Boyds thumbhole stock refinish!

[da357mag]

Hi gang! awhile back I got a deal on a thumbhole stock that was cut for a CZ452 varmint. The rifle I have is a 452 special, and since both rifles have a barrel lug they mount in the stock the same way, at the same points. I got this stock for about half retail, so I couldn't pass it up! So when it came in the mail I was thinking I was going to have to do some woodwork, turned out to be a straight drop-in fit! So off to the range to try it out, had to play with torque settings, ended up with higher settings than with the original stock, but it shoots great! The only problem was it looked like they sprayed one coat of urethane on the stock for a finish! That was not good! So one night I was looking at it, and before I knew it I had sanded the finish off the stock! Took
about 45 minutes, this is what it looked like before I attacked it, ,

It was pretty lite in color, after sanding,,

This is the stain applied before wiping off,,

This is after five coats of tru-oil',



and this is the finished stock with the rifle back at home! this is 20 coats of tru-oil and wet sanded with 2000 grit paper then polished with a product called plast-x, it is a mild abrasive that breaks down quickly, works good on this kind of finish for a nice satin finish. This is what I like to do for a side line, I have good rates and a lot of experience doing this. But I have fun while i'm doing this as well! Doug

[Zane71464]

Real NICE! I'd say with 20 coats of tru-oil, you have you a life long finnish!
Time consuming, but well worth it in my opinion.
Nicely done, job well done!

[grcsat]

Nice job. Most people can't be bothered to put on more than one or two coats of oil.

[da357mag]

I know a lot will stop after maybe 7 to 10 coats, but what they don't realize is10 coats of tru-oil is only about .006" thick! So it is worth taking the time to put enough on to make a better finish. and the more coats you put on, it
starts to take on a 3-D effect, at least it looks that way to me! Doug

[Zane71464]

Originally Posted by da357mag

I know a lot will stop after maybe 7 to 10 coats, but what they don't realize is10 coats of tru-oil is only about .006" thick! So it is worth taking the time to put enough on to make a better finish. and the more coats you put on, it
starts to take on a 3-D effect, at least it looks that way to me! Doug

I agree 100%! Some people like you say, go with a few coats and that's alright, but the more the marrier, in my opinion!
And yes, sorta like the 3D effect as the coats get thicker.

[da357mag]

I guess I have a habit of doing this, when I got the rifle the original stock looked like it had been painted with dark brown paint! I could see it had some nice grain to it, so off to the hardware store for some stripper, and the finish on
it came off! The difference was the CZ factory finish was TUFF! It took four applications of stripper before I got it all off! So I stained it and put ten coats of urethane on it. I don't have a before pic, I didn't have a camera at the time. but this is how it came out, ,

It looks better than it did! I had the urethane on hand, that was why I did the stock in that instead of tru-oil, finished the finish the same way 2000grit paper and scratch-X, works good! Doug

[Zane71464]

Looks really good! I love that grain in the wood. I'm a fan of the natural look on a good grain wood, always was. I done my 1st shot gun that way. Years of scratches and abuse, and it had the maple wood under all the stain. Stripped it down and had a good looking maple going on.

[da357mag]

Iv'e done a couple of maple stocks, and one thing about them is they don't like to take stain well. So what I did was add some mineral spirits to minwax stain and it was enough to soak into the wood enough so slightly that the grain was able to show. It didn't thin the stain, just gave it the ability to work! Doug

BTW: the original stock is beechwood, this is called a special, it's brother is the Lux, and the only difference it the Lux has a walnut stock. Beech is actually denser than walnut,but grows quicker. Therefore it is widely used in Europe for gunstocks.
The special and the trainer are the same as the Lux all three are the same rifle, the trainer doesn't have checkering where
the special has it on the buttstock grip. CZ has some strange designations with there rifle line. About the time you think you have it figured out, they will change it! DA

[larrye44]

