Pop Watts wrote:Rather than sand the wood, I have used paint stripper to remove the old finish, rubbing with nothing harsher than steel wool.
Steam out dents by placing a damp cloth over the stock and ironing it with your wife's clothes iron. (she has since given me my own iron) Repeat this process until you have got as much of the dings as you can out of the timber. Then damp down the timber, let it dry and rub it with steel wool. Repeat this process until the timber feels smooth. Then go for your desired oil finish.
My rule is not to rub a stock with anything more abrasive than steel wool.
Please post some pics of your handywork.
Pop.
Pop has it right. Use a chemical stripper to remove the finish, steam steam steam those dents, and use 0000 steel wool to take off the raised grain. You don't need to sand unless there is a serious gouge where the wood is damaged. I recently posted a 9422 stock I refinished that demonstrates the idea.
http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=50343
One of the biggest signs that a stock has been refinished occurs at the metal-wood interface. A pristine stock will be proud to the metal, ie higher than the metal. Not by much, but usually enough to easily feel with your fingers. If you sand it at all, the metal will be higher than the wood, and is a dead giveaway that it has been redone.
If you want to match the original color, you will have to either buy a premixed product or mix some wood stain to get the reddish color that typifies the older Winchesters. I haven't worried about that too much to this point because I like to see what the natural wood has in it and how it reacts to the finish I'm applying.
I use True Oil on my guns and take off the gloss with the Stock Sheen and Conditioner, but I have used Watco Danish Oil Finish on kitchen cabinets and furniture for years and think it is a great product. Post your results so we can see the outcome!
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