I like this rifle, but the stock is very homely with a dull finish and sanding marks showing badly. Has anyone tried stripping one of these stocks? How did it work and what did you use? Thanks.
Refinishing JTS Airacuda Standard stock?
- Thread starter Billinoregon
- Start date
Looks like it could refinish to somthing pretty nice... If unsure on how to just take the stock to a furniture restorer person and talk it up .. definitely looks to be a interesting project with nice end result..
Good luck.
Sand blasting and tungoil may do for me..lol. Thomson's water seal or deck treatment probly do me too..
Good luck.
Sand blasting and tungoil may do for me..lol. Thomson's water seal or deck treatment probly do me too..
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I just heard from a guy at JTS. He suggests light sanding. Well, that was going to be part of the program ... 
It is possible that after said sanding removes the worst of the scratches, good old Birchwood Casey Tru Oil might do the job, as it is versatile stuff. I'll test first in the barrel channel.
It is possible that after said sanding removes the worst of the scratches, good old Birchwood Casey Tru Oil might do the job, as it is versatile stuff. I'll test first in the barrel channel.
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Guys seem to like that stuff. So many options in a coat of somthing it's a tough decision.
I like to google somthing like refinished gun stocks , then images, and look at 100's of stock jobs . It may help narrow something down , see somthing you did not think of or add more indecision..lol
I like to google somthing like refinished gun stocks , then images, and look at 100's of stock jobs . It may help narrow something down , see somthing you did not think of or add more indecision..lol
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I ONLY use the Thomsons water seal(LOVE how its just clear to show the natural workings of the already existing colors) watter proof and seal in 1Looks like it could refinish to somthing pretty nice... If unsure on how to just take the stock to a furniture restorer person and talk it up .. definitely looks to be a interesting project with nice end result..
Good luck.
Sand blasting and tungoil may do for me..lol. Thomson's water seal or deck treatment probly do me too..
....now...only stained a few times bc it wasnt.for me
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I think the stock finisher at the factory in China just grabbed this off the line, hit the shadow areas under the cheek pieces first with 60 grit, then a few swipes with 120, then rubbed in yesterday morning's cold coffee -- no cream, thank gosh -- and called her good.
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Yeah, the stock is the one thing that needs some definite work but at its price point and the overall well constructed piece that it is, can't complain.
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My buddy and I love ours, seriously awesome rifles. Mine is in the back with the 0db moderator at 45 fpe it is really really accurate , have taken it out to 100 yards and it surprised me. Let us know what you decide to do and how it comes out as the stock is one thing I want to do to this rifle, my next step is to polish the barrel.
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Yep, I’ve refinished about 5 stocks all using these products. Its not expensive.
I recently re-did a brand new, expensive Daystate stock because it had beautiful grain and tiger stripes, but the factory finish was dull.
Step #1 - use Citra Strip to remove the factory finish. This gets rid of a lot of it. The Citra Strip goes on like orange goop, but it cleans off easily with Mineral Spirits on a paper towel.
Step #2 - use Star Brite Teak Cleaner and Brightener. This stuff really strips and cleans and remaining finish. I always wipe down stock again with mineral spirits after using this.
Step #3 - use sandpaper (320, 400 and perhaps even 600 on the cheek rest) to smooth out any imperfections you see.
Step #4 - use Tru-Oil gun stock finish. Apply thin coats - I put a few drops of Tru-Oil in the lid of an empty pellet tin and dilute about 50/50 with the mineral spirits for the first few coats - this keeps it nice and thin. You can rub it into the wood with your fingers or use a small piece of a white tee-shirt. Let each coat dry overnight. Keep building it up - it takes a while till the “magic” happens.
Tru-Oil Gun Stock Finish 3oz. https://a.co/d/8WFmghJ
If you find you built it up till its too glossy for your taste, you simply lightly rub it down with 0000 steel wool to dull to a satin shine.
Tip: only put a pin type hole in the foil top of your Tru-Oil. When storing between projects, put some Handi-Wrap on the foil and then put the cap on. Store it standing on its cap.
Hope this helps,
Ed
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MANNNN would you do my airacuda stock for me if I sent it to you? Ive got enough rifles to shoot but that looks phenomenal
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CTair, it looks like you have some really nice wood in that stock. It would be worth it to dial up the finish.
My stock is much, much plainer, but still deserves to have its day under the sun.
My stock is much, much plainer, but still deserves to have its day under the sun.
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Hmm.... i honestly think you may be surprised if you nail the right stain on it.
That factory "finish" maybe hiding somthing nice . (Opinion)
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Hateful, Rossi was famous for the "coffee mud" finish on the stocks of their Winchester 92 clones, very similar to the one on the Airacuda. When stripped, sanded and redone, many of those stocks showed character. Fingers crossed.
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Well, I’ve got another rifle coming with a nice walnut stock that will need refinishing to reach its full potential.
I can do two at once - or maybe I strip yours down and show you how to apply the Tru-Oil?
I don’t want to deal with shipping your stock - are you in CT? I’m in Vernon?
-Ed
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Well, I got around to testing the Citristrip that Ed mentioned -- and which I had used a few months back to strip the BRIGHT RED paint some deranged person had used on the main bathroom vanity in the fixer I bought last July.
By golly, after letting it sit for half an hour on a small section of the barrel channel, it pulled quite a bit of the dark coffee finish up, so I am going to go ahead and try to strip the whole stock -- or at least brighten it up some.
By golly, after letting it sit for half an hour on a small section of the barrel channel, it pulled quite a bit of the dark coffee finish up, so I am going to go ahead and try to strip the whole stock -- or at least brighten it up some.
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Ya, some of that orange stuff is mean.
I had a spray can of crc and it melt off kryptonite. Had to be real careful using it. Keep us posted..
I had a spray can of crc and it melt off kryptonite. Had to be real careful using it. Keep us posted..
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OK. Here is what was hiding under that dreadful, drab brown. After the CitriStrip, I sanded most of the stock, then applied a coat of Minwax Pecan oil stain, followed by eight coats of Tru-Oil, applied by bare fingers and rubbed well in. Between coats (they dry in 2 hours), I knocked back the sheen with 00 steel wool as directed on the Tru-Oil bottle. The wood, which looks to me like some variety of beech, is not spectacular, but it is a vast improvement over what came in the box.
The job would likely have gone a bit easier if I had used the StarBrite Teak Cleaner and Brightener that Ed suggested, but I would have had to order it as neither the local Lowe's nor the local Home Depot stock it. I actually enjoyed the refinishing process and am convinced more than ever that the JTS Airacuda Standard is a real value in a PCP rifle.
The job would likely have gone a bit easier if I had used the StarBrite Teak Cleaner and Brightener that Ed suggested, but I would have had to order it as neither the local Lowe's nor the local Home Depot stock it. I actually enjoyed the refinishing process and am convinced more than ever that the JTS Airacuda Standard is a real value in a PCP rifle.
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