Outstanding job, Doug, you're passion for the craft shows in your work. Really beautiful woodwork never comes fast or easy. Many hours and lots of sweat to get results like you have. Larry

[accident]

both stocks are beautiful.I own several synthetic stocked guns but I love the look and feel of a nicely grained and finished wood stock.I buy used mdl 60 marlins,strip it,rasp down the grip slimmer,sand down,stain,and finish with Tru-oil or tung oil.The guns are just shooters,but at least they look good when I give them to friends or family.And I enjoy doing it. Joe

[308 at my gate]

Very Nice. I will have to remember what you said about adding all the extra layers of oil if I do one in the future.

[da357mag]

Had a computer problem, and it is back at Dell right now, using a friends. I'm a firm believer in at least 14 to 16 coats of tru-oil, as I said 10 caots may look fairly thick but it's only about 006 inches thick! That is thousandths of an inch! So it only stands to reason that the extra coats will not only look good, but will also give better protection down the road! Now for my next trick I'm gonna show you how to "jewel" your rifle bolt. I now have a fixture and have all the tools, I will do my bolt first and show you how it comes out! should be doing it this coming week one day. in this procedure it is similar to refinishing as the better the bolt is polished in the first place the better the jeweling works! More to follow! Doug

[Big Shrek]

Originally Posted by da357mag

Iv'e done a couple of maple stocks, and one thing about them is they don't like to take stain well. So what I did was add some mineral spirits to minwax stain and it was enough to soak into the wood enough so slightly that the grain was able to show. It didn't thin the stain, just gave it the ability to work! Doug

It's not that Maple doesn't accept stain well, it's just that Minwax does not work well with many woods.

Maple, Birch, Parawood...and if you don't use the Minwax Primer, Pine & Oak can look pretty blotchy.

Use a higher quality stain...oh, like almost ANYTHING...Formby's, Old Dad's, General Finishes, Wood You...


Old woodworkers know, Minwax is basically thinned, cheap Olympic stain.
Minwax sux...that's just the way it is. They just spend a bundle on advertising.
Most folks just don't know any better.

[larrye44]

Doug, is your fixture shop built? If so, I'd like to see how you did it. Larry

[vulcrider]

Think it would make my WASR10 look as good?

[da357mag]

Basically what it is, is a bracket with an arbor that one end of the bolt is centered on, and a screw that on a centerfire bolt with the firing pin hole in the center would center on. On a rimfire all that has to be done is use a spent shell, and you have a hole to center the bolt on!. This is the set-up,,
As you can see it is a simple fixture, this one was made by B-square. As I mentioned Wheeler used to make one that I saw when I was living in AZ. The gunsmith, was simi retired but just couldn't keep his hands off it completely!
I'm going to get some 280 and 320 grit wet or dry sandpaper, it will help with the polishing of the bolt body, I will photograph each step as I go along! The bracket is a little warped but it is straight along the length, and that is what matters, couldn't make a straight line otherwise! Doug

[da357mag]

it's just that Minwax does not work well with many woods.

I do agree, minwax can be a little picky, that was the reason behind the mineral spirits. I'm not a chemist but I found a long time ago that adding them to the stain helps it work better. The stock above is birch laminate, and it seems to look alright! DA

[da357mag]

Originally Posted by vulcrider

Think it would make my WASR10 look as good?

I haven't seen a properly jeweled bolt that didn't look good! I've never heard of your kind of rifle, who makes it? DA

[larrye44]

Thanks, Doug, looking forward to seeing your progress. Looking at your rifles, it's obvious that you are a stickler for details. I agree, a jeweled bolt really sets off a rifle.

[da357mag]

Since this is my first attempt at this, I might just get a 7/16" piece of steel pipe and do a practice run to see how it comes out! That way I can see if there are any places in the procedure that might catch me up, I would rather ruin a $1.00 piece of pipe then the bolt body for the rifle! Doug