Brno Model 2 wrecked stock resurrection

[oafpatroll]

Thanks. The original military style trainer stock which is the third pic wasnt the one I refinished. I did the dainty little sporter which is the one in the disassembled pic. It's still in mint condition and will be wrapped up in paper and put away for a rainy day.

The OCD kicked in again today and I did 3 hours more steaming after spotting a little depression on one of the rails. When that one was done I quickly steamed out an oil stain spot . . . . and then it was 9pm.

I haven't noticed wet weather making much of a difference re the oil drying. If you are sing boiled linseed and doing it properly you use very, very little at a time like under a quarter teaspoon little. Then you rub it until it feels completely dry. If you use much more it takes ages to dry.

Exception to that is if you're wet sanding to fill grain. Then you need to build up a bit of slurry which needs a fair bit of oil. Since I've gone down the turd polishing rabbit hole I wont be getting oil to this before the weekend.

[DaavG]

Very nice Oafpatroll. How do you remove excess oil from the stock? Tried soaking in acetone but there is oil around in the stock around where the action sits and not really winning.

[oafpatroll]

Thanks DaavG. I start with directly soaking parts that I can get to with acetone, e.g. on the end of the butt (how in the name of all that's holy did that get oil soaked). For the other less accessible parts I pack cotton cloth onto the surface and then soak that in acetone and wrap with polyethylene sheet to slow evaporation. Lastly steaming with a very hot iron and very wet fabric takes quite a bit of the colour out of the surface. These all take repeated applications and I do them till I see no change occuring. Much of the cosmetic damage to the one I'm working on now appears to have been done by seriously overzealous oiling. The rifle must have looked like a bodybuilder at a show at points in its previous life

[oafpatroll]

Spent a few more hours steaming out the last fixable issues and block sanding the whole stock to 600 grit. Will leave it to dry out thoroughly in a geyser cupboard and take the time to rust blue the metal work. The trainer style stock has a steel but plate which is pretty cool as the more typical plastic ones, especially on the older guns are othen boogerd up good.

[Fire-stick]

Looking good, the time spent stripping, steaming, sanding and oiling with the extra elbow grease put into the project is worth it for a great end result.

The minor blemishes or marks left give it character and don't make it look like a battle worn tool that nobody cared about but instead leave it with a character making people wonder about the scars and how they happened.

Different to something pristine looking...

After drying for a while and whilst the oil is absorbed, save a little elbow grease to run over a 1200 grit paper (or better still a sanding sponge) for a few strokes to flatten the few miniscule fibres that rise up in the interim.
It will soften the satin look and raise the sheen slightly.

The fine sanding sponge and oiling will top off the finish on an already well revived stock.

The fine grit and oiling helped finish and "polish" an antique shotgun stock and foregrip of an old shottie I revived and finished.

It also helped with the final finish on my Israeli Mauser stock that had seen many better days.

I also stripped it, steamed, sanded steamed again, sanded again, stained and then applied furniture wax on that one.

Israeli Mauser stocks (depending on the import method) tend to leech oil in the sun.
Generally, as the story goes that I was told or heard and came to understand, they were "imported" submerged in barrels of oil with the trade and trade embargo restrictions at the time with the global audience.

The dark coloured stocks were / are like Sponges and contain more absorbed oil that leeches when warm.

[Fire-stick]

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.

[Skaaphaas]

A question, after you epoxied the threaded rod in there, how did you cut it off flush with the timber?

[Fire-stick]

A little side note of interest to those that may contemplate stock refinishing.

Fine grade steel wool (the finer the better) is also a fantastic method of finishing and flattening or Polishing wood instead of sandpaper when working it down to a fine finish.

The steel wool is easier to flex around the contours or shape of the wood.
It will easily remove old surface layers and prepare for a new surface to oil or wax or varnish.

When breaking off usable sized chunks off of the steel wool bundle, give it a good shake and tap to remove any loose steel particles before working the wood.

The fine grade pot scourer pads are also good for final grade sanding and flattening for a smooth surface with the finishing oil.

[oafpatroll]

A question, after you epoxied the threaded rod in there, how did you cut it off flush with the timber?

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.

[oafpatroll]

@Fire-stick, I agree on the usefulness of steelwool and prefer it in really fine grade, i.e. 0000 for final finishing and knocking back sheen. It's worth giving it a rinse in acetone as it often comes oiled to prevent rust and I've had the oil leave Mark's on light coloured work pieces before.