Stock refinish on old 1950's longguns

[MOA]

Had my dads old 1950's 22lr he gave me years ago still in the closet, along with a 410 from Mossberg that hadn't been touched since we got them years ago. Was going through the closet re-oiling things to be sure rust was not starting to take over which is so easy to happen here in the South if you let them go unattended for very long. Noticed how bad the finish had worn on both of these long guns over the last almost seventy years and since I still had some loose time on my hands til summer gets going full blast I would take the opportunity to re-sand and get a tung oil finish applied to protect the wood for a few more years to come. I still work part-time at a custom cabinet shop so it does make it easier to get some of the basic work done without having to have a shop here at the house for all of the work. I did do the tung oil finish here at home, while all the sanding was done at the shop. I still have two more coats of finish to put on the 22lr for a total of three coats, but I will have it done before the weekend is over so they will be ready to try out at the range soon. I ordered a few additional chokes from Numrich Gun Parts Corporation, along with the spanner wrench, and some extra magazines and butt pad and white spacer for the 22 that were gone, they have the best inventory I've been able to locate on lines so far.










This is the 1953-56 bolt 22lr in its unfinished stage.

[RED BEAR]

Now thats a nice job. Those will look good for years to come.

[MOA]

Thanks RB. Back many moons I had a uncle that was a retired engineer of a chigago manufacturer. He moved to Vermont and went into the antique business of furniture and oil lamps that he electrified. He had a studio and shop set up in the basement. He showed me when I was 16 how to refinish my 16 gauge Mossberg bolt action stock with a spokeshave and sand paper with a hot tung oil finish. Still have it now and it still looks as good as it did then, and that was 53 years ago. It was a easy choice for me as to what finish I was going to use. I've got a older AyA double that is in need of a face lift also, so some rainy day soon I'll get it out and go to work on it too.

[CastingFool]

Looking good! The few stocks I've refinished I used Linspeed on them. Still look good after 35 yrs or so. I don't even know if Linspeed is still available.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Looks good, MOA.

[Wolfer]

Linspeed is still available. Pretty much all I use anymore. I’m pretty fond of tung oil also. I don’t like shiny stocks. After the last coat of Linspeed drys I steel wool them down.
There’s nothing like an oil finish. The epoxy stuff is tougher for sure but a lot harder to touch up.
Good job.

[MOA]

I had forgotten about linspeed as a finish. I just added a jar of it to my amazon order last night. Always nice to have another good oil finish product handy. You are so right Wolfer, the touch-up aspect of the chosen finish is always something to consider especially if it's a working piece as opposed to a display.

[uscra112]

Oil finishes are forever. Touch up scratches with the same oil and they just disappear. Once a tear rub in a little more oil just for the sensuousness of it.

Starting with an old, dirty stock, run it through the dishwasher set as hot as it will go, and use straight TSP in the dispenser. That will strip out all the old oil and dirt, giving you wood that's almost like new. Raises dents, too. Done that to I-dunno-how-many old single shots that I've rehabbed. This is an modern update to the old-timers' method of boiling the wood in Oakite.

[MOA]

Well I put the last coat of tung oil on it yesterday and this morning it got the final rub down and the reassembly began. Since this had no studs or swivels when I got it, (it had the holes, but no hardware) I decided it should get a new set along with swivels and a new strap. I still have to apply the new butt plate that I ordered along with the new white spacer but those still need to be sanded to fit and the butt plate will need to go into boiling water for a short time to soften it up to take the flat shape of the raw butt stock. My stock does not have a curve at the toe.















This has been a fun little project, and with the bucket list of still to acquire toys I don't doubt that more stock refinishing will be in the cards for me in the future. Thanks for looking.

[Wayne Smith]

The way I do tung oil you are just getting started. I start with a 50% or 60% mix and the first three or four coats get sanded in with finer and finer sandpaper - this acts as a filler as the oil and the sanding dust get driven into the pores. I usually stop at 600 grit. This mix is in an old tuna can, btw. I leave it out and uncovered so the thinner gradually gasses off. By the time I am hand rubbing in the eighth or ninth coat I'm running about 90% tung oil - this takes several weeks as I rub it in and leave it for a day. You can stop before you get a gloss coat, or rub to gloss and cut back, or rub to gloss and leave it depending on what you want. I typically go for a very smooth satin coat.

[waksupi]

I've got to really like tung oil for a finish. I usually do 3-4 coats, steel wool, repeat until pores are filled. Then steel wool for final finish. It's about the most goof proof finish I have used.

[uscra112]

Tung oil or linseed, the finish is hard to screw up, and easy to rectify if you do. Once done, handling scratches hardly show, and can be completely obliterated with a little more oil.

And there's something sensuous about rubbing down an oiled stock that my Puritan ancestors would have hated.

[MOA]

I have to agree uscra. I do like all the upside to the oil finishes, and nice there's not any downside.

[taco650]

Looks great! Is it time to do the metal as well?

[MOA]

The metal is in pretty good shape. No rust, just some fading from handling.

[bdicki]

I've had good results with Minwax Antique oil finish.

[MOA]

Thx bdicki, I'll add it to the cabinet.