Virginia Gun Owners Forum - VGOF

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Here is a quick comparo "before and after" that shows what I did with the stock from my most recent Mosin Nagant project. I'm sorry, but it's my gun, and I really dislike the shellac finish on any weapon! (Back in the days past, I stripped and refinished the shellac off of the Norinco AK's too!)

The top pic - not easy to see the reddish-hued Ukrainian shellac finish since it was shot inside with a flash.

The bottom two pics are outside in the sun, after I removed every bit of shellac and rubbed in 3 coats of pure white (non-tinted) beeswax. The stock looks really blond at this point, but for this rifle it is what I wanted. To each their own!

Adam

wow nice refinishing.. you'll have to let me know what you did. Probably have to refinish my m91/30.
after cleaning and degreasing it the shellac finish has peeled/ is peeling of in places.. sorta looks like a spotted russian now

Mav wrote:wow nice refinishing.. you'll have to let me know what you did. Probably have to refinish my m91/30.
after cleaning and degreasing it the shellac finish has peeled/ is peeling of in places.. sorta looks like a spotted russian now

Thanks for the kind words - it's not hard at all to remove the varnish or shellac and "do your own thing" with these rifles.

First choice, is to see whether or not an application of low-odor mineral spirits will remove the finish. If not, move up to using lacquer remover - which is what I ended up doing. Just take your time, do it outside or in a shed, 'cuz it is a dirty and smelly operation. I learned a long time ago to stop working on my home gunsmithing projects at the dinner table - my wife really doesn't appreciate that, for some reason!

After the finish is removed, you are looking at bare wood. What next? Well, the sky's the limit. Everyone, from resto-purists to truck-gun "real-world" users have their preferences. I tried using up some old pure clear beeswax I had that was meant for hiking boots. Later, I went back and tinted the wood with a mix of matt poly and dark stain, and reapplied the beeswax.

I don't think I have pictures of that second go, but basically it is identical, just slightly darker. This wood tends to be very blond in color - if it is a postwar/late-war solid stock, not talking about laminated here.

At the price these guns go for take plenty of risks - they are very fun to work with and shoot. I just wanted mine to look pleasing to me, and essentially stock.

Adam

I agree, i like the new look a heck of a lot better.

SPIKEH26 wrote: I agree, i like the new look a heck of a lot better.

Hey, thanks for the comment. As it is mid-July, and your post was in May, it's pretty clear I don't surf this website nearly enough!

Hope everyone is having "summer fun" with their firearms. Been working off and on with the old fowler flintlock I acquired a year ago. Once I get some photos edited, I will post the progress.

Thanks

Adam