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Gunstock finishing

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Mags
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Re: Gunstock finishing

Post by Mags » Sun Feb 03, 2019 12:59 pm

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...or a stainless steel sponge?
Mistered wrote:
Most steel wool is made in China and has some oil in it to prevent it from rusting during shipment. Using steel wool can also embed into the finish and go undetected and possibly show up later as little rust specks
How about brass wool as an alternative?
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bandit1250
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Re: Gunstock finishing

Post by bandit1250 » Sun Feb 03, 2019 7:46 pm

Mistered wrote:
Most steel wool is made in China and has some oil in it to prevent it from rusting during shipment. Using steel wool can also embed into the finish and go undetected and possibly show up later as little rust specks
How about brass wool as an alternative?
Bronze wool is a great alternative to steel wool. Not as easy to get as steel wool. I get my bronze wool from Brownell's and it is more costly than hard ware store steel wool. The fish eyes I mentioned in my other post was brought up from seeing my friends stock finish jobs ruined by using steel wool and the spray on finishes. I never had the problem when I used steel wool years ago with the wipe on or rub on finishes. It is actually tough to beat the automotive wet or dry paper and is easy to get but it is no longer cheap but is readily available local. I use the wet or dry paper the most on my work. I have the address on the package for the bronze wool made in Washington state if any one wants it and may be cheaper bought directly from the manufacturer. I have the very fine grade and it has worked well for me. It is also much more forgiving on bluing than steel wool for working on surface rust. Looks just the same as steel wool fine grade but bronze in color.
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Mags
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Re: Gunstock finishing

Post by Mags » Sun Feb 03, 2019 8:30 pm

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I paint doors and trim now and then with oils. After sanding before and between coats of paint I wipe down with 'tack cloth'. Works good for getting fine stuff off that cause fish eye.
pinkchk_xsm.png
bandit1250 wrote:
Mistered wrote:
Most steel wool is made in China and has some oil in it to prevent it from rusting during shipment. Using steel wool can also embed into the finish and go undetected and possibly show up later as little rust specks
How about brass wool as an alternative?
Bronze wool is a great alternative to steel wool. Not as easy to get as steel wool. I get my bronze wool from Brownell's and it is more costly than hard ware store steel wool. The fish eyes I mentioned in my other post was brought up from seeing my friends stock finish jobs ruined by using steel wool and the spray on finishes. I never had the problem when I used steel wool years ago with the wipe on or rub on finishes. It is actually tough to beat the automotive wet or dry paper and is easy to get but it is no longer cheap but is readily available local. I use the wet or dry paper the most on my work. I have the address on the package for the bronze wool made in Washington state if any one wants it and may be cheaper bought directly from the manufacturer. I have the very fine grade and it has worked well for me. It is also much more forgiving on bluing than steel wool for working on surface rust. Looks just the same as steel wool fine grade but bronze in color.
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Last edited by Mags on Sun Feb 03, 2019 9:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Mistered
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Re: Gunstock finishing

Post by Mistered » Sun Feb 03, 2019 8:52 pm

Actually I HAVE refinished several gunstocks over the years - not a lot but enough to have a little experience with them.
I have tried a few different processes and got some pretty good results. I am about ready to do my Marlin Mod 39 stock soon.
I know I have used steel wool on a couple of them (long ago) and never had a problem but will not use it again for the reasons previously posted by Bandit and that is why I asked about brass wool as an alternative.
I have used it on rust issues with old guns and when used carefully can clean up rust fairly well.
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clovishound
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Re: Gunstock finishing

Post by clovishound » Wed Feb 06, 2019 1:16 pm

Well, I guess I'm finished with it. I'm not entirely happy with it, but it will probably be what my buddy wants. I would really like to block sand the comb, and refinish that, but am afraid of changing the profile. I will take it by my buddy's and see what he is going to do with a butt plate/recoil pad.

Tru oil is a bit different than the Danish Oil that I'm familiar with. It has more solids, and that makes it more difficult to get a flat surface. I'm not saying one is better than the other, just different. I had a fairly decent high shine surface, but decided that a satin would be better, so I took it down with 0000 steel wool. I can easily put another thin coat of Tru Oil on top of that, or buff it out to a high gloss, if he prefers that.

The lighting in the photos makes it look like there are some light spots near the butt, it's actually fairly even there.
finish3.JPG
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bandit1250
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Re: Gunstock finishing

Post by bandit1250 » Wed Feb 06, 2019 2:23 pm

clovishound,I think it turned out very nice. This is the time of the year to do these projects. I usually always have a line up of stocks on my bench to work on especially in the winter months.
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