K 98 stocks

[drew Allman]

From pawn shop I recently picked up an all matching dou 43. However, the previous moron who owned it placed varnish on the stock and spilled most of it over the rifle itself. I have recently been using Break Free oil with 0000 steel wool yet it actually doesnt seem abrasive enough. Also since there doesnt appear to be any markings on it does anyone have an unmarred mid war stock they would like to sell? Thanks
My email is akaallman@hotmail.com

Sincerely,

Andrew Allman

[phild]

Forget the oil and steel wool. Buy a can of paint/varnish stripper, like "Kutzit" available at most paint stores. Take the rifle down and apply this to both metal and wood (one at a time) and wipe off after about 5 mins. with rags or 0000 steel wool (lightly). You may need to go thru several cycles to get it all off. Wipe down with water or minerial sprits to remove all traces of the remover and dry and lightly oil all metal before assembly.

If the wood has been strongly sanded, you may not gain whole lot in looks.

[Jeff V]

Agreed, also wiping with laquer thinner will do the trick. Remember to oil the metal as it will quickly rust.
jeff

[ChrisCook]

http://http://p077.ezboard.com/bpara...firearmsforums You also may want to check out the Parallax forum (you'll need to register), there is an entire subsection on cleaning and restoring military stocks, proper use of lacqur, mineral spirits, shellac, finishes, and such.....Chris...

[gew98]

"DUDE" ; If I may suggest you use no damn chemicals like lacquer thinner or mineral spirits or any liquid strip chemcial.They ALL will to a 't' dry out and or bleach any original finish under the BLO/Varnish goober job.
A darn fact and one to heed !. Your best bet is to obtain a gel consitency stripper and apply in small areas and only as long as it takes to soften the goober goop to be wiped off with a towel/rag...not damned bubba wool !. Simply any other method is too harsh on any remaining finish and proofs that may be left.
But it's your wood do as you like.

[phild]

I've yet to read a stock finish/restoration post on any forum that did not result in as many different answers as there were reponses!

The technique that I described has been used by myself to restore at least 75 weapon stocks over a 30 year period. Each case must be treated as an individual evaluation to some degree.

I have no problem with Gew98s method....I've used it several times myself. I prefer the Kutzit because it seems to work faster is is easier to remove...an important consideration when working with old laminated stocks.

A dou 43 would have had no original finish on the wood when issued except maybe a coat of linseed oil, so in this case don't worry about preserving what was never there.

I've never seen Kutzit beach wood, however it would be nice in some cases if it did. Mineral sprits is pretty benign on both wood and metal, however I would on second thought not use this on the wood to neutralize the stripper. You would be better off with a clean wet rag to simply wipe down the Kutzit with several passes until clean.

The 0000 steel wool is not really critical unless the varnish being stripped is very thick, and if used only wipe with the length of the wood grain (end to butt on a stock) you would have to scrub darn hard and often in a stock with 0000 SW to have any impact on the wood itself....remember in my first post I said LIGHTLY.

There you have it, to each his own.

[Dan M]

Varnished Stock

Were stocks varnished during WWII? I bought a bcd 4 Mauser at an estate auction a few years back. It has a late war stock which has no markings. It has a coat of yellow varnish on it. The wood is rough in some places. I was thinking of stripping it but I am not sure when the varnish was applied. It was a vet bring back.

Thanks,
Dan

[drew Allman]

K98 woes

Alright I applied some varnish thinner to the stock and an inconspicuous piece of metal for ten minutes and it worked great. The varnish came right off and the stock is looking muc better. The fool before me must not have sanded it too deep. Anyways all numbers are matching, the handguard is stamped with the serial number of the gun, however I have run into a horrible problem that is driving me up the wall. The set screw by the trigger guard is protected by another screw about an eighth of an inch in length. This screw freely spins because it is either stripped itself or the wood that it is in is stripped. I have no way of taking this thing out and I am trying to be extra careful. This screw is the only thing standing in the way of completely dismantling and restoring the rifle. Any ideas? Thanks
Andrew

[phild]

neither the locking screws or the triggerguard screws are screwed into the wood, but rather the metal of the trigger guard (lock screws) and the receiver (action triggerguard (action) screws). If a lock screw is turning without backing out (or tightening, depending on turning direction of course) it means that it is stripped or broken. I would suggest that you try and strong magnet to draw it on out. You can make micro adjustments to the main screw that it rest againist in order to relieve any pressure that may be on it in order to free it on out.

I suspected that the stock may have been sanded prior to the varnish job. It becomes very subjective in these cases on how much (if anything) to do on how inorder to restore the appearence to something approaching the original.

If they used a fine grit sandpaper, lightly sanded WITH the wood grain, and stayed off of the metal stock fittings, then there is often little damage. Sadly this is not often the case.

Again I would advise the use of stripper rather than thinner....they are very different. I would also advise the wiping down of the wood with a clean wet cloth after removal of the stripper to neutralize and to slightly re-raise the woods grain...several wipe downs over a couple of days may be desireable.....do this with the barrel etc.. removed from the wood.

[Captain Emo]

"Refinishing" bring back stocks was rather common. The vets thought they were making them look good/better. Also, many of these rifles were available at hardware stores, etc. for very little money.

[Lambo]

I just purchased a Russian Capture K98 Mauser at a Gun Show this past weekend. The Stock finish, that red-russian shellac is low-grade. As I type, the Rifle sits on the work bench in complete break-down fashion. The Stock is in the process of re-finishing. I suggest using the Formby's Finish Remover & Tung Oil Finish. It comes as a Kit. I used one for refinishing a Mosin-Nagant Stock. It had that red-shellac on the furniture too. Did't harm the Fibers of the Wood, turned out Great!

[Lambo]

My RC K98 Mauser is now put back together and looking good I must say. Here's a Pic,

[Captain Emo]

That looks great!