Urethane Stock Finishes??

[cshold]

Need some info. On how to touch up or completely remove factory
plastic urethane stock finishes.

[Hillbillygunsmith]

It is very difficult to touch up a urethane stock finish that will not show after the touch up. I hate urethane on a gun stock because they have a tendency to crack and lift off the stock.
Use a paint stripper on the bare stock, may take a couple appications to get it all off. Now is the time to repair any dents in the wood by by using a hot iron applied to a damp cotton cloth covering the dent. The steam created will lift the dent out. Also sand out any blemishes and finish up the sanding with 400 grit. Apply a good oil finish, Tru-oil or Lin-speed until you fill the wood pores and wet sand down with 400 grit and then use fingers to rub a very light coat of oil on the stock until you reach the finish you want. And I mean a very thin light coat. You can also use a stock rubbing compound to finish it in a fine satin if you do not want a shiny stock.
If you have checkering on the stock, avoid filling the diamonds up with the oil finish. They will only need about one very light coat of oil brushed in with a tooth brush. Also avoid sanding the diamond pattern down unless you have checkering tools and know how to re-cut the pattern.
there should be web sites that tell how to "refinish a rifle stock" that will go into more detail with step by step instructions. It is not that hard if you follow the instructions and DO NOT GET IN A HURRY TO FINISH THE STOCK. Makes for a good winter project. Be sure to allow plenty of drying time between oil coats. Both Lin-speed and Tru-oil have drying agents in the oil to speed up the drying over regular tung oil or linseed oil.

[marlinman93]

Factory urethane finishes are horrible, and tough to patch up! Urethane in general is not a bad finish, nor is it tough to fix. I've used both Permalyn Sealer and Wipe-On Poly with great results. Both can be applied like linseed oil, and when properly done they will give hand rubbed oil look, and easily reapired when needed. They'll also go right over that wood once you've stripped it, and not have a reaction to any remaining finish if you don't quite get all the old off. This is important, as many finish products wont ever dry if you put them on a stock that had polyurethane on it before, if ever bit is not removed.-Vall

[C. Cash]

When I got my Grandfather's old Mod. 37 Single Shot...I believe it had a Urethane finish on it. It was chipping off everywhere and was the nastiest looking stock I've seen. Formby's Furniture Refinisher took it right off(used 0000 steel wool as an applicator)....most importantly it left the stain, dings and character as is. Doesn't harm the stain at all. Sorry for the same old rehashed pic. This was after the Formby's and some Tru-Oil.

[cshold]

Marlinman93,

Witch one did you find the best results with? “Permalyn Sealer or Wipe-On Poly”
I really would like to just try and get away with a touch-up on this gunstock
If possible.

The forearm is perfect the screws have never been turned that I can tell.
There’s not a scratch anywhere on the metal. Heck the loading gate looks as if there
has never been a round slid over it.

There are just a few small dings in the stock that looks as if they were caused
By butt plates from other guns in a gun cabinet.

[marlinman93]

casastahle,
Either works well, but the Wipe-On Poly is easier to get, and a lot cheaper! If you want to try and touch up using WOP it works well for that. You'll need to put on a number of coats as it's very watery, and wont build up fast. I personally have used it to repair Browning hi gloss stocks for a friend. I masked off the area around the scrape, then sanded it smooth and remasked. Then just paint or wipe on the WOP and let it dry. If it runs wipe the excess off with a rag. After enough coats to build it up to match the surrounding area, remove the blue painters tape and wet sand the area using WOP on 600 grit sandpaper. Wipe it dry afterwards and repeat the wet sanding a few times. Then buff it out after a few days drying time with MinnWax paste. It should blend right in.-Vall

[cshold]

casastahle,
Either works well, but the Wipe-On Poly is easier to get, and a lot cheaper! If you want to try and touch up using WOP it works well for that. You'll need to put on a number of coats as it's very watery, and wont build up fast. I personally have used it to repair Browning hi gloss stocks for a friend. I masked off the area around the scrape, then sanded it smooth and remasked. Then just paint or wipe on the WOP and let it dry. If it runs wipe the excess off with a rag. After enough coats to build it up to match the surrounding area, remove the blue painters tape and wet sand the area using WOP on 600 grit sandpaper. Wipe it dry afterwards and repeat the wet sanding a few times. Then buff it out after a few days drying time with MinnWax paste. It should blend right in.-Vall

Thanks Vall,
I will give this a go.