Refinishing a classic Rifle

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JoeWayneRhea

JoeWayneRhea

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Apr 5, 2015
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So my buddy who refinishes guitars and has really been a big help to me gave me a little challenge . He said in Vintage guitar restoring the really hard part is making it look like its Never been restored , but just well used and not abused .
So I got this 1969 FWB 300 sporter in a week or so back and it seemed like the perfect gun to try it on . It had about a thousand dings and bad scratches and bluing was worn completely thru in places and insides were dirty but in overall good shape ..Here's a picture I took after I finally got it together ...Let me know what you think . Here's a pic of how it looked when I got it in .
 
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That shade looks like the Spanish Walnut I used on a .45 caliber Kentucky cap buster long rifle kit I built years ago. Stained the ramrod the same, then slowly twirled it through a candle flame. Wiped it off lightly before clear coating it. sorta looks like a split-bamboo ram rod. Have to get it out & take some pics soon. I like the color for looking sort of like aged walnut or other.
​Come to think of it, did you rub it with gun oil or linseed oil to get that had-rubbed sheen? nice.
 
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Yes it has about 6 coats of TruOil thinned down . Each coat was steel wooled down to wood after each coat . Then after it cured for 48 hours I waxed it very lightly to give it an even sheen .
I LOVE a high gloss stock but this time I went conservative because I'm taking both guns to the Dallas airgun show. I wanted to make them look their age but very well cared for . I'll post pics of the other rifle after metal work is done
 
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Yeah there's a part if me that likes the super high gloss look . But both of these I knew I'd have with me together so I wanted them both to have the same " look" .If you zoom in on the pictures of the two stocks before you can see how rough they truly were when I received them . I'm still working on my bluing but its coming along nicely . AJshoots ( Aaron) and Jonnes gaveme some good tips that are paying off .
I'm getting ready to do a brushed silver finish soon . I did my personal gun like that and it looked really good . I need a rifle with the right piece of wood first , both of these stocks had some character so I didn't want to take away from it .
 
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Thanks Fuznut . I'm really trying to duplicate the kinda work my Dad used to do . I can remember when HBO was new and was a HUGE deal , Dad would literally sit thru an entire movie rubbing down a stock with a soft piece of burlap till the sheen was exactly the same from end to end .
Its the kind of look you can't get from power tools and 5 minutes time .
 
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Wadcuuter post pics when you get it done . Next Beech stock I get I'm gonna try Jonnes trick of the juice from two cherries to give it some color . The beech is easy to work with , bit hard to get a good look to it . My personal gun is kinda weird/cool looking because the factory stain went SO deep into the wood I wasn't able to sand it all off so I just stopped when it was good and level ..And finished over it . . This is a close up of it .
 
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Joe you have a level on that rifle but do you have one on the bill of your cap when you are shooting? I have talked to you on the phone and I could tell you are half a bubble off. ;) I so like that silver on that 300! I did see some tru-oil in a spray can. Have you ever used that as a light finish coat?

Finally got around to running the FWB across a chrony and consistent 610+, still only shooting it around 35+ yards and it hits where I aim it still. I'm just waiting to shoot it off the bench out to 50 when I do my 6 rifle test. I'm going to test every pellet rifle I have from a gamo whisper to the mrod.
 
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"JoeWayneRhea"Wadcuuter post pics when you get it done . Next Beech stock I get I'm gonna try Jonnes trick of the juice from two cherries to give it some color . The beech is easy to work with , bit hard to get a good look to it . My personal gun is kinda weird/cool looking because the factory stain went SO deep into the wood I wasn't able to sand it all off so I just stopped when it was good and level ..And finished over it .

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JWR, are you not using a stripping gel? Looks like a lot of hand sanding to remove that old lacquer if not.
You know, I read that in a post earlier about using cherry juice and have to wonder if the acidic level of the juice would affect the finish long term. Something to ponder I guess.
I will try to post some pics of the HW35 rebuild. Looks like around a 1956 model. Gotta love breathing new life to the old springers. Keep up the great work.
 
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Robert start a thread about how the rifles stack up ...I'm very interested to hear the side by side comparisons !My moneys on the FWB ! I have some of the TruOil in a spray can but I've only used it once and had to take it right back off ..Its VERY thin and runs like crazy .I sprayed on a very light coat and left the room to get a fresh glass of tea and when I came back it was dripping off the stock .
It sets up to a very high shine . But like most spray paint and such its one run away from ruining a project . Man I'm really tickled your enjoying the rifle !! Now we get to see how it compares to others . I'm also curious to see if speed holds steady , I've heard it can drop off after a hundred shots or so on a new spring ..But on my rifle I've honestly never seen it . ??
Wadcutter I didn't think about the acid in the fruit juice hurting the stock . But I figure if mineral spirits don't do damage , fruit juice probably won't .. I used to use a stripper but I found I'm sanding almost as deep to get it off so now I just start with 3M pro grade sandpaper in 60 grit ...It'll strip a stock in about 30 mins and gives me a little more control . Working around the stippling and the checkering that outlines it I don't touch till I get down to 150 grit because it will fold sharp corners on a small sanding block .
 
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