Refinishing SKS Stock?

[Spectre1995]

I have a Russian SKS that I want to refinish to look more like what it did originally. When I stripped the cosmoline after I brought it home, there was basically no wood finish, which I found strange. I stripped the remaining finish off of it and applied a coat of Boiled Linseed Oil. I like how it turned out, but I'm not completely satisfied.

What I want to do is finish this to have more of a "Russian Red" look. I've been told Rit dye is the way to go, but I figured I'd ask around here anyways to see if anyone has had success any other ways.

I also want to preserve or re-stamp the markings on the wood. The markings are very faint and almost nonexistent, so I want to deepen those to make them more clearly visible.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks in advance!

[Armistice]

Unless you have the exact number/ letter stamps as the Soviets did, you won't be able to restamp them. I think you're just SOL in that department. I'd just try to stay off them when you sand the stock

As for shellac, I've heard to find the flake stuff. I don't know how to mix or apply it, but others do

[NOTABIKER]

It is very hard to duplicate that look that comes from sitting in storage for 60 years covered in shellac and cosmo. The look we see on them fresh out of the box is not the way they looked 60 plus years ago. I did get one last year that had such a nice finish on it that i was able to wipe the cosmo off with wd 40 and i was done. Amber shellac is pretty good but not perfect.

[Spectre1995]

I found a couple videos on a finish I like very much. I'm not going to do the high gloss like he did, but I want to try to duplicate how his turned out (minus the gloss).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9rL-ZtsVgM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vzR0Q_o4l8

[Caribouriver]

You can spot test some Min-Wax "red mahogany" on your stock (maybe inside the hand-guard) to see if the color is close to what you want. Alternatively,or in conjunction with, you can see what the color of "garnet" shellac flakes does to your stock color. Be sure to use "dewaxed" shellac flakes. You dissolve them in alcohol according to the "cut" you want. The "cut" is the weight of shellac per volume of denatured alcohol. A "one pound cut" is one pound of shellac flakes dissolved in one gallon of denatured alcohol. There are 2 pound cuts, three pound cuts etc. I tried refinishing a mosin stock with shellac and had trouble applying the shellac. It dries so darn fast that I could not avoid leaving brush marks. I could not apply it fast enough to leave a "wet edge". I think spraying, dipping (as I believe the Russians did) or adding a drying retardant to the shellac would have worked. I did not try any of those techniques. I ended up applying the red mahogany stain and finished with Tru-Oil, rubbing out the last coat of Tru-Oil with 000 steel wool with linseed oil as a lubricant until I cut the sheen down to what I thought the shellac would have been. Not original but acceptable to me.

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/dewaxed-garnet-shellac1lb.aspx

[TRAP55]

The only way to get the stock to take the RIT stain is to strip and sand it to bare wood. That includes the cosmo soaked and/or stained wood. Then say goodbye to the stamps, and anything left to collector value.
The stock's original Russian root beer, is way easier to get than Russian red. The shellac finish can be duplicated with several coats of hand rubbed high gloss poly, and it's a lot more durable.

[Spectre1995]

The stock is already repaired and re-stained anyways, so collector's value is pretty much diminished for the wood. I'm not too worried about it, I just want my rifle to look good.

Far as the stamps go, they're basically gone anyways. I know what they look like and can possibly have them re-done in the future.

[hifiguns]

Minwax sedona red stain and polyurethane finish for a "Russian Red" look. Easy to apply and durable.

[NOTABIKER]

plenty of buyers that just want a nice looking old C&R, I sold a lot of them at a better price than what a collector would pay for one original. A pretty wood finish is nicer to look at

[TMB 1]

You can spot test some Min-Wax "red mahogany" on your stock (maybe inside the hand-guard) to see if the color is close to what you want. Alternatively,or in conjunction with, you can see what the color of "garnet" shellac flakes does to your stock color. Be sure to use "dewaxed" shellac flakes. You dissolve them in alcohol according to the "cut" you want. The "cut" is the weight of shellac per volume of denatured alcohol. A "one pound cut" is one pound of shellac flakes dissolved in one gallon of denatured alcohol. There are 2 pound cuts, three pound cuts etc. I tried refinishing a mosin stock with shellac and had trouble applying the shellac. It dries so darn fast that I could not avoid leaving brush marks. I could not apply it fast enough to leave a "wet edge". I think spraying, dipping (as I believe the Russians did) or adding a drying retardant to the shellac would have worked. I did not try any of those techniques. I ended up applying the red mahogany stain and finished with Tru-Oil, rubbing out the last coat of Tru-Oil with 000 steel wool with linseed oil as a lubricant until I cut the sheen down to what I thought the shellac would have been. Not original but acceptable to me.

http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/d...hellac1lb.aspx

Minwax red mahogany looks pretty good. I used it on my scratch up M44 after I stripped the scratched up shellac off.

[Bobby Ricigliano]

The only way to get the stock to take the RIT stain is to strip and sand it to bare wood. That includes the cosmo soaked and/or stained wood. Then say goodbye to the stamps, and anything left to collector value.
The stock's original Russian root beer, is way easier to get than Russian red. The shellac finish can be duplicated with several coats of hand rubbed high gloss poly, and it's a lot more durable.

Listen to this guy. He knows his stuff!

[Spectre1995]

So i managed to strip it down almost fully so far. It needs some more work, but it's getting there. I'm in no rush so I'm taking my time to make sure it looks nice this time

[0321jarhead]

This should be interesting after that you stated that you have applied boiled linseed oil. I would think that whatever finish that you apply will make it more on the dark side and not the russian red like color. What are you using to strip it down?

BTW, I have found what works best for me on those SKS rifles.
"Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac...Color used is Amber".

[Spectre1995]

I've used Citristrip and Oven Cleaner to strip it down. As of now the RIT is on and looks really good! I even managed to save the markings, somewhat. I'm just waiting on it to dry.

[hellayella]

go to shellac.net and get their garnet shellac which is the most authentic..thin with denatured alcohol and apply in super thin coast..I like to 0000 steel wool between coats...