Quote:
Originally Posted by wildcat14
The gun just has normal value, nothing sentimental or anything special. I am not worried about ruining the value by refinishing the stock. It might not be factory, but it would have more value to ME, with the stock fixed. I’m not sure if I misunderstood you or not about part of what you were saying. However, I have no intention of trying to fix just those places and trying to make the color match. I have decided I would like to do the whole thing and I am grateful for all the info you guys have shared so far. However, I must say I’m still kind of in the dark. I am not an unintelligent individual by any means. However, I know nothing about wood or wood working. I assume stripping everything off is the first step. After that how do I go about fixing the bad spots. The round spot at the swivel might iron out I don’t know. I assume the other would have to be filled with something. Also, how do I know what will work on the stock, and look right, since I don’t know what wood it is? It should be a factory Marlin, if that helps.
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Well, since you have decided to refinish it that makes it easier.
Since this is an inexpensive weapon, you don't need to get into restoring it but simply making it look like
you want it to look.
Irrespective of any anecdotal statements or what you see on YOUTUBE, figure on 2 weeks
CLOCK TIME to do the deed. Labor time is not anywhere near that and you can get a really nice stock prep for less then 4 hours worth of labor.
First off, stock prep before refinishing is
THE key to how well the refinishing will end up. The better you do that the better chance you have of presenting the wood at it's best.
Refinishing a stock is not that hard and you are correct that the first step is to remove the current finish. Odds are very high that the current finish is lacquer but never say never.
If you want to make sure then you need to get some lacquer thinner and test the finish out. Since the weapon is an inexpensive one you can, if you want, simply go with a chemical stripper, which will take more coats, save the money from getting the lacquer thinner, and get the finish off.
Many folks like Citrus Strip and others like Jasco Premium Paint Remover ala:
http://www.jasco-help.com/product/pr...-epoxy-remover
They make a number of different "flavors" so make sure you get the one that looks like that. It is much stronger then the Citrus Strip.
When you remove the finish you will be removing the toned topcoat/finish and the color that was used in it. Your stock will then be pretty much as Mother Nature made it.
Once you get the finish stripped you can try and get the dents out using the "steam" method. If you don't know what that is then there are plenty of folks that can describe it.
It is entirely possible that when you use that method, and use it on the "gouges" also that you will lift enough of the fibers that you might be able to simply sand that that whole area smooth.
"Name" of the of game when steaming is to wait at least 4 days for the fibers to dry out completely and settle back into whatever density that they will.
You can steam more then once but if after 3 times the dent's don't come out then they never will.
If not then using a filler is the last choice and unless you want to mix one up yourself using hide glue the filled area will not match the surrounding area. They are made with synthetic adhesives and either sand or
small glass or ceramic particles as the filler....neither of which will "take" take a color.
It is at that point and before you color it that you want to smell the stock to see if the smoke odor is gone. Odds are it will be or it will only have a faint odor.
Once you get the stock prepped it is entirely your choice as to whether or not you color it and if so what you want it to look like.
While dyes are better they are tougher to use and since you are saying that you have little or no "woodworking" experience you are probably better off using a pre-mixed stain.
The thing to remember about stains is that they add color with each application so the protocol is to do one application, let it dry for at least 48 hours.....don't force dry it..... and then check it out. You can always darken it with another coat but if you get it too dark it will be a real PIA to make lighter.
Once you got it ready, and again because it is an inexpensive firearm, the choice of topcoat/finishes are yours.
With the exception of Lacquer or clear Shellac all other finishes contain a color cast ranging from a mild yellow to a fairly dark bronze.
This sticky goes over that.
https://rimfirecentral.com/rfcftp/sto...20topcoats.pdf
It is a virus free PDF file in case you want to save it. Takes a bit to load.
The more definitive the color cast is the more it will adversely affect the visual illusion of depth and mute any subtle colors in the wood, assuming you have any to start with.
When it comes to finishes there are as many personal choices as there are ammo choices for your firearm but it is far safer to use one from a recognized chemical coatings "house" then any of the boutique ones you see advertised that have some type of extraordinary or magical properties.
Tru-Oil® is a real crowd pleaser albeit I do not recommend mixing it with Armor All® to make the "miracle elixir" talked about on RFC.
Easy to apply...pretty robust....shiny stuff....pretty strong color cast.
Then there are the poly's. More robust then TO....comes in rattle cans or paint on's.....variety of sheens......milder color casts.
Then there are "wiping varnishes", and don't let the word varnish spook you, that mimic what a plant/vegetable oil product would look like assuming they were worth a poop as a finish in the first place.
Here are some of those.
Easy to apply....can wipe em on....robust....come in a couple of sheens....minimal color cast.
The three main "crowd pleasers" are the MinWax® Tung and Antique ones and the Formby's Tung Oil Finish.
I would stay away from the Watco stuff though. If you don't get it on just right it won't set up for a loooooooooooooooong time...if ever.
Finally there is Lacquer. Water clear....more robust then either TO or Poly's... can be repaired without witness lines...tad harder to apply the any of the above and since it is water clear some folks feel it creates a "flat" finish without any "warmth"
Non lacquer synthetic finishes do create that "warmth" though , again because of the color casts in them.
Lacquer creates the best visual illusion of depth and will make the colors in the wood more vibrant.
Again your choice but I would caution you that if folks present photo's of their stocks to demonstrate how the finish they chose and recommend either overtly or covertly, not to let the quality of the stock determine what you end up using.
Highly figured wood will always look better then the wood you have even if the finish is not the best.
As a "newbie" to woodworking I can only add that asking to make sure what can happen
BEFORE you do something is the best way to go.
As an example:
Q:
"What sanding grit should I use to sand my stock?"
A:
"Any grit lower then 400 will leave visible scratch marks that won't show up until you finish the stock. 600 is fine and stuff above that normally is used for higher grade stocks. The black wet/dry automotive paper is far better then the normal silicone sandpaper you get in Lowe's etc."
noremf(George)
PS: As I said, I believe the wood is Beech but it really does not matter. What matters is that whatever wood it is it does not have the dominant "foggy" areas that some Birch has. I would not get all hung up on wood type.
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