Finnish stock refinish tips needed.

[Mosinguy]

So my Suomi stock I got looked like it was sanded bare when I got it yesterday. I figured I was going to have to buy all sorts of supplies to refinish it, and while I was thinking about all that I put a little oil in the seized rear swing swivel to loosