Stripping crappy finish

[Ithaca33]

I would like to start off by saying that Ive never refinished a stock before.

That being said, I recently bought a Sterlingworth Skeet and Upland for Grouse, woodcock, and snipe (if I could ever find some!!) and I love it. The only real downside is that someone botched refinishing the stock. It looks like they used some cheap varnish or laquer.

I would like to strip the old finish and replace it with a few coats of tongue oil or the like.

My questions are...

1) what should I use to strip the curren finish?

2) can I strip and refinish it without removing the stock from the receiver? (I'm nervous about breaking the wings)

3) what should I refinish it with to get a simple dark protective finish?

Thank you much,

Pat

[bbman3]

Pat,please be very careful when sanding the wood not to sand below the metal or round coners off .It takes practice to sand stock properly.most any good wood stripper should work.It will be tough to leave stock on frame with out sanding metal.When sanding have buttplate installed.Tru oil is good to use thinned about 50 percent with turp or mineral spirits for first two or three coats.You have a scarce Fox and be cautious. Bobby

[Ithaca33]

I am going to avoid sanding as much as possible. I really just want to remove the clear laquer-like coat

[bbman3]

Pat,use a sanding block.i use art gum erasers for smaller and hard to get to areas and around inletting.i use larger rubber block,green in color that i got from NAPA for larger areas.i use wet or dry sandpaper,dry and 220 followed by 320 grit,then 400 grit for final finish. be sure to raise the grain at least two or three times.Bobby

[dragon]

bobby why do you thin the tru-oil for the first couple coats?

[Twice Barrel]

A little hint I learned reading and playing around. After you strip the stock (I prefer a acetone soak followed by a denatured alcohol soak) apply masking tape to the checkering and press teh masking tape into the cuts with a hard bristle or soft steel brush. Peel off the tape and years of crud and oil will be pulled out of the checkering. Raise dents with an old iron over a soft cloth soaked in water. You will be surprised by the size of the dents and bruised that can be raised with a couple to three applications of a hot iron forcing steam into the wood. Once you have the stock prepped and dents raised take some time and mask off the checkering, IMO nothing says amateur like cut checkering filled up with varnish. If you want a glass smooth finish wet sand your stock with a 50/50 mix of whatever finish you plan to use. Wipe off the excess but not too hard you want the sanding dust and oil mix to start filling the pores let it dry at least 24 -36 hours and rub down with OOOO steel wool repeat 4 to 6 time depending on the wood. If you don't want a high gloss finish use low luster Varnish followed on the last two coats with low luster Formbys Tung Oil. The finish is tough as nails and if you do scuff it up a bit a light coat of diluted Tung Oil will restore the finish. This may sound like a lot of time and effort but a half hour every evening for a week isn't a lot to invest in a nice Fox

[bbman3]

Twice Barrel is giving you some great info.You thin the first couple coats to get finish as deep in wood as possible.I use stain if wood is light in color and use different brands of oil sometimes,Dembart stock and checker oil is good and requires no thinning. I can checker so do not mask checkering off.Bobby