Arisaka Type 99 Original Stock Finish

[leadman]

I have recently purchased 2 Arisaka Type 99s. One was a bubba sporter and the other was an almost complete military. The stock on the military shows many signs of its age and usage so I would like to clean it up some and apply an original type finish.
It appears it might have been linseed oil as it is now very dry and there is no finish on the surface.
I have searched for several hours on many sites on the internet and in my library but can not find a reference to the type of finish originally used.

Any ideas?

[Multigunner]

I have recently purchased 2 Arisaka Type 99s. One was a bubba sporter and the other was an almost complete military. The stock on the military shows many signs of its age and usage so I would like to clean it up some and apply an original type finish.
It appears it might have been linseed oil as it is now very dry and there is no finish on the surface.
I have searched for several hours on many sites on the internet and in my library but can not find a reference to the type of finish originally used.

Any ideas?

I've only worked on two examples that had any original finish left and it was a reddish orange lacquer under the hand guards, with a darker purplish cast on the aged exterior areas.
Some Japanese lacquers are made using a highly poisonous plant extract that kills any insect that tries to bore into the wood. The stuff is usually safe to handle unless you are allergic to it but if you breath in dust while sanding it can poison you.
To mimic the color I found under the hand guards I used medium brown leather dye added to Tru Oil.

Some jap rifles show signs of the lacquer being scraped off and brown boot polish rubbed into the wood. Rifles captured by the Chinese and others usually have dark oil soaked stocks.

Probably best to examine color images of well preserved rifles to get the color right. I would expect that different finishes were used at different times.

PS
This site
http://www.panzergrenadier.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=2878
Has information on the finish, called Urushi.
Theres excerpts from an article titled "Contact Dermatitis from Japanese Rifles".

From the article it appears many who picked up these rifles as souveniers chose to scrape away the original finish.

[leadman]

Thanks for the info on the urushi. Since I have skin issues already from Agent Orange I am not going to refinish with urushi. Most of the finish is gone but will use a paint stripper to remove the rest, along with gloves and respirator.
I will probably use a satin polyurethane as it is very durable. Have not made a final decesion on the finish yet though.
Need to take both guns out and shoot them first.

[Char-Gar]

Formby furniture Refinisher rubbed on with fine steel wood will remove the old finish, oil and gunk.

Japanese stocks are made from birch/beech and will not take oil based stains. I use a medium brown leather dye (alcohol base). Brush on a coat of Min-Wax Pre-Stain before the leather dye for an even application. Finish will as many coats of BLO as you wish and then finish off with a good wax.

Here is a pic of a Japanese Type I refinished. I had to reglue and clamp the two piece stock as there was a large gap. The stock has been chopped, but it came out quite well. Click to enlarge...

[Char-Gar]

Here is a pic of an Uzi stock (birch/beech) finished the same way. The light spot in the middle is the flash, the finish is a uniform reddish brown.

[Multigunner]

Rubbing down a bare beech stock with cloth moistened with Balistol solvent can give it a warm brown coloration. I figure the ingrediants cause a chemical aging of the surface.

Char-Gar
That's a might nice looking sporter you have there.

[3006guns]

I collect Japanese small arms and Multigunner is correct about the urushi, a Japanese native plant related to poison sumac. Makes a great, tough, clear finish but can play hob with your lungs if you try to sand it. Many a returning Marine would borrow some sandpaper from the ship's repair shop and sand his souvenir rifle to "pretty it up a bit".......only to end up in Sick Bay with a serious lung infection. The rumor went around fast that the Japs deliberately "poisoned" their rifle stocks!

By the way, Gun Parts Inc. still has reproduction type 38 and 99 stocks already finished and ready to install. I bought one to replace the bubba'ed stock on a matching number type 99 and it looks great.

[leadman]

I looked right after I bought the first Arisaka at Numrich (Gun Parts) for a stock and they did not have one for the type 99. I looked a few minutes ago and they still do not show a stock for the 99, only the 38.
Don't really need a stock now that I bought the second Type 99. I will end up with a military style 99 and a bubba sporter 99.