Puma finish

[freedom475]

I just got a new LSI Puma 480 ruger. It has a dark heavy oil finish on the stock. It looks like there is nice wood grain hiding under it.

I saw this post from Yance and was wondering if anyone had any idea on how to strip or lighten the finish of the wood.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=23424

Thanks Freedom 475

[stocker]

Normally you would strip the finish first and then bleach the wood and refinish. If it really is an oil finish you might be able to bleach it a bit directly depending on just what the finish is. If it doesn't work you've only lost an attempt and you can still go the strip, bleach, refinish route. If it does work you may have to prep the surface a bit with 320 grit and give it a coat or two of Tru Oil to recover the finish.

For bleaching go to your pharmacist and get a small bottle of oxalic acid crystals. In about a cup of water in a glass jar dissolve the crystals bit by bit until you have a saturated solution (can't disolve any more in that volume of water).

With the wood removed and all metal removed from the wood (swivels, butt plates etc) brush on the solution and sit back and wait till it drys. Did it lighten it? Enough? Do a repeat if not. If it didn't work get out the stripper and remove the finish and refinish.

Flush the bleached wood with clean water then follow up with a wash containing baking soda. Flush again and set aside to dry for a day or two where there is good air circulation. Re-finish as required.

Oxalic will bleach out the black iron oxide stains that are often on older guns in the area of steel butt plates if they've been exposed to very wet conditions. . Rust from the buttplate leaches into the wood and blackens the wood. It will also lighten the natural color of the wood to some extent.

[Buckshot]

...........My buddy got his wife a stainless Puma in 357 and the stock was so dark it looked like it's been spray painted black. In the process of trying to strip the finish it lightened up to a rather nice color, so he just left it like that.

...............Buckshot

[Poohgyrr]

There are some pictures floating around of really good looking Rossi stocks done by the guys here. Another of them is steveb, he uncovered some beautiful wood on a couple Rossi's.