Weihrauch beech stock maintenance

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numbertwo

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Mar 13, 2023
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MA, US
As a new Weihrauch owner I am seeking AGN member advice on beech gunstock maintenance. I have recently acquired two new rifles (HW50S, HW30S) both of which have the new-style beech stock (cutout under cheek area) and would like suggestions on what can be done to treat these stocks for long term use. The options I'm considering at this point are Tru-Oil, some type of wax or polish (Tru-Polish?) or boiled & thinned Linseed Oil.

The Beech wood seems light in color and I expect some sort of darkening if any treatment is applied. I'm planning disassembly for cleaning / kit installation shortly and felt that it would also be a good time for stock prep. I'm thinking that some type of light oil-wax solution might be just right.

I'm also open to any information regarding the current factory finish on these stocks and whether leaving them as is is the preferred option. I'm not interested in any treatments that would involve removal of any factory-applied finishes, just some preservative-type actions or treatments. Thanks in advance - I've searched the forums for info on this subject but didn't find anything directly related.
 
The factory finish is a amber lacquer. It won’t darken over the finish. If you want it darker the clear coat needs to be removed. Beechwood is difficult to work with so be sure you want to go down this rabbit hole. The stock as is needs no care like finish oils. An occasional coat of wax is fine but not really necessary. If you decide to refinish the stock there is help here to be had. This is a before and after I recently did. And the old stock color was better than the newest Weihrauch stocks. I would have to do it but it is a pain. The original finish was quite orange in color and the shiny clear coat was sprayed over the checkering. Looked like a Wally World special. Weihrauch needs to get back to there roots and make beautiful stocks again. IMHO.
ED173C8C-AB5E-4859-BAC7-1147FB904F18.jpeg
 
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I will be 78 this year.
My oldest air rifle is 40 bought from Doc Beeman.
When I was a young lad my grandfather used nothing but BLO on his rifle stocks.
He told me he did it like this.
Once a day for a week.
Once a week for a month.
Once a month for year then,
Once a year for the rest of your life.

718B1E41-4F09-4060-8B68-40FBFAE8B718.jpeg
 
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I use dark tinted Tree-Wax applied with 0000 steel wool. You need to apply it 2-3 times to make sure you get a good coat on it, adn buff it with a Terry Cloth Towel after every application.

After that you wipe the gun down with a silicon rag on both the metal and wood after every use.

Also you need to keep the gun in a Dry Safe indoors. In fact all your guns need to be kept indoors at all times when not in use. This is especially true when
you live in a Wet Region like near an Ocean or Lake or other High Humidity Region.

47246.JPG


This gun has lived indoors since I bought it in 1977 It looks new and runs like it too. Just shows what treating these guns like your cherished firearms can do !


Randy
 
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Bear-of-Grayling said:
The factory finish is a amber lacquer. It won’t darken over the finish. If you want it darker the clear coat needs to be removed. Beechwood is difficult to work with so be sure you want to go down this rabbit hole. The stock as is needs no care like finish oils. An occasional coat of wax is fine but not really necessary. If you decide to refinish the stock there is help here to be had. This is a before and after I recently did. And the old stock color was better than the newest Weihrauch stocks. I would have to do it but it is a pain. The original finish was quite orange in color and the shiny clear coat was sprayed over the checkering. Looked like a Wally World special. Weihrauch needs to get back to there roots and make beautiful stocks again. IMHO.View attachment 341221
Click to expand...
numbertwo said:
I have used BLO on a WW2 K98 stock restoration, it was the originally applied finish to those stocks (linseed oil, that is). Great stuff! (y)
Click to expand...
BLO is ok. I have a Zastava 22 that came with some nice wood and I applied 3 coats of BLO. Looks good. BLO darkens over time. My Zastava is now dark enough to pass for Black Walnut. When I bring it in from the bush my typical routine is a spray and wipe down with Ballistol.

Back when I was 19 I acquired a Swedish Mauser with a beech stock. I didn't like the "color"at that time and I decided to refinish it. I learned pretty quick that beech is hard to work with. It's very difficult to get beech to absorb stain evenly.
 
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Let me start by saying I am NOT an expert wood finisher, but we might have some mixed metaphors in this thread, discussing two quite different ways to finish a stock.

Most new factory stocks these days are a tough single-coat varnish of some sort, usually urethane. These form a tough membrane which sits on top of the wood, bonded strongly to its surface. Really there isn't much needed for maintenance other than to keep it clean - wipe it down with a soft cloth dampened with a mild cleaner or just water. I do put a little wax on mine occasionally, but for looks not as a preservative, etc.

A traditional oil finish such as BLO is a completely different animal, a multi-step process that penetrates into the wood and does not form a hard membrane. You can strip the stock's varnish and start over with oil if desired, but I don't know what would be accomplished by putting oil on top of varnish.
 
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