Good to know brother
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Thanks greg, i’ll probably use pb blaster as thats what i have on hand. I unfortunately do not have a torch, so that may be something i must invest in before i get this pin out. but honestly its only half my worry, as even after i get the pin out, i dont know if the barrel will seperate from the receiver all that easily. i wonder if it just slips out, or if its threaded, or what… as i have no idea.
Kevin, thanks for taking the time. i really appreciate it as my wood refinishing skills are not what they should be, as i’ve very rarely ever done it. your steps will help me immensely. i have 00 steel wool already, however i think i dont have any citri strip. i’ve heard of the iron trick for blemishes. thats good to know about wrapping in a bag. i didnt know about that… thank you again for the steps. when im ready to, i’ll follow your steps here to see how i can do that stock… wow your stock is really turning out looking good!!
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I have this guide and it has many of the tips and tricks that I have learned. People for some reason think that you should never soak your wood stock. Forget that old notion. Water, sandpaper, wet sanding the stock helps a lot to really get a smooth finished project. When you sand wood you leave little fingers of wood down in the grain. Wetting the wood makes those fingers of wood to stand up outside the grain again. Once the fingers dry just a little bit hit them with sand paper again to cut the fingers off. Once you start applying stain, oil or paint you don’t really want the wood to get wet. You should always seal the inside of a stock and also the outside. This helps keep the wood from warping from humidity, the stock getting rained on and making your action to start it rust from the moisture in your wood stock.
Hand Rubbed Oil Finish- Guide.docx (16.6 KB)
How to Apply a Hand-Rubbed Oil Finish:
What You’ll Need
Wood stripper, such as Citristrip
A stripper safe paint brush
Fine-grit sandpaper (220, 320, 400, and optionally 600)
Lint-free cloths
Tung oil gunstock finish, such as Tru-Oil or Pro Custom Oil
Gloves (because it can get messy)
Optional: Permalyn Sealer, boiled linseed oil, acid brush, pumice, rottenstone
Getting Down to Business
We start by removing the old finish from the stock. Put down old newspapers or a drop cloth, stand the stock vertically, and using a paint brush, apply a generous amount of stripper by starting at the bottom and working your way up. Just follow the instructions on the stripper you’re using and let it work. When it’s time to remove the stripper, hold the stock under running water and rinse the stripper off. It should be apparent whether or not any of the old finish remains and you need to apply another coat of stripper.
Prepare your sandpaper sheet by cutting it into quarters (cut, never tear sandpaper!). Start with a 220 grit square, folded so it is more workable by hand. Under the running water, begin sanding the stock WITH the grain. The purpose of wet sanding is to remove any remaining finish and raise the grain as the stock dries.
Minor Repair Work
At this point, depending on the condition of your stock, you may want to sand out any scratches or dings. Use the 220 sandpaper to dry sand the stock, being careful not to concentrate on too small of an area so you don’t create a divot in the wood. Once this is done, repeat the wet sanding process and let dry.
(A Tip for Sanding, Wet or Dry: You may find it handy to cut the sandpaper into even smaller squares. It is important to use a backer to the sandpaper, so you do not round off edges that should be flat and square, such as the top of the barrel channel and the borders of the checkering. A block of hard wood works fine as a backer, but toward the final phases of sanding, go with something that has a bit of “give” to allow the grain to fill more. For this, a hard rubber block, such as an old-style school eraser, works great. Remember, always sand WITH the grain, never against.)
Sealing (Optional)
Just applying the tung oil alone will do a great job of sealing the wood. For even more protection, you can apply Permalyn Sealer to the dry, stripped wood stock. This is completely optional, and it will increase the work time because you will have to wait for the sealer to dry completely.
To seal the stock with Permalyn, use a lint-free cloth or a brush (an acid brush will do) to apply it all over the stock. Apply just enough to make the stock surface look wet. When painting the sealer on, be sure to get it inside the action area and barrel channel. You should be able to see the dry wood soak up the sealer. That’s exactly what you want, and all you need is one light coat. Once the sealer dries, the stock should look a bit fuzzy due to the raised grain. That’s good! Now you’re ready to start applying finish.
Prepping the Checkering (Optional but Recommended)
If you have checkering on your stock, tape this area off with painter’s tape. Use a razor blade to cut the tape to the boarder of the checkering. (Don’t worry, we’ll tell you when it’s safe to remove the tape!) The purpose of the tape is to prevent the checkering from becoming gummed up with the many coats of finish. It also protects the checkering from damage by a slip of the sand paper.
