You have to admit, anytime a man tells another man he has nice wood, it's funny.
Seriously, though, the stock does look great. Keep the pics coming.
Type 53 Refinish Update
- Thread starter Spagett
- Start date
You have to admit, anytime a man tells another man he has nice wood, it's funny.
Seriously, though, the stock does look great. Keep the pics coming.
Youve never been to Vegas have you?
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Cirque du Soliel is pretty much just that
After Krud Kutter and 2 rounds of chemical stripping, I sanded up to 600 grit. I put a coat of clear poly on but realized it wasnt curing right... Turns out there was too much oil still left seaping from the wood... Not necessarilly cosmo, but it smelled and felt like natural oils within the wood. I had to wash/sand off that poly and start from scratch again.
Went from 120 to 220 to 600 grit again. After making sure the stock was dry and oil free, I decided to use clear gloss polyeurathane. It will protect the wood much better than any oil application, there is practically no upkeep, and I'll be able to polish the bajezus out of it once cured. The pics posted are a little dated, since I've moved on to the metal restoration, I'll rub on a quick coat before I do anything else. I probably have a dozen coats on it by now :0
Once my high grit sandpaper comes in I'll flatten the finish to 1500 grit then use polishing compound to make it look like Liberace's parade rifle.
How thick does the poly go on? I am used to applying Shellac and it doesn't take much for it to build up and the barrel bands have a tough time sliding on.
You'll definitely want to cook any cosmoline out of the wood.
What are your plans for the metal restoration?
The poly doesn't go on too thick - I use a swath of old tee shirt material and rub the coat on thin. Obviously with so many coats it'll be a decent thickness overall. I haven't even TRIED to put the thing back together since taking it apart on the first day! I've foreseen the barrel bands being a problem but I can dremel sand the finish down on the spring clips if needed or even thin the finish at the point of contact on the stock if needed... we shall see.
The metal? I'm still brainstorming. I WANTED to polish it after removing the blue but it'll be just too much upkeep I think. Bare carbon steel needs to stay oiled and clean. I thought about a clear gloss high heat poly on the barrel after polishing but I've heard that yellows over time with wear and heat. I was going to cold blue but I have yet to see a cold bluing that doesn't look splotchy and uneven and it's too dull for me anyway. I am leaning toward high heat black gloss enamel... I am also considering polishing and clear coating NON-heat sensitive areas (mag and trigger guard buttplate, etc) but I'm not sure I'll be too crazy about the 2-tone metalwork. Black polished barrel with raw polished hardware? May look goofy.
I don't know... I'm just experimenting as I go.
Here's the metal as it stands right now:
The hardware has just been stripped of bluing, mostly by sanding. No polishing or anything like that - just sand it and bathe it in oil for now.
The barrel hasn't been touched too much other than removing some blue from the receiver and bayonet. There are so many turning/machining marks that are covered by the hand guard that without a bench grinder, I doubt I will be able to smooth out.
Wow a T-shirt? I'm always so nervous working wth Shellac I spray it because I'm afraid to apply it unevenly with a rag like the Russians did. I assume that method applys it very thinly? to you sand between coats?
Most worn tshirts are soft and leave no fuzz - the softness helps it conform to all of the intricacies of the wood and the fuzz-less aspect, well that's obvious. The coats do go on relatively thin and I lightly sand as needed - only when I can feel the dust and particulates building up in the finish. Light 600 grit and a wet cloth makes it feel pretty glassy.
I have a can of spray poly that I've used on furniture and I have never gotten an even coat out of it. I also have no experience with shelac though so it may work better.
I have learned though with poly clear coats that it's better to treat it as if you are staining the wood with it rather than painting it. Rub it on smooth and don't worry about the thickness of each individual coat.
I have a can of spray poly that I've used on furniture and I have never gotten an even coat out of it. I also have no experience with shelac though so it may work better.
I have learned though with poly clear coats that it's better to treat it as if you are staining the wood with it rather than painting it. Rub it on smooth and don't worry about the thickness of each individual coat.
I spray it with a paint gun. For the best results I make it quite thin and spray numerous coats instead of the usually 3-4 coats I do when I don't thin the can stuff down.
I'm still trying to decide how I'll finish my abused T53 stock, it is just so beat up its hard to decide.
Get a picture up!
