The first steps to refinishing the
stock were done in the clean up and stock shaping
steps, so you should have a stock in pretty good
shape at this point. If you haven't yet filled any
holes, such as the sling cut out, cleaning rod hole,
or dings, this is your last chance to fill them with
a glue and sawdust mixture.
Sand any areas you nicked while
installing the recoil pad with 150 grit sand paper.
Then sand with progressively finer sand paper 220,
320, and finish up with 400 grit. The more time and
care you spend on the preparation, the better your
finished product will be. No finish will compensate
for a poor surface preparation.
Blow off any dust and wipe the stock
off with paint thinner. Mask off your recoil pad with
some tape. You can see I left the white line exposed
in hope of coloring it a bit.
Once it dries, use a clean rag to wipe
on an oil based stain in the color
of your choice. I selected dark walnut. (of course
you can go with natural wood if you wish) Wipe the
stain on thick and let it stand for several minutes,
the longer you let it soak in, the darker it will be.
I let mine soak in completely and then reapplied the
stain to achieve a very dark color. When you are
satisfied with the color, use clean dry rags to wipe
off the rest of the stain. Allow the stock to dry
overnight.
The second stage of the finish is
Formby's Tung Oil Finish. I chose low gloss, but high
gloss is also available. Formby's brand has varnish
in it, not all brands of tung oil does. Just put a
small amount of Formby's on a clean cloth and rub it
into the stock. Allow it top dry completely and
repeat until you achieve the desired finish. I
recommend a minimum of three coats.
That is all there is to it. you can
lightly sand and put on additional coats anytime your
finish starts to look shabby.
