Stock before and after pics....

[AlaskanGuy]

Hi guys,

I wanted to post some pics of a couple 10-22 factory stocks that I re did... Who knew what beautiful wood lived under the yuk that was on these factory stocks.... First the before..

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Opps the bottom 2 on the right are the wrong ones, but cant seem to delete them....

[AlaskanGuy]

Here is the next batch...... These are pics of the stocks that are sanded down and ready to start the real work of re-finishing....

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[AkMike]

When I overhauled my 10-22 stock I did away with the barrel band cause it was so ugly. I whittled down the forend and made a bit of a snabble knob and just used the one screw to hold it together. Works fine and looks better.

[AlaskanGuy]

And the after Pics......

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I need to give a Huge Kudo the a great guy named Roger.... He is a poster here from time to time, and totally took me under his wing, sending me many many emails and step by step directions to get this AlaskanGuy going on this project... It would not look this good at all without his caring help and desire to pass on some of his wisdom... Thank you Roger...

AlaskanGuy

[Dryball]

OMG, that was the original stock? Beautiful...now I'm gonna have to do some work on mine

[DW475]

Seems a few of those Ruger 10/22 stocks that came out had some great wood covered up. Found the same thing with one of mine. I ended up cutting the wood from the barrel band forward on one and then carved some ebony and used glass bedding to attach it. Made the ole 10/22 look a lot better. Great job on the stocks!

[quack1]

"toasted" with a propane torch then stained?
Nice job, it's difficult to make birch look good.

[oldred]

I wouldn't have believed it but there it is! Looks like another project I need to do.

[AlaskanGuy]

I appreciate the comments guys....

I used shoe die to stain.... Brown, with a touch of red.... It was something that roger showed me....

[starmac]

Those came out looking sweet. My wifes 10/22 looks real similar to what you started with, carried and beat on by me for the last 36 years. lol
I finish on the action doesn't look any better than the stock does, and have been wondering what to do to spruce it up some, I have several times thought about buying a take off stock, but yours turned out nicer.

[daniel lawecki]

Thats just awesome very nice. There should be a thread started on this.

[starmac]

Thats just awesome very nice. There should be a thread started on this.

There is, see it here.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?226933-Stock-before-and-after-pics

[Bzcraig]

That reminds me of a term used years ago to describe some women, EXOTIC BEAUTY! Nice job AG!

[shredder]

Wow bery nice. Are they birch? I thought the 10-22 stocks were made of birch, and having worked with many woods I can say you did really,really well to get it to look like that. A notoriously difficult wood to stain evenly. Shoe polish you say? Nice work!

[AlaskanGuy]

Well, my buddy roger walked me through mixing of stains. I am using Fiebing's leather die.....

Am working on my 30-30 1894 and my 22 H&R.... I fear the Jet will never be nice with the amount of pitting that is present in the metal.... But the stock should come out pretty nice.....

Yes berry, they were birch.

AG

[John Allen]

They came out great, did you just rub the shoe polish in and then buff it out? Also did you use a top coat over the shoe polish?

[AlaskanGuy]

Yes john.... Each step was wet sanded, and then rubbed... With 400 then 600, then 2000 grit wet sand paper. In the end stages, i used pumice powder, then rottenstone, and brownells 4f... I didn't rush, and just used the elbow grease.... Just takes time and patience... And the help of a true craftsman friend willing to pass the knowledge to do it right....

AG

[John Allen]

AG, thanks I am going to try it on an old stock I have. I thought about using a buffing wheel at slow speed instead to finish the polish.

[Bulldogger]

They look SWEET! Well done. I was lamenting the drab homely wood of my 10/22 the last time I saw it (NOTE: I don't fire it, I can't afford the ammo!) and figured it would be a waste of time to refinish. You have convinced me I am mistaken!
Bulldogger

[AlaskanGuy]

John, be extra extra careful with that buffing wheel thing.... I was told to NOT use one, as it could burn the finish.... Just hand rubbing almost burned my fingers.. The heat was intense.... Just park in front of the tv with a good movie and rub it out with a cotton t shirt... Nothing like a good hand job.... [smilie=1:

[starmac]

Are you going to use a similar finish on the 94??

[johnson1942]

dw475, all the 10/22 stocks are like that if they are birch. today most modern prduction guns use birch or beech. they make them look bland brown. beech even have more movement in the wood than birch and you can see how good his birch turned out. he used leather dye not shoepolish. if enough of you are interested either mark or i can post a long step by step proffesional way to finish a stock. the color mark used was the old standard english red. it is brown with a few drops of red in it. winchester used that on up scale guns back when. most shooters dont know the beauty of the wood in their over the counter guns. h and r uses beech and wow can that look outstanding, mark im glad to have passed on to you what ive been doing for years. i would also like to pass it on to anyone else who wants a beautiful stable long lasting stock. i just finished a old barn .22 i got at a ranch sale for 30 dollars the barrel had a perfect bore. the stock was in three pieces and now it looks just like marks. blued the barrel in my oven. it was my first birch stock and it really stands out. also the good news is its a tackdriver. went from a bird shiXXXXX covered gun with a broken stock to better then new. if mark and i can do it so can anyone who has a mind to.thanks mark for the mention, does my old heart good.

