Brno Model 2 wrecked stock resurrection

[Skaaphaas]

I cut it to length before epoxying and put a slight bend in the end so it could be wedged in when pushed home. Its was 5 or 6mm below the wood with epoxy above it. Used a chisel to shave it flush with the wood surface while before it set hard.

I understand, thanks. I thought the pic you took was after it was already in place, so I couldn’t figure how you cut it flush without damaging anything else on the stock.

[oafpatroll]

I understand, thanks. I thought the pic you took was after it was already in place, so I couldn’t figure how you cut it flush without damaging anything else on the stock.

Ja, that pic was a bit arb. I took it before coating the clean end of the all thread and pusing/winding it home. Thick epoxy like Epidermix traps quite a bit of air behind the all thread so you have to do a bit of wiggling and twisting to work it all out and reduce the 'spring' that wants to push it back out. I ground a lengthwise slot in it to help release trapped air. Mentioned it before and in this case it wasn't necessary but with a bit of practice I think it's possible to tint Epidermix so that it matches the wood colour almost perfectly. I'll be doing a bit of a bedding job before this all goes back together so the patch over the rod will be under a layer of epoxy anyway.

[Skaaphaas]

That’s neat. I like the threaded rod idea. Lots of surface material for the glue to grip onto.

I’ve recently redone a stock but it wasn’t nearly as involved as yours.

[oafpatroll]

For interest sake: on the old shotties Walnut stock I used Schaftol clear stock oil.

On the mauser stock mentioned above, the wax I used is Woodoc penetrating weatherproof wax as per link below.
It is a working rifle, the wax is easy enough to touch up if need be.

https://www.woodoc.com/en/products/w...atherproof-wax

The downside I find with a lacquered stock of a working rifle is if you need to touch up a mark.

Each form of finishing has it's pros and cons.

Ultimately though, the work that you put in adds to the pleasure you get out of a completed project.
This you know as is evident in the time being spent on the little rifle.

Agree 100% on the pros and cons point. From a purely functional point of view a laboriously hand rubbed oil finish rather than a urethane or epoxy based varnish is as pointless as rust bluing is compared to cerakote or similar. The advantage these 'old school' methods have is in terms of 'touch up ability'. You can spot refinish damage to a stock or bluing such that it is completely invisible with I think is all but impossible with any modern 1 step type coating. In my case they also give me something to do with my brain almost completely disengaged for hours at a time while learning skills that I thought were black magical before trying them out.

[oafpatroll]

I’ve recently redone a stock but it wasn’t nearly as involved as yours.

You sound like a smart guy with important business to attend to!

[DaavG]

Oafpatroll, thanks for the detailed thread, very cool! How do you perform the bluing process?

[oafpatroll]

How do you perform the bluing process?

I do it cheap and nasty. Prep the steel surface as required based on its condition and how glossy I want the finish to be. That can start with draw filing if there is deep pitting and ends at or around a 600 grit sanding with a block or other suitable backer to ensure lines stay crisp and straight. Then degrease at least twice and hang the parts in a cupboard with a geyser in to warm up. While waiting for that I prep the rust solution which is hydrogen peroxide with salt added which is incredibly aggressive so I dilute it a lot with distilled water. For small unhardened and non-pressure bearing bits like those from the stock I get a pot of water boiling. I have used distilled in the past but now that it's raining so much i'll just collect some rain water as it seems that chlorine or whatever else is dissolved in tap water can leave pale spots.

Once everything is ready I apply the solution very sparingly in continuous even strokes and wait for the rust to bloom. Once it has created a nice even and powdery coating I brush very lightly with a soft plastic brush and suspend the parts in the boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes. The red rust pretty quickly goes black which is apparently the conversion from iron oxide to iron ferrite. I then card the surface with an ultra fine stainless steel wire wheel that I got from a jewellers supply. This evens out the finish while removing anything that isn't firmly bonded and creates a bit of lustre. I repeat these steps multiple times until a really nice deep black colour results. Once done I take the parts straight from the last boil and liberally coat them with oil as soon as they flash dry.

The solution I use is NOT what's recommended by many people due to it being savagely aggressive and prone to causing pitting if you let it get away from you which it can very quickly if concentrated. It also apparently has the potential to cause 'hydrogen embrittlement' which can be a problem on hardened parts. When I've done actions in the past (this rifle's included) I used a commercial slow rust bluing solution which required hanging the parts above a steaming hot bath to induce rust. This takes much longer but I don't think the results look any different to the quicker turbo charged ghetto method to be honest.

[DaavG]

That's great response, thank you!

[oafpatroll]

That's great response, thank you!

Pleasure. Please don't take any of this as a recommendation, it's just what I have landed on doing and I'm sure people that actually know something about it will cringe.

[MariusT]

I do it cheap and nasty. Prep the steel surface as required based on its condition and how glossy I want the finish to be. That can start with draw filing if there is deep pitting and ends at or around a 600 grit sanding with a block or other suitable backer to ensure lines stay crisp and straight. Then degrease at least twice and hang the parts in a cupboard with a geyser in to warm up. While waiting for that I prep the rust solution which is hydrogen peroxide with salt added which is incredibly aggressive so I dilute it a lot with distilled water. For small unhardened and non-pressure bearing bits like those from the stock I get a pot of water boiling. I have used distilled in the past but now that it's raining so much i'll just collect some rain water as it seems that chlorine or whatever else is dissolved in tap water can leave pale spots.

Once everything is ready I apply the solution very sparingly in continuous even strokes and wait for the rust to bloom. Once it has created a nice even and powdery coating I brush very lightly with a soft plastic brush and suspend the parts in the boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes. The red rust pretty quickly goes black which is apparently the conversion from iron oxide to iron ferrite. I then card the surface with an ultra fine stainless steel wire wheel that I got from a jewellers supply. This evens out the finish while removing anything that isn't firmly bonded and creates a bit of lustre. I repeat these steps multiple times until a really nice deep black colour results. Once done I take the parts straight from the last boil and liberally coat them with oil as soon as they flash dry.

The solution I use is NOT what's recommended by many people due to it being savagely aggressive and prone to causing pitting if you let it get away from you which it can very quickly if concentrated. It also apparently has the potential to cause 'hydrogen embrittlement' which can be a problem on hardened parts. When I've done actions in the past (this rifle's included) I used a commercial slow rust bluing solution which required hanging the parts above a steaming hot bath to induce rust. This takes much longer but I don't think the results look any different to the quicker turbo charged ghetto method to be honest.

Interresting approach. I tried a rust bluing method from the internet using spirits of salts but could not get a nice finish. I will follow your method on a cheap airrifle as practice. For interrest, there are a few very nice how-to videos with different methods that seems easy to use on the Backyard Ballistics channel on youtube.

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