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April 30, 2023
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Zebulon said
MidwestCrisis said
Should the stocks being gum wood change anything in my process. Did they receive the same finish as the walnut stocks at the factory?
Same finish.
Concur, same, but I’ve had gumwood turn out “splotchy” before though too. Could’ve been me I have to admit… 
January 8, 2025
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I have acetone, I’ll try it once I have some time tonight. All the denatured alcohol did was clean them well. Grok told me it would be a polyurethane or other oil based varnish. That’s why I asked y’all. I’ll let you know what I find out.
January 8, 2025
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And Bert strikes again…. Acetone loosened it enough I could scratch with my fingernail, so I used what I had and put the stocks in a bath. Letting one side soak for a bit, then scraping it with a plastic knife, then repeat. Didn’t need to soak as long in between after the first 1/2 hour. Once I was satisfied I wiped them down with clean acetone and clean rag.
did I find original finish color?
thanks,
Adam
March 31, 2009
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Let it dry out for a day or so to let the acetone evaporate. Don’t aggressively sand the wood. Very light sanding at the most with 0000 steel wool or 400 grit sand paper. The dark spots in the dents may be spot treated with more acetone and a tooth brush but don’t be surprised if you can get the black out. If you sand the stock enough to get rid of the dents your stock won’t fit the metal anymore. You can test a spot with boiled linseed oil to see if you like it or have to do some staining before the oil.
April 30, 2023
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At this point is also a good time to steam out dents/damage if you so choose….
January 8, 2025
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Jeremy P said
At this point is also a good time to steam out dents/damage if you so choose….
I thought about that, but I thought steaming would raise the grain and I’d have to sand them. Probably not very much, but as they have been sanded once rather aggressively, I didn’t think I wanted to remove any more material.
April 30, 2023
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That’s where the 0000 steel wool comes in. Raising the grain a little is a part of some folks’ process when staining anyways to help a water based stain take, the steel wool is almost a polisher more than a sander….you almost so no material coming off as if you were really sanding it.
January 8, 2025
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Jeremy P said
That’s where the 0000 steel wool comes in. Raising the grain a little is a part of some folks’ process when staining anyways to help a water based stain take, the steel wool is almost a polisher more than a sander….you almost so no material coming off as if you were really sanding it.
I’ve only been using 0000 steel wool. I didn’t steam the dents. I probably should have, but this old sow’s ear will never be a silk purse. I have some stain soaking to darken it up. Should start rubbing some oil on it tonight and see how it looks
March 31, 2009
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Jeremy P said
That’s where the 0000 steel wool comes in. Raising the grain a little is a part of some folks’ process when staining anyways to help a water based stain take, the steel wool is almost a polisher more than a sander….you almost so no material coming off as if you were really sanding it.
When I have a piece of wood ready for stain I use a damp sponge and get the wood slightly wet. Let it dry and it will pull up some hairs. Sand them off and do it a second time. This will ensure the hairs don’t come up when applying the stain. That is what I call raising the grain.
Wood that really soaks up the stain and looks bad needs a pre coat with something to keep the stain from being sucked in. Soft woods like pine are notorious for doing this.
January 20, 2023
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Concur with Chuck. Raising the grain really is a necessary step.
I have come to detest pine except for rough work where I can seal it with shellac and forget it. Whenever I can afford it, I buy 8/4 rough Poplar and use it instead. It spares me a lot of stomach acid. If I want a clear finish, I can add grain and tone with layers separated by wax-free shellac. It is stable and mills beautifully and doesn’t foul expensive blades and bits. As a high gloss paintable surface, it can’t be beat.
- Bill
WACA # 65205; life member, NRA; member, TGCA; member, TSRA; amateur preservationist
"I have seen wicked men and fools, a great many of both, and I believe they both get paid in the end, but the fools first." -- David Balfour, narrator and protagonist of the novel, Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson.
