Removing varnish

[Badf1shman]

For the Remi yes it comes off if it's the one with a dimond in the middle you have to remove the insert to get at the screw.

Sorry I reply to these threads less as its not worth the arguements from some who do this stuff as hobby. I'm off to the other topics to argue with the plumbers on how best to repair leaky pipes!

Haha as I heating engineer I feel your pain. I can trade you plumbing secrets for your stock finishing secrets ;-)

[BrowningB525]

For the Remi yes it comes off if it's the one with a dimond in the middle you have to remove the insert to get at the screw.

 

Sorry I reply to these threads less as its not worth the arguements from some who do this stuff as hobby. I'm off to the other topics to argue with the plumbers on how best to repair leaky pipes!

Please don't feel like that.

 

I for one am interested in what the experts have to say.

[Graham M]

I have refinished many stocks and I am loath to put strippers or anything on them. I tend to get an old glass bottle which I wrap in a cloth and then hit it with a hammer.

The pieces of broken glass are ideal for scraping off of varnish etc and it's then just a case of sanding with progressively finer grades of glass paper followed by a final sand with 240 W&D soaked with linseed. The chequeing is then cleaned out with small triangular riffler files and then brushed out with a soft toothbrush. A small amount of Danish oil in the chequering followed by an all over rubbing with said oil gives a nice finish in @ a couple of weeks.

Or longer if you just want to use linseed; just don't gum up the chequering.

 

 

Labour intensive but very rewarding as the finish starts to come through.

 

G

[Badf1shman]

Heres how it's looking after a short soak in acetone and being worked over with 240. The dark line where the rubber boot has been is still visible, I'm reluctant to continue sanding it tho as I don't want to remove too much material. I know there's still lots of work to do but I'm pleased with progress so far!

[welshwarrior]

PM sent

[PhilR]

I've oil finished stocks in the white and also refinished stocks that have been previously oiled, all mine I might add.

 

I'm certainly interested to read of people's opinions and experiences of using different procedures and materials to achieve decent finishes.

[harrycatcat1]

I am reading this with interest as I have recently bought an old Baikal sbs for 50 quid that has woodwork that looks like a cheap pine wardrobe and would like to change it to look a lot darker.

Can you get this done if so how much do folks charge for this service?

Bearing in mind how much I paid for the gun it would probably be more cost effective to leave it a pine colour

 

Regards

 

H

[impala59]

Or do it yourself, its very rewarding and, I think, therapeutic too.

[Badf1shman]

I am reading this with interest as I have recently bought an old Baikal sbs for 50 quid that has woodwork that looks like a cheap pine wardrobe and would like to change it to look a lot darker.

Can you get this done if so how much do folks charge for this service?

Bearing in mind how much I paid for the gun it would probably be more cost effective to leave it a pine colour

 

Regards

 

H

Deffo worth having a go yourself, I have a feeling you'd be paying more than the gun cost to have it refinished. Never. Bad thing to learn somthing too!

[Graham M]

If you do decide to darken the wood, you will have to take it right back to the underlying wood itself and sand it until it is really smooth. Then wet it with a wet cloth to stand the grain back up......and then sand it all smooth again. Do this a couple of times until the grain isn't standing up any more; that is when you can apply a sealing coat. Make sure that you seal it all with a wood sealer before applying the stain/dye, if you don't the stain will soak in more in certain areas such as end grain and will not darken as much on the flatter bits.......and will look a bloody mess.

The sealer will stop the dye from soaking in and give a uniform all over colour. Then finish with a nice matt Yacht varnish, which is oil based and not water based like the muck you get from B&Q.

 

 

G

[harrycatcat1]

If you do decide to darken the wood, you will have to take it right back to the underlying wood itself and sand it until it is really smooth. Then wet it with a wet cloth to stand the grain back up......and then sand it all smooth again. Do this a couple of times until the grain isn't standing up any more; that is when you can apply a sealing coat. Make sure that you seal it all with a wood sealer before applying the stain/dye, if you don't the stain will soak in more in certain areas such as end grain and will not darken as much on the flatter bits.......and will look a bloody mess.

The sealer will stop the dye from soaking in and give a uniform all over colour. Then finish with a nice matt Yacht varnish, which is oil based and not water based like the muck you get from B&Q.

 

 

G

 

Thanks for that advice about the sealer and finishing

Would you be good enough to explain the "wet cloth and grain" bit please, how long do you do each bit?

I believe the wood is beech.

Regards

H

[Graham M]

Sand it until it feels like a Peach to touch (smooth as a baby's bum) then take a wet cloth and completely wet the entire stock. The grain will immediately stand up and make the stock look as rough as a bears *****.

Then carefully play a blowtorch/hot air gun over the whole stock making sure you don't scorch any thing, or hold it over the gas cooker jet and pass it to and fro until the stock is completely dry. At this point it will look rough but is easily sanded down.

 

You then sand it all down again to get to the baby's bum stage...........and then soak it all over etc, etc, etc.

 

It takes a a little time but isn't too labour intensive as you move fairly quickly, and once you reach the stage where the grain isn't standing up and looking rough you are then ready to seal; but make absolutely sure that the stock is totally smooth because any rough bit will stand out like a sore thumb when the sealer goes on and then you have to start all over.

 

Have fun, it only takes a little time and effort but can transform a cheap and cheerful stock that wouldn't benefit from an oil finish.

 

G

 

[Wingman]

Ended up looking like this (after its first coat of Tung Oil)

 

 

[harrycatcat1]

Sand it until it feels like a Peach to touch (smooth as a baby's bum) then take a wet cloth and completely wet the entire stock. The grain will immediately stand up and make the stock look as rough as a bears *****.

Then carefully play a blowtorch/hot air gun over the whole stock making sure you don't scorch any thing, or hold it over the gas cooker jet and pass it to and fro until the stock is completely dry. At this point it will look rough but is easily sanded down.

 

You then sand it all down again to get to the baby's bum stage...........and then soak it all over etc, etc, etc.

 

It takes a a little time but isn't too labour intensive as you move fairly quickly, and once you reach the stage where the grain isn't standing up and looking rough you are then ready to seal; but make absolutely sure that the stock is totally smooth because any rough bit will stand out like a sore thumb when the sealer goes on and then you have to start all over.

 

Have fun, it only takes a little time and effort but can transform a cheap and cheerful stock that wouldn't benefit from an oil finish.

 

G

 

 

Thanks for that, I will do my best and start a seperate topic once I am in a position to do so thanks again.

Regards

H