stock filling and all will suit your needs. I have not tested each and every product so I will not comment on a particular brand, but each of these products is made up of an extremely fine grit held in an emulsion. It is spread on, allowed to dry and wiped, sanded or steel-wooled off. I prefer a 0000 steel wool for most of the process as it cuts back to the wood easily and cleanly. If you are heading for a Presentation Finish, you will want to sand again with 800 or 1000 grit paper at this point as 0000 steel wool is about like 600 grit paper; do this lightly though or you may be adding some whiskers back.
In the next article we will cover some major repairs. Dents, scratches, and some split repairs.
Remember: Take your time. Be thorough. Don’t get impatient. Your goal is a beautifully restored stock which will give your gun a longer useful life and give you the satisfaction of having made it look so good.
And good luck if you’ve started your refinishing project. Have fun and be patient. You will feel proud to have turned your old, beat up stock into a thing of beauty once again.
- Alan Doss owns the Gunsmith Shop, Inc. in West Branch, Michigan. Retired from a career in data processing, Doss is an accomplished writer and a member of the West Branch Optimist Club. In his spare time he works with the Firebots, the competitive robotics team from Ogemaw Heights High School.
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