Here we go..... This is the Roger Method of Refinishing Stocks.. Complete...
Rogers Method of ReFinishing Stocks, a How To.
Materials needed:
For finishing or refinishing a gunstock, these are the supplies you will need.
1. Friebings leather dye. avail. at a shoe repair shop, a saddle makers shop or the internet, and tandy leather shops. Use the color you want your stock to be. I generally use medium brown with a drop or two of red mixed into it. This gives a nice old world english red stain that is beautiful.
2. Pumice rubbing powder and Rottenstone rubbing powder available on the internet or Constantine's or a good hardware store.
3. HUTS plastic polish. Available on the internet.
4. Brownells 5F finish polish. available from Brownell on the internet or their catalog.
5. A yard of pure cotton flannel cloth, cut and folded in to polishing cloth squares.
6. Several sheets of 220 grit, 400 grit, 600 grit, and 2000 grit wet sanding auto sandpaper, available at auto supply store.
7. Watco Dainish finish oil clear penetrating finish.
8. a good thinner like SunnySide Specs Paint Thinner or equivalent.
9. Varathane's Polyurethane high gloss finish or Tru Oil, your choice.
Some Thoughts Before you start:
Now if your refinishing a gun stock and it is birch their could be a little shrinkage. If you are refinishing beech their could be a lot of shrinkage. Beech is strong and beautiful, but shrinks more that any other wood when worked with. Walnut doesn't shrink much nor does Maple and Cherry doesn't shrink at all.
Cherry is the most stable wood you can use in a gun stock. Their are 3 foot levels out on ranches around here that are made of Cherry wood and over 100 years old and still perfectly straight and in real good condition. It seems to never warp. The most beautiful wood to me if your building a gun stock is:
1st West coast quilted Maple.
2nd Birds eye Maple.
3rd Flamme or Tiger stripe Maple.
Of course their are other beautiful woods and if you want a real reasonable priced wood, birch is very reasonable, stable
strong and beautiful. Do NOT ever use Oak. It is strong and beautiful but brittle. I made a wonderful stock out of quarter cut Oak, but the first time I fired the gun a chunk flew off it. After gluing it back together several times I threw it away and made one out of Quilted Maple. For those of you who have over the counter guns that use Beech or Birch you will be very surprised at how beautiful that wood can turn out. I refinished a common CVA muzzle loader that had beech wood for the stock. It turned out to be a very beautiful piece of wood under that generic bland brown finish. Again remember beech can shrink when worked with but once you know that you can deal with that with a couple of good wood working tools. Now two things a little off the track. If you need a good wood file, the best wood file available in my opinion is a hoof rasp for horses. Nothing the wood-working guys make beats a good hoof rasp. It will last forever and really cuts.
Another thing to think about is you are going to get very sticky and tacky feeling hands when you finish a gun stock. Here is how to clean your hands perfectly. Rub cooking oil into your hands completely and then dish soap on top of that completely. When you wash that mixture off, the varnish will come with it. No more ugly tacky hands.