Stock refinishing question

[Rob]

I picked up a used rifle a while back and the finish on the stock was pretty worn.  I decided to sand it down and refinish it.  I'm ready to put on stain, but I had a question I was hoping to get some advice on.

Does the type of stain matter?  i.e. with all the chemicals and oils used to clean rifles, is thier a specific type of stain that I should get (or avoid).

[shaneman153D]

Answer that with a question:  Are you putting anything else over the stain (e.g. Linseed/tung oil)?  If so it shouldn't matter.  If not, I wouldn't know how to determine what stains will react to oils/solvents.  If you are concerned about it, you can always slap a bunch of different stains on a test board and see what those chemicals do to it.

ETA:

You might just be safe by using a stain specifically for firearms.  This is what I used http://www.chestnutridge.com/images/inv/MAWAL1.asp

Kind of weird lighting, but this is what that stain looks like on laminated wood with one coat of linseed oil:

[gutsnthegrass]

My old man refinished a stock years ago on an old mouser he had when he was a kid.  I think he used several coaats of tru-oil, and in between coats he would use some really fine wet steel wool to smooth out the coats.  when he got it to where he liked it he spent several hours rubbing it with his hands to get the natural oils to penetrate.  Sounds kind of gay when I write like that, but thats how he did it and to this day its one of the prettiest stocks i've seen done.  That was probably 18 years ago.

[Rob]

Great, thanks for the input.

I'll post photos when I am done

[Huntbear]

Rob, are you wanting a satin finish or a high gloss look?  Also, I would not reccomend stain.  Just Tru Oil.  It will darken the wood anyway.

I have done about 2 dozen stocks, they all turn out great, just takes a lot of time, but is well worth it.

[Rob]

I went ahead and selected a light colored minwax stain and I have a few coats on it.  Once it gets to the color I want, I'll put a few coats of laquer on it to protect it, then I'll wax it up with some stock wax I picked up.  Looking good so far.

[Rob]

OK, stock is done.  here is what I did:

1.  Sanded off all the old finish
   -started with 200 grit, moved to 320, then 400, then crocus cloth.  in the process, I wet down the wood and sanded off the whiskers.
2.  I put 5-6 coats of Minwax Cherry #245 (a really light stain) until I got it as dark as I was looking for.
   -I let it dry 12 hours betwen coats, and 24-36 hours for the final coat.
3.  I put on 4 coats of spar varnish
   -I let each coat sit a minimum of 12 hours before applying the next coat.  I sanded with 400 grit and steel wool between coats, but not on the final coat
4.  I rubbed the final finish with felt pads covered with linseed oil and rottenstone powder.  Three coats
5.  I buffed out all the rust spots on the barrel and re-blued.
6.  I polished all the brass (that was the biggest pain)

I am happy with the end result.  I bought a hawkin flint lock kit and I wanted to practice prior to building it.  I learned a lot.  Next time:
-I will get a finer brush to apply the varnish with.  If you look closely you can see some streaks in the varnish.
-In an attempt to smooth out the varnish application, I tried using a patch to apply thevarnish.  that was a disaster as it left bits of cotton in the varnish that had to be sanded out.  I got most of them, but there are still some dimples here and there.

I was an idiot and did not take any before photos, but Robodad (the person I bought it from) was kind enough to re-send me the photo from the ad. 

By the way, Anyone have any idea what kind of wood this is?

[Rob]

one more thing.  what was surprising to me was that CVA put so much varnish and such on top of the wood, that I did not think it had any nice grain at all.  I was pleasantly surprised to see how much character the wood had once I got all that varnish off that the manufacture put on!

[robodad]

  That turned out GORGEOUS !!!

I would have never thought that old beat up rifle could be that beautiful, CVA really covered it up good !!

NICE WORK Rob !!! 

[Rob]

Thanks!  it was a fun project and a good one to play with before I do the one that matters.

[haugenna]

Nice job.

Is it oak?

[Rob]

I wish I knew.  I'm a novice in woodcraft.  Seemed pretty soft for oak.  did not look like walnut.  I'm wondering if it is maple.

[carpsniperg2]

looks great

[AWS]

Too much grain for maple, quessing some kind of Beech.

AWS