Puma 454 stock refinish

[saz]

I have been pretty busy lately and I have not been able to post my experience so far with refinishing the stock and forearm on my Puma 92. Ever since I got it a few years ago I have not been too impressed with the finish on it, but when I would clean it with ballistol you could see the grain underneath the crappy stain.

Out came the EZ-Off and I stripped out all the old stain. 3 soakings for 15 minutes each and a good rinse while scrubbing with a green brillo pad and voila! I let it sit for 3 days to make sure everything was dry and I started hand rubbing in the boiled linseed oil. After 24-48 hours, I am rubbing the finish down with 0000 steel wool before I applied another coat. It is going slow but that is fine by me. Here are some pictures of my progress so far......

Ill post some more pics once I finish the wood.

[rbuck351]

Looks like the old stain came off really well. I have the LSI Puma in blue with the black stock. I'm hoping it will clean up as well as yours as I would like a more natural color. Looks like you're off to a good start. I'll be looking forward to more pictures.

[GL49]

I'd like to see pictures when it's finished, looks good so far. I've got a replacement forearm and buttstock of walnut in my garage I was going to fit to mine, it appears from the looks of your project I'll save them to replace the ratty stock on my Winchester 92 25-20. Did you apply a little walnut stain to the factory wood, or just the oil?

[saz]

I am using just the oil. I like lighter color woods- not a fan of dark stains. It is turning a nice brownish golden color with just the linseed oil.

[TXGunNut]

I like it. Keep the pics coming, I'm considering a similar project.

[BCRider]

I am using just the oil. I like lighter color woods- not a fan of dark stains. It is turning a nice brownish golden color with just the linseed oil.

It'll darken and go a little more "orange-brown" over the next couple of years from exposure to air and sun too. Eventually after about 6 to 10 years it'll have the most gorgeous colour and patina you could ask for. And not a drop of grain hiding stain at all.

The old adage about oiled finishes was "Once a day for a week. Once a week for a month. Once a month for a year. Once a year forever after." Boiled linseed oil is the sort of old world product that should be done exactly like this old finisher's credo. And if the rifle sees wet weather fairly frequently a recoat at 6 to 8 months isn't out of the question. Each done with 000 or 0000 steel wool as an applicator then buff off with paper towel works well.

Like you I'm a fan of seeing the grain and I'm not bothered by the natural colour of the wood. I prefer that to the clouding that occurs with pigmented stains. And it seems like Minwax no longer produces the transparent tinted oil stains that they used to have. So as a result I gave up on staining where I could avoid it. And when I can't I prefer to "stain" with leather dyes.

[rbertalotto]

TUNG oil...........sinks in deep and hardens. Perfect for gunstocks!

Once an hour for a day, once a day for a week, etc, etc, etc!

[saz]

"Once a day for a week. Once a week for a month. Once a month for a year. Once a year forever after."

I am beginning to realize that. I let it sit for about 5 days then put another coat on and it is staying a little bit tacky a lot longer than the other coats. I think once this coat "cures" the 454 is going back together. It is a beautiful color. Ill post some pics once it is back in one piece, and I got a coat of wax on the gun! She will be purdy again.....

Now I need to learn how to fit a recoil pad. Limbsaver or decelerator and a spacer for a little more LOP.........

[Jon K]

+1 Pure Tung Oil.

Recoil pad...get a installation/fitting fixture. Makes it easier and faster.

Jon

[BCRider]

Saz, you ARE wiping off the excess with a clean rag or paper towels after it soaks in for a minute or two, right? An oil finish isn't "varnish". You want to vigoruously wipe the excess off after each coat soaks in for a minute or three. If you don't it'll create a mess.

With the proper aggresive wiping down only a thin film of oil is left which dries reasonably fast, like over a few days. Yeah, There'll be a day at some point where the surface feels a trifle tacky. But that's simply the oil drying. Just avoid handling it during that time.

I tend to agree with the others that a tung oil finish builds faster and is more durable. But you've started with boiled linseed so you may as well carry on. Later on if you find that you want a little more shine or if you find that the linseed oil isn't standing up well to the use the gun sees then switching the "once a year" recoats over to a tung oil finish can be done with no issues.

[WyrTwister]

I have been pretty busy lately and I have not been able to post my experience so far with refinishing the stock and forearm on my Puma 92. Ever since I got it a few years ago I have not been too impressed with the finish on it, but when I would clean it with ballistol you could see the grain underneath the crappy stain.

Out came the EZ-Off and I stripped out all the old stain. 3 soakings for 15 minutes each and a good rinse while scrubbing with a green brillo pad and voila! I let it sit for 3 days to make sure everything was dry and I started hand rubbing in the boiled linseed oil. After 24-48 hours, I am rubbing the finish down with 0000 steel wool before I applied another coat. It is going slow but that is fine by me. Here are some pictures of my progress so far......

Ill post some more pics once I finish the wood.


When I do an old stock on a C&R rifle with easy off , I place the damp stock in the return air plenum of my HVAC system . Foe a couple of weeks . The stock is plenty dry , with the frequebt flow of return air .

God bless
wyr

[GL49]

Saz,
How is the refinish going? Any more pictures?