K31 Beech Stock Refinish

[jakerz]

I recently bought my first K31 at a local gun show. I like everything about the rifle, but would like to refinish the stock. I have never refinished a wood stock, but have been reading around on the internet and watching a few videos, and it doesn't look too hard. Anyhow, the pics below are of the rifle I bought. From what I read, the beech K31's originally had a shellac finish, so I would like to use the same on this one but I don't necessarily have to.. Here's a list of what I plan on doing (with questions), let me know if everything sounds correct.

1. The stock already doesn't have a finish on it, it's just bare wood.
2. I want to get rid of the dark spots on the rifle, so I've read that you can bleach the stocks. Not sure what all this entails, if they literally mean use clorox on the stock.
3. Lightly sand after cleaning/bleaching with 220 grit contour sanding pad.
4. Apply shellac and use 0000 steel wool between coats. I've also considered Minwax Fast Drying Satin, if it's easier to apply than the shellac.

I might try to steam out a few dents before sanding, but I think it gives the rifle character. Please let me know if anything above sounds off, and I would especially like to know about #2.

Thanks for all the help with this.

 

[OKC_Jim]

Personally, I like my milsurps to have whatever type of finish they originally had. With that being said, I'd go with the shellac like you are planning.

You might check out

theswissriflesdotcommessageboard.yuku.com

and look for any threads dealing with authentic finishes.


Hope that helps,

Jim

 

[kirk1978]

I would leave as is. the only thing your gonna do is devalue the stock (and rifle) by refinishing.

 

[coolhandluke]

That stock will require a fairly heavy amount of stripping, bleaching, steaming, and sanding in order to remove most of the stains and blemishes. Like Kirk stated above, this will only devalue the rifle to most individuals. I have no qualms about refinishing a milsurp stock as long as it is done correctly with an original type finish and the lines, contours, and cartouches on the stock are not sanded away. Even when I do a full blown refinish after stripping down to bare wood I don't use anything heavier than 000 steel wool for sanding purposes.

You might just take a minimalist approach and try using bleach free Tilex to clean the dark stained areas, rinse, let dry, and then reapply BLO and a shellac finish if desired. If it were my rifle I would strip with Strip X, remove any remaining stains with Tilex, and then apply BLO. Most of the dents and dings look to be deep enough that I would just leave them as is. Stay away from Chlorox as it will chemically damage the wood, usually leaving it with a sickly greenish tinge afterwards.

Try looking at the forum in the link below for cleaning, restoration, and refinishing tips. There's a ton of useful info on there...

http://surplusrifleforum.com/viewforum.php?f=83&sid=9bcd81dfbce49c61aba9d15d2e0f01da

 

[OKC_Jim]

I would leave as is. the only thing your gonna do is devalue the stock (and rifle) by refinishing.

I agree with this. Unfortunately it sounds like the stock has already been stripped, correct?

From this thread theswissriflesdotcommessageboard.yuku.com/topic/10847/The-original-Swiss-stock-finish-recipies,

It sounds like the mixture for the original finish for beeach is

45 % Denatured alcohol (high percentage 95%)
45 % Shellac flakes
10 % Parafin-oil (in the US called kerosene).

If I had to refinish it, I would do more research to be sure this is correct, and if it is, it is what I would use.

Jim

 

[jakerz]

^^^That's what I have found too. I created a thread on the forum you suggested to see if anyone had any ideas.

Thanks, again.

 

[Maverick21]

It may devalue the gun but if you want it to look nice I like the look of a good tung oil finish. It's a pain to do but very rewarding when you're done so long as you do the prep work with the wood.

 

[ronny]

You indicated it had no finish on it. Actually, the pics look as though it is finished. If you strip it, don't use plain old bleach on it. You will regret it. There is such a thing as wood bleach, but I don't know anything about it.\

Don't sand the stock. The third picture down shows the cartouche. You don't want to diminish it.

You'll never get all those dings out.

If you do decide to refinish and you want easy, get some Tung Oil Finish from Lowe's or someplace like that. I forget the brand name. It is very easy. Use a paper towel and wipe it on in a light coat, let it dry, lightly brush it with fine steel wool, repeat a number of times until it's like you want it. Tung Oil Finish is a combination of Tung Oil (and other oils) and varnish.

 

[nich018]

I had an AK, read on another forum about using Watco Danish oil. I refinished the stock with numerous coats and it looked great. I used a light or same color finish.