Thread: More advise wanted re finishing a stock

@dannyb seems tergostrip is made in nz by chemetall industries and is available thru most panelbeaters supply places.
i used it on that horrid epoxy found on early jw15's and heated the wood up till i could just hold onto it, covered it in tergo and it dissolved off no problems. rubber gloves, safety glasses and ventilation are needed

Good to hear - I'll get some more.

A point about OO steel/wire wool - have heard of course the idea that fragments can be left in woodwork and rust etc. But .. have to note I've probably used the product on 15-20 rifle restores ( my hobby) and have never encountered a problem. There is the suggestion it could happen, but in my experience have never had a problem. A problem can be replicating exact tints/coloration on light coloured stocks. Here you sometimes have to experiment with tints etc, but as often as not I'm happy to go with a slight variation. The only stock that was difficult to match was from JW15s with their thick poo brown varnish over almost balsa white stocks. Sometimes I've left them 'blonde' - 6 coats of Danish oil - and on occasion have sprayed them in satin black - not an issue on a cheapie. Where there is deep stock dent damage requiring filler, then the satin black solution is a useful cover-all for a cheapie. 6 coats does it well.

The last few stocks I've removed varnish off I used sellys paint stripper. Put small sections on at a time with a 1cm art brush, wait a few minutes for it to bubble up then scrape off with a putty scraper. It's almost like a gel, water based stuff so in the chequering I've used a wet stiff brissled toothbrush to clean it out. Cleans it up nicely.
Small sections are needed as if it dries out it's a bastard to get off again.

The last Toz I did took several tries with the stripper, don't know what varnish they used but it sure as hell outlasted the USSR.

+1 on Tergo Strip! Do not use any sandpaper at all as it will round off the edges and the fact that the stock has been refinished by an amateur will stick out like dog's balls! A carefully used scraper will remove the bulk of the factory finish, followed by more stripper and steel wool. Wash the stock thoroughly and allow it to dry. Put masking tape over the checkering then whisker off the stock with 600 grit wet & dry on a sanding black, working up to but not over the sharp edges. Remove the masking tape and gently clean out the checkering with a suede brush. Apply a coat of sanding sealer, allow to thoroughly dry, then gently resand with 800 grit wet & dry on the sanding block as before. Apply as many coats of oil as you need, allowing a few days between each coat to properly dry before polishing with a cloth to remove any skin build-up. I use Artist's Oil which is available at any artists supply shop (Warehouse Stationery is good) as it dries quickly and is thin to apply. When you are happy with the finish then clean out the checkering with a 3-square (triangular) needle file to remove the built up oil, then brush in a light coat of oil with the suede brush. Job done!

i found after sanding that steaming the wood over a pan of water raises and "loose grain" then sand again.

Originally Posted by muzza

Likewise using steel wool - bits of it break off and embed in the surface and go rusty. Dont ever clean your stainless rifle with steel wool for the same reason

Never had that issue BUT just to be safe I now use copper? bronze? wool. ( bought the stuff yonks ago so can’t remember what it is - or where I bought it)

4th coat of tung-linseed blend oil. The synthetic steel wool worked a treat.