January 8, 2025
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So I had already put a coat of stain on before Chuck said give it a day and we had the dent steaming conversation. In short, the stain didn’t take well, as the latter comments said it wouldn’t. It at least has an oil finish now instead of whatever varnish it was. I’d like this thread to serve as guide to people like me that watch the Marks on YouTube, that half hour video takes several full days of work. You can do it yourself, in “free time” but patience is key and the videos do not contain all the details. However Mark Douglas and Mark Novak are the best videos to watch IMHO. This place is the best place for information, my lack of patience was my issue. Not to be forlorn. I can always do it again with these stocks as they had been abused by a previous custodian. Never give up.
January 8, 2025
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The stain took closer to the metal fit points, that should help hide the previous over sanding. It also highlights every imperfection. Right now the stocks are still soaking up the boiled linseed oil. I’m not unhappy with the stocks. Wish I would’ve exercised a little more patience.
April 30, 2023
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It is definitely an exercise in patience and doing a little of a lot of time. It’s hard for me to see the end result through an imperfect process but it always gets there eventually…I have a hard time with that too.
November 7, 2015
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Two of the most important things to learn, use the correct screwdriver and patience. I’m opposed to removing all the dents as a pristine stock would probably not look right with unrestored metal. I have a tiny spot repair on a modern rifle that I suspended after over a week. Better to stop with less-than-hoped-for results than to do irreparable harm.
Mike
September 19, 2014
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OK, let me add something that might allow you to salvage the finishing without having to redo it all again. Dixie Gun Works (IF they still exist!) USED to have a solvent based stain for military rifles. Tended to be a bit on the red side, but it would penetrate BLO and go into the wood to some extent and allow for more coats of BLO. It will tend to wipe off a bit as new coats are added, but then you can also add more of the solvent based stain as you go. I would assume a query will confirm if Dixie is still going and if they still ahve the solvent based stain. Patience is so important to so many things in life, but there can be ways to overcome the lack thereof at a few times. Tim
January 8, 2025
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tim tomlinson said
OK, let me add something that might allow you to salvage the finishing without having to redo it all again. Dixie Gun Works (IF they still exist!) USED to have a solvent based stain for military rifles. Tended to be a bit on the red side, but it would penetrate BLO and go into the wood to some extent and allow for more coats of BLO. It will tend to wipe off a bit as new coats are added, but then you can also add more of the solvent based stain as you go. I would assume a query will confirm if Dixie is still going and if they still ahve the solvent based stain. Patience is so important to so many things in life, but there can be ways to overcome the lack thereof at a few times. Tim
This?
January 8, 2025
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Everything I’ve used is oil based. I started with some lighter stain and moved to darker. The darker wiped off with the BLO. It seemed to quit soaking in last night so I’ll see what they look like when I get home
September 19, 2014
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Can’t say for sure. Its been a LOT of years since I used what I had on a bolt action military rifle. I DON’T see any mention of “solvent based” on the face of the bottle label. Maybe on the back or in the instructions or ads for it? Price is not out of line by any means. I used to buy Dixie products for military rifles, etc, but that was when Kirk—– was still alive and running Dixie. Tim
September 19, 2014
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As an addendum–you might try a sample using naptha or other solvent mixed with the stain. I am just guessing here. I used to buy lighter fluid and thin True Oil with it, etc. Just trying to brain storm some. Tim
March 20, 2010
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MidwestCrisis said
Everything I’ve used is oil based. I started with some lighter stain and moved to darker. The darker wiped off with the BLO. It seemed to quit soaking in last night so I’ll see what they look like when I get home
There’s nothing really pretty about gumwood stocks, unless they are 95%+ condition. I dont see anything wrong with the current color your presently at. Gumwood is a bit less forgiving IMHO with regards to refinish work. Would smooth out what youve got, apply some finish (lindseed, tung oil, Birchwood Casey) and let dry, then start taking finish off to match the rest of the gun.
Ive not tinkered with it much, but have found there are leather stains that could be used to stain gun wood. Experimented a little with it years ago. However, in the past on walnut, my preference was to use 4-5 different stains (Pecan, Special Walnut, Early American, Red Oak), starting from a lighter to darker, depending on how the wood accepted it determined how many coats. Youve got to judge on your own merits the right color and combination of stain colors. At some point the wood will not accept additional stain coats. These days, its hard to match the color of the old lead-based stain, in terms of the right color and consistency of the yellows and orange color.
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