Rifle stock refinishing.

[gregkl]

Unless it is a new piece of wood or you are repairing damage, an M1 doesn't require much more than a few refresher coats of the right oil. You can substitute artist's refined linseed oil since real BLO is not available anymore.

Check this site out. M1 Garand - The greatest single battle implement ever devised. The M1 Garand. Click the 'wood refinishing' link in the menu.

It makes me sad to see a M! all glossied up like a Weatherby.

YHJ

Mine's not quite Weatherby shiny but I'll make sure not to bring it to an Appleseed that you are hosting. I wouldn't want you to be sad. LOL.

 

[hrearden]

Alot depends on the wood .If it is a pores wood and open grain steel wool tends to pull the dried finish out of the pores . On that type of wood i use sandpaper .On hard maple types of wood (close grain ) I use steel wool (0000)even on the last coat then buff to a desired shine then wax-Done

What he said. One caveat: you can use steel wool on those open grains, it just has to be dry and you have to be patient with lighter pressure. If you use scotch, use white.

Also, your goal in getting a really good stock finish is getting all the pores in the wood filled. (If a few are left at the end, its not the end of the world.) By the way, good choice on Tru oil. It gives a strong, high-gloss finish and is super easy to use. It also dries quicker than other stuff. On top of that, the prep work you do before you even start oiling will dictate how well your job comes out.

All that being said, both these guns are mine, done by me, using tru oil. Im pleased with them.







Edit: Ive also found the end that burnishing with a CLEAN dry rag at the end of your stock job really brings out the sheen. The small pics may be a little hard to see.

 

[yellowhousejake]

Mine's not quite Weatherby shiny but I'll make sure not to bring it to an Appleseed that you are hosting. I wouldn't want you to be sad. LOL.

To each his own as far as finish luster goes. I rarely fill the pores completely on my own rifles, I prefer a more authentic finish as they look better to my eyes and are less slippery, to me at least.

Please bring your M1 to an Appleseed! I would never degrade anyone who was bringing the old soldiers out to play.

YHJ

 

[Ungie]

BLO with steel wool I wait till dry and use as light pressure as I can. It takes a lot longer to get done but I think the finish is worth and I really like that you make repairs at any time to it.

 

[gregkl]

To each his own as far as finish luster goes. I rarely fill the pores completely on my own rifles, I prefer a more authentic finish as they look better to my eyes and are less slippery, to me at least.

Please bring your M1 to an Appleseed! I would never degrade anyone who was bringing the old soldiers out to play.

YHJ

My intent was to keep it looking authentic and matte in appearance but have a hard finish that will work well shooting it. I underestimated the hardness of what I used though and now it's done. It is a satin finish but very smooth and slippery. It wasn't slippery when it was first completed and still glossy. I think the pumice rubdown and 0000 steel wool did it. I may try to figure something out to make it less so.

The flip side is that it will give me a great finish on my older shotgun refinish where I want that high gloss finish!