Refinishing SKS Stock?

[0321jarhead]

FYI, oven cleaner will work. It will also make the wood brittle. Be sure to rinse it really good with hot water. If you can, buy some http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-to...-prod1133.aspx if you need to get some oil stains out of the wood.

Another good item if not better than the citrus to remove the finish is "Jasco varnish & Stain remover". After you had then finished rinse well and let dry for at least 24hrs. Then use 0000 steel wool or bronze to remove the very small spurs that raise up on the wood as it dries. Then with an air compressor, blow off the fine 0000 particles.

[Spectre1995]

What I did after I stripped it was put it in hot water and used Dawn to get the rest of the cosmoline out. That got most, if not all of the cosmoline stains.

[0321jarhead]

Remove the butt plate and sling thingy so the screws don't rust. That could also rot the wood over time where the screws are in, then hang the stock and hand guard to dry out but not in the sun.

[Spectre1995]

I'm not going to bother posting how it turned out, because I decided I'm going to do it over. I just didn't like how the color turned out, so I'm trying something different.

I have two Minwax finishes here; Red Oak and Red Mahogany. I've also been looking at Sedona Red. Between the three, which would be most accurate in terms of the original color for the era?

I see a few of you recommended Red Mahogany already, would you be able to post pictures of how it turned out?

[TRAP55]

Listen to this guy. He knows his stuff!

I tried to warn him.
Spectre, you're at a point now, that anything short of a acetone immersion bath, is going to leave you with a funky colored stock, most likely close to a pink color.
Citristrip is good stuff, but it's not going to work on this. Oven cleaner is the nightmare of C&R collectors, and anyone who appreciates wood stocks. The damage it does to the wood is irreversible. It's like using pool acid to clean fingerprints off a blued Colt Python.
Here's how you can salvage this, and get the original Russian root beer color back.
Get some Jasco like jarhead said, I use the spray can stuff. Hose it, let it set and do it's job, and clean it off. It's not going to pull "all" the RIT out of the grain, so don't panic.
Soak a rag in lacquer thinner, and wash/scrub the stock clean of Jasco. Give the end grain special attention. That would be the finger groove, wrist area, and muzzle end of the stock. Let it dry good.
Every thing you do to the stock, do to the handguard at the same time! Masking tape over the metal when sanding, staining, and finishing.
Now you'll have a pink stock with with raised grain "hairs". Lightly sand these off with some 320 grit wet or dry paper. The wrist and especially the finger grooves are problem areas.
The groove part needs to be sanded enough to lighten the wood to match the rest of the stock. Stay off the edges of it, or you'll end up with a light colored ring around the groove. I use a rubber sanding block to keep the edges clean. Same thing on the stock stamps, more on those later.
If you have compressed air blow it off, if you don't, wipe it down good with a cotton rag.
MinWax Red Mahogany, well shaken and stirred.
Soak a cotton rag in it, and rub it into the wood, don't wipe it on, with exception to the end grain spots. Wipe on, wipe off there. Don't panic if it has splotches, this works for you when it's done, it duplicates the shellac finish. Now you have raised hairs again, so "buff" them off with 0000 steel wool. Blow or wipe it off. No air?, use a stiff bristle toothbrush with a soft cotton rag between the wood and brush.
MinWax Sanding and Stain sealer.
"Light" smooth coat rubbed into the wood. Smoother you leave it to dry, less work and better results later. Let it dry. What it looks now is pretty much what the end result will be. Light buff with the wool, wipe down, repeat light coat of sealer, light buff and wipe down.
Stock stamps.
Leave em be, or freshen them up, your choice, restored looks much better and easy enough to do. Use a pointed instrument with the tip no wider than the font stamp. Clean the sealer out of the font, being careful going across the grain so you don't chip out the edges. Magnifier and good direct lighting is a major plus doing this. I use nails, with the tips cold hammered, then ground and filed to shape, to freshen the stamps. be careful to make the depth of the lines consistent.
High Gloss Polyurethane, spray can.
Warm stock, and a warmed well shaken can, get the best results. Light even coat. When thoroughly dry, rub smooth with 0000 steel wool, and wipe it down. Repeat. Rub in a coat of Johnsons Paste Wax, and let it dry. Buff it off with a terry cloth rag.
Now your stock stamps are full of poly and wax. Stamps were applied after the finish. Carefully scrape them clean again.
Questions or need help, PM me, be glad to help.

[0321jarhead]

"You can lead a horse to water but, you can't make him drink it."

[Spectre1995]

Yeah, I know. I screwed it up. Here's now hoping I can fix it

[TRAP55]

If you don't screw up something, how will you ever learn to fix it? I've never screwed up anything, but I sure learned to fix a whole lot of other things.

[Spectre1995]

Okay, so I know for sure my local hardware store has Jasco and Lacquer thinner. I'll pick some up tomorrow morning and try what you said.

[TRAP55]

Follow those instructions, PM me if there's something you don't understand, or aren't sure of.
"IF" it doesn't turn out like I said it will, box it up, send it to me, and I'll fix it for return shipping cost. How's that for being confident you can do it?
Take pics as you do it!
Enfield47 never repaired or refinished a stock before. It took about 200 PM's to walk him through it, but the results were pretty awesome. Your SKS stock isn't anywhere near the mess his P-14 stock was.
If you notice in the YouTube videos, and other "how to" internet finds, the guys that get the pretty Russian red, are starting with new wood, or heavily stripped and sanded stocks.
The one I did for Bobby, was cosmo soaked under the re-finish someone else did. On top of that, it had something else that I think was beeswax impregnated in the wood. Nothing I could do to get it out, without being aggressive enough to trash the originality of the stock.
I didn't want to get shot with it, so I couldn't return it to him in Hot Pink!
One more strip with lacquer thinner, stained with the red mahogany, and I had a good Russian rootbeer. Not my best work, but he "said" he was happy with it.

[Spectre1995]

Well it's comforting to hear that this doesn't look *as* bad. When I stripped it down, hopeful the dye had come off with it, I was disappointed (and somewhat embarassed) to see my stock was pink... I don't think my SKS will ever forgive me for that

I'll go ahead and PM you, I'm going to definitely need a walkthrough with doing this

[Enfield47]

Spectre1995, Trap is very helpful and explainatory with walking you through the process. His knowledge of how to make repairs and work around problems you will encounter in immeasurable. If anyone can help you, he can.

After his last encounter with paint stripper on Will55's M1917 parade rifles, I can't wait for the stories if he gets to go through that again.

[TRAP55]

Man, that Satan Snot was some nasty stuff, it's still sitting on the shelf, I'm waiting for it to burn through the can!

[johnthomas]

Here you go, this thread is just what you need. When I prepare the stock I never use sand paper, always 0000 steel wool or bronze wool.

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=321453

[Garand1911]

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...

^^^ This +100


.....if shellac is the original coating.





I really hate seeing modern stain on guns that originally were garnet shellac.