A Note on Stock Oils:
The reason we are using products such as Tru-Oil or Pro Custom oil, rather than straight tung oil, is because they have additional properties that aid in drying, application, and durability of the finish. Also, contrary to popular belief, sealing the stock first will not prevent the stock from taking the finish, as long as everything is applied correctly.
Applying the Finish
Now that we have a stock that has had the grain raised, sealed (optional), and thoroughly dried, we can start applying our finish. Use a rag or acid brush to apply a thin coat of oil on the inside of the action recess and barrel channel. Pour a bit of finish into a small dish or container. Wrap your sandpaper square (320 grit) around a wood or rubber block, dip the sandpaper into the finish and start sanding the finish onto the stock, remembering to always go with the grain. When you feel the sandpaper is no longer cutting, replace it with a fresh piece. It should typically take you around 30-45 minutes to do a coat on a standard non-complex stock.
Coat 1: Go over the entire stock in the fashion described above. No need to worry about the action recess and barrel channel this time. When your paper gets dry, dip it in the oil, and repeat the process. You should be creating what appears to be mud. This is the wood dust mixing with the finish. Don’t wipe this away! You’ll put it to good use. Once you have gone over the entire stock and have mud all over it, dip your hand (feel free to use gloves) in the finish and wipe the mud AGAINST the grain. Wiping against the grain uses the mud as a filler for the stock. Leave the mud caked on and allow the stock to dry overnight.
Coat 2: Grab a new square of 320 grit and repeat the same process as Coat 1. Use a lint-free cloth to wipe off the mud as you go this time, but use the wet, oil-soaked sandpaper to apply the finish. Think of it as sanding the finish into the stock. If you angle the stock in the light just right after you wipe an area, you’ll be able to see dull areas that don’t quite belong. These are areas where there is still dried mud from the previous coat. Just continue sanding until they are all removed. Once you have gone over the entire stock, you should be left with a nice filled grain structure. If you are working with a very porous piece of wood, it may be necessary to repeat the process of Coat 1 again to fill the grain even further. Let the stock dry overnight.
Coat 3: We can now move on to our 400 grit sandpaper and repeat the same process used in the previous coat. In many cases, it will be perfectly acceptable to stop here. But if you want to go even further, feel free to repeat this coat with 600 grit. Once you are done sanding, you can remove the tape if you taped off your checkering and use an acid brush or something similar to apply a thin coat of oil to the checkering. Regardless of which route you choose, you once again need to let the stock dry overnight.
(Optional Coat: If you wish to go a step further and adjust the sheen of the finish, you can use boiled linseed oil with either pumice or rottenstone. Pumice will give you a more matte finish, while rottenstone will produce a glossier finish. Dip the end of a soft cloth in the linseed oil, and sprinkle some of the pumice or rottenstone onto the stock. With your fingers backing the cloth, work the oiled cloth into the media you placed on the stock. Just rub it in by hand and use a clean cloth to wipe it up when the desired sheen is reached.)
You can now reinstall the action into the stock. Keeping It Sharp
Maintain your masterpiece with an occasional refresher coat of oil, especially after heavy use, or if you notice wear on the finish.
Wrapping Up
A hand-rubbed oil finish is more than just a protective layer. It’s a statement of your craftsmanship and care for your firearm. Follow this guide, and you’ll have a gun stock that’s not only protected but also a testament to the timeless beauty of a wood gun stock.
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Greg,
perfect example for gun stock refinishing! Heck l learned a few tricks myself…this should help Steve @GamecockOperator further when he starts his stock. I hope he will be successful in removing that barrel!
I am done with my stock for now…the storms and humidity has not been in my favor last 3 days. And l’m not a big fan of the rattle can finish, l always use true oil and the wet “slurry” sanding that is suggested.
This stock had issues when l purchased it, a crack behind the bolt handle, off center drilled holes for a sling and a nasty polyurethane finish that was stubborn to strip. I was debating to purchase a new 95% stock. But the grain is unique. My goal for finishing is not a super high gloss but a more period satin.
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Greg, thanks so much for that detailed procedure. I really may be able to make this thing look good h opefully. as for the barrel Kevin, i hope i can get it out too. its been a bear so far.
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Man that stock looks awsome. Outstanding work on it. The problems with cracks is that the lighter the stain the harder it is to disguise it.
