Improving on factory wood stock finishes

[Adam in WI]

Question for the the wood workers here. Is there anything the at home hobbyist can do to factory wood stocks to give them a little more "pop"? I've got a Ruger No 1 that is rather bland in terms of character when compared to it's contemporaries. Without breaking out the torch and putting fake tiger striping on it, what can be done? Can filler be added in it's current state? Can it be buffed and oiled without stripping it down and starting over?



The next candidate is a 1970's Remington that I'm particularly proud of. It's wood is unlike any I've seen on a factory Remington. It has very nice grain and is a joy to handle. It does however have very open grain and I'm wondering if it would look even better if it were filled and oiled up and buffed some more.

 

[drover]

Since you are asking these questions I am going to assume that you do not have experience in refinishing wood. If that is correct you may be better off getting in touch with some folks who refinsh stocks as a profession, there are quite a few who do it and IMO generally their prices are not too bad, especially considering that if you are not proficient at it you could end up devaluing the rifle quite a bit. If you feel that you are capable then jump in with both feet and good luck.

Personally I do not have the time or patience for wood finishing and every stock refinish project I have tried has been a disaster. As the line from the old movie say - "a man has got to know his limitations".


drover

 

[Adam in WI]

I'm not necessarily looking to refinish, but rather asking if it's possible to do a little of this or that to improve the existing finish.

 

[OLeveraction]

Renaissance Wax.

 

[KY_Windage]

The finish looks like an oil to me. I would think you would be happy alternating buffing it with 0000 steel wool and applying tung oil. Do it enough times and you fill up the pores and be left with a beautiful finish.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

Before you put anything on there send em to bc’z and get em dyed up good. If you dont want to go that route use slippery dicks or renaissance wax

 

[Adam in WI]

Before you put anything on there send em to bc’z and get em dyed up good. If you dont want to go that route use slippery dicks or renaissance wax

What is dyeing going to look like though? I do really like the Remington as-is. I just thought of putting a little work into it to really bring it alive

 

[Twdmar]

What is dyeing going to look like though? I do really like the Remington as-is. I just thought of putting a little work into it to really bring it alive

Theses stocks already look pretty good. Dye on walnut is more used when trying to blend heart wood and sap wood colors, especially if it has not been steamed or you want the herter's red look. An oil will bring out the chattoyance(iys a real wood) of the tiger striping of the wood
Not know what the finish is, I would not put anything over it other than wax. Old masters make a carbauba wax that dries nice and hard.
When doing walnut, I sometimes fill the pores with a slurry of finish and rottenstone. I like how it accentuates the black streaks more black. Then with finer grits, put the finish on with sandpaper and wipe off the slurry until all the pores are filled. Then wipe a couple coats of finish on.
Tung oil looks good but it's a pain and not all tung oil varnish is created equal. A polymerized oil is pretty tough, looks good. Brownells sells a good one one but minwax antique oil works well and watco danish oil can work too

 

[CharlieNC]

Over the last few months I have used Arrow Wood Finish as a top coat over the existing finish on several rifles and a shotgun. Simply clean with alcohol and rub on a small amount with your fingers for a lustrous finish, or sand in with very fine grit for a matte finish. I tried it based on recommendations here, and it is by far the best I have used.

 

[DGP4]

Unless you have woodworking experience it will be hard to improve on those stocks. If you really insist, your first step is to test the existing finish. If lacquer thinner dissolves the finish (test on an area that is discreet) you can easily add a semi gloss or gloss coat over the existing finish as lacquer is accretive and will allow adding more coats. You'd need to clean with mineral spirits before doing anything. If the finish is an oil based varnish or polyurethane, the existing finish would have to be sanded. Wet sanding with diluted finish will fill the pores. Lots of articles on the web on how to do this. Before doing anything spend some time researching the procedures.

 

[Sniper338]

You would be better off buying or having replacement stocks made with an actual wood that has figure. No amount of buffing sanding or anything else will help if the wood doesn't have figure to begin with.

 

[cdgaydos]

If they polyurethane finished, you would have to remove the old before any refinishing...
If they are oil rubbed you can look at BLO or danish oil... Tru Oil is a good option too (thinned with MS)

To fill you can wet sand with mineral spirits and your your oil of choice.

I really like BLO but it is not as durable... but then again it is easy to repair and gets better with time. It takes a long time to build a finish properly. It gains character with age and use.

When you achieve the finish you want, then use Renaissance wax... it will help protect your finish from water stains. However, it must be removed before oiling more. I have not found it to change the look at all... it is for protection...

There are so many ways and opinions on stock finishes. It depends on what you want. Trading durability, warmth, feel, character, ease of maintaining...

As others have said, you will only be able to highlight what is there. I would not try to create grain or figure that is not there. If you decide to then look at the techniques used by muzzleloader stock makers... using heat reactive compounds and a heat gun. Nothing is a substitute for natural grain, however.
I think your stocks look good... maybe try cleaning them up and perhaps light sanding and oiling... but, be careful... it can be a rabbit hole.

 

[Preacher]

One thing nice about Arrow wood oil is it can be used over existing finishes without any prep work..

 

[CharlieNC]

One thing nice about Arrow wood oil is it can be used over existing finishes without any prep work..

Your recommendation in this regard is why I tried it, and it exceeded my expectations; especially the ease at which it fills the grain while still providing a warm/non plastic appearing luster.

 

[drover]

I'm not necessarily looking to refinish, but rather asking if it's possible to do a little of this or that to improve the existing finish.

My mistake, I misinterpreted what you were thinking of doing. Good luck with the project.

drover

 

[Adam in WI]

Ordered the 4 ounce bottle of Arrow. Going to give that a shot given it's vocal fans.

 

[Tommie]

@Bc'z

 

[Bc'z]

@Bc'z

Dealing with the checkering is a huge PITA for what I do. Lots of masking to keep checkering clean through the whole process of dying and priming.
To keep edges clean and have a good finish I also need to clear over on last coat of clear.
I'm not saying it cant be done, just it's no fun doing it.
This shotgun furniture belongs to
@std7mag .

 

[std7mag]

Dealing with the checkering is a huge PITA for what I do. Lots of masking to keep checkering clean through the whole process of dying and priming.
To keep edges clean and have a good finish I also need to clear over on last coat of clear.
I'm not saying it cant be done, just it's no fun doing it.
This shotgun furniture belongs to
@std7mag .View attachment 1248291View attachment 1248292

Wait...
Your sending me some beautiful shotgun furniture??

Need to buy a shotgun to put it on!
What make & model do i need to get?

 

[Bc'z]

Wait...
Your sending me some beautiful shotgun furniture??

Need to buy a shotgun to put it on!
What make & model do i need to get?

My bad, I thought it was yours, its been a couple years.
I cant even remember if it was a Beretta or a Browning.