[shredder]

dw475, all the 10/22 stocks are like that if they are birch. today most modern prduction guns use birch or beech. they make them look bland brown. beech even have more movement in the wood than birch and you can see how good his birch turned out. he used leather dye not shoepolish. if enough of you are interested either mark or i can post a long step by step proffesional way to finish a stock. the color mark used was the old standard english red. it is brown with a few drops of red in it. winchester used that on up scale guns back when. most shooters dont know the beauty of the wood in their over the counter guns. h and r uses beech and wow can that look outstanding, mark im glad to have passed on to you what ive been doing for years. i would also like to pass it on to anyone else who wants a beautiful stable long lasting stock. i just finished a old barn .22 i got at a ranch sale for 30 dollars the barrel had a perfect bore. the stock was in three pieces and now it looks just like marks. blued the barrel in my oven. it was my first birch stock and it really stands out. also the good news is its a tackdriver. went from a bird shiXXXXX covered gun with a broken stock to better then new. if mark and i can do it so can anyone who has a mind to.thanks mark for the mention, does my old heart good.

Thank you for being willing to share with us. I for one would love you to walk us through with some pics if you can. I have finished and refinished a few stocks but hardware store wood stain does not give that 3D result for me.

[starmac]

I would live to see that step by step tutorial, and I'm sure there are others besides myself. I have some older guns set aside for my grandson, that I would like to get looking nice again.

[johnson1942]

you know you couldnt have said it better, 3d results. thats the best discription ive heard of this method yet. give me some time and i will write it all out in a simple good outline and then post it. i will try to do the pictures as thats my wifes department and she is busy almost every evening. mark and i would like to share what we know know with anyone interested. oldracer called me a week ago and i gave him details over the phone also as he has a nice curled piece of wood to do on a longdistance target muzzle loader. i had sold him a gun before and he liked the stock so much he wants to do one him self. its not rocket science just steps that most people arent aware of.will be back.

[AlaskanGuy]

I defer to the teacher.... This should be his sticky as he developed the process.... Just takes time, and a willingness to follow the instructions....

Roger is going to write up the directions, and we will make a new thread called "Rogers Stock Finishing Method"

AG

[Bzcraig]

Thanks guys for doing that! We will greatly benefit from learning an old world method to refinish a stock. I hope it includes all the prep steps as well. I hope I am able to learn this well and pass it on.

[shredder]

I defer to the teacher.... This should be his sticky as he developed the process.... Just takes time, and a willingness to follow the instructions....

Roger is going to write up the directions, and we will make a new thread called "Rogers Stock Finishing Method"

AG

Yes please!

[johnson1942]

ive got several pages wrote out set by step and ill get some pictures also of stocks ive done. dont be afraid to use this method as it isnt rocket science. its just a lot of unknow facts in wood finishing. im a 71 year old retired registered nurse but my mothers family comes from france and they were custom furniture makes for 100/s of years. the first thing when they did when they come to n.dak. in the 1880/s was open a furniture store. i truly believe the interest in wood is in my blood. ive read sever books on it and have about 25 years experience in building gun stocks as a hobby. i would show my coworking nurses my stocks and they would say, why it looks like a piece of furniture. ive sold several done over guns to doctors as they had the loose money. i want to share these methods with any one who wants to learn and then they can share it also or either go into the business when they get good enough. one of the most beautiful gun i redone and sold was a british infield .303 built in canada. the original wood was beech. i sanded it down perfect made all the metal fit again and stained it deeply english red. the original stock turned out beautiful. the metal was in good shape as is as was the bore. i wish i woulnt have sold that gun. maybe some of our canadian friends here have a gun like that they can work on. they make a good bear and deer gun.

[TheCelt]

Stunning!!!! Who'da thunk there was a beautiful stock hidden under that factory finish. Fantastic work AlaskanGuy!!!!

[johnson1942]

to the celt, many many of you guys are owners of bland looking stocks that have that or more hidden under that factory finish. its irritating the factories dont do a little more to bring that beauty out. how ever any one who has a mind to can.

[TheCelt]

to the celt, many many of you guys are owners of bland looking stocks that have that or more hidden under that factory finish. its irritating the factories dont do a little more to bring that beauty out. how ever any one who has a mind to can.

Well Sir, I am looking forward the thread with the instructions on how to create such a masterpiece!!!!! I have a laminated M1A NM stock from Fulton Armory I'd like to refinish like that. Thanks in advance for sharing!!!

[johnson1942]

i dont know if that will take a stain but it sure will take a shine, may do both. mark and i today are going back a forth on the computer to put this together so it wont be long. thanks.

[starmac]

Will there be any info on stripping and refinishing a checkered stock, I have always been curious as to the best way to not mess up the checkering.

[BSalty]

Fantastic work sir!

[Walter Laich]

count me in! If I do half as good I would be happy

walt

[johnson1942]

try a tooth brush when you take the varnish off of the checkering with a stripper. wear gloves , goggles and old clothes. most likely it is walnut and i would go with a old tyme oil finish, if it has checkering on it. when you put the stain on clean out the checkering every time with the tooth brush. mark is working on the format as we speak. i wrote everything out last night and this morning. he is doing his before and after pictures and mine are only after. its a long post and i dont think i missed any details. every stock has a answer as how to make it look maximum best. i really believe working with wood is very therapeutic and relaxing and a great feeling of accomplishment is felt when done.also nothing wrong with good feed back when you go to the range.

[AlaskanGuy]

Here is the link to explain the entire process.... Hope it makes it to sticky-dom...

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?227271-GunStock-Re-Finishing-The-Roger-Method-explained-with-Pics
AG