If you use something like Brownells Acraglas you can tint the Acraglas when you fill in the crack. If you have fine sawdust left over from sanding you can mix it into the Acraglas so that it stains the same color as the stock. Always safely open the crack some and place something in it to hold it open while you coat both of the interior sides of the crack. Be sure to clamp the stock and leave any glue or Acraglas that gets squeezed out of the crack where it is. You can try to spread it out a little bit with your finger before clamping. You will wet sand off any excess glue. One tip that I figured out was to cut out a piece of plastic from a milk jug or somethinglike that and use it as a squeegee. Tilt the squeegee towards you as you go over the crack and try to leave a small mound of slurry over the crack. When you “wet” sand the stock with the oil or stain the small wood fibers in Acraglas will dye the same as the stock will. It will help blend everything in. If you don’t have an exact color match in your stain or oil coat don’t be scared to use dye to get the color that you want. I use dye all of the time to get the color or affect that I want. One cautionary point is that the dyes are highly concentrated. Many times you olny need a pin prick of stain to get the right color. You can’t take out color but you can add it to get darker so go slow. If the glue is tinted the same color as the stock you start to really get rid of the dark crack. Wet sanding the extra glue or Acraglas off again will help blend everything thing. If someone has tried an inept attempt to fix the crack get a dental pick and start getting as much of the old glue out of the crack before you try to do anything.
I am not a professional by any streach of the imagination. I have done quite a few stocks over the years and learned few things to help get a great finished product. You can’t really fully get rid of the crack line. You can open up the outside crack some and bevel the edges. Fill in the entire open parts and leave a puddle of the wet sand over the top to be sanded off once it is completely dry. Doing this spreads out the line of the crack and helps disguise the crack.
@19foxtrot- Kevin I have to give you the credit on the Gerstner chests. It really helps keep all of my expensive rifflers and files organized so finding the right one for a project is now very easy. Also it keeps them from hitting each other and sliding around when I open or close the drawer like they did before. Now I have more room and a lot more organized. In the second pic you can see how some of the stuff in my desk drawer used to be free to move around. I am going to post more pics of the chests in my other thread.
Kevin I am not trying to correct you or tell you how to do something. I am really trying to give information to the forum. Please don’t think that this is addressed totally to you. I learned a few things when I read you process. Hopefully between the two we can have some more forum members post up pics of their refinished stocks or other projects. I am going to add some pics of my chests and how I organized them in my other “do it yourself thread.”
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Thank you Greg! Yes l did a mediocre on that crack but l did a few tasks as you mentioned. Totally forgot Brownell’s product that l still have a few shades/color bottles…dang it! At least it’s not gouging my palm anymore. Stock is slick to feel and shoulders good to me. A 77 yr old rimfire is a blessing to have and own. This is my last purchase from a estate my son and l have been milking for 10 months…patiently. l say that with all due respect towards the family. A Remington 511 and a sweet 1100LW 20 ga. I’m done, I’m spent out. Kinda like Mike and Frank on American Pickers, lets bundle a deal and we did!
And l thought l had dental picks!!! That drawer is organized 
It may have looked organized but over time things would slide around from opening and closing the drawer. The sad thing is that isn’t all of the dental picks that I have. My wife and I are good friends with our dentist. I asked her whenever they have old dental picks don’t throw them away but keep them for me. Many of the picks will be broken but other ones you can fix and many more only need a little sharpening of the points. I ended up giving two friends of mine that just started building guns each a handful of various picks for them to use.
I had no doubt that you would have dental picks. You like me seem to have been around the block a few times. We do have a lot of the same stuff.
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Remington 33. April 1934 production. Only a 3 yr run @ almost 297,000 made. According to my research this was Remingtons first bolt action.
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Man I love that. I have an old Remington Speedmaster that I think was made around 1960. These old Remington guns were well made an very accurate.
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Sad that Remington closed/shutdown the Illion NY factory that has been there for…what?..200 years? But the memory is in our safes for future adventures.
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They’re in Georgia
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That’s what l read
@cncgobrrt
RemArms is about 45 minutes across the Chattahoochee River from me.
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It wasn’t as much that Remington wanted to shut down the factory in NY. Between going through the bankruptcy and all of the idiotic laws NY has that makes it hard on any gun or ammo manufacturer they realistically had to leave NY for greener pastures. It makes a lot of difference when your home state wants to put you out of business as opposed to a state that welcomes you with open arms and tax breaks.
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@19foxtrot
It’s really sad for that little town and it’s people that gave so much of themselves for 200 years.
https://apnews.com/article/new-york-remington-gun-factory-closure-997f6312364f005e295202dc38c005a3
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In 2013 Remington Arms was looking in my area Nahville to Clarksville for a new location. This was after Beretta broke ground in Gallatin TN.
Yes it is sad for the workers and community for RA to close. I know how it feels when a company you work for announces they are going to shut down. Life goes on find another career.
@Jammo
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Yes sir I’ve been through it myself and found another career as well.
That’s such a small town that they probably don’t have a lot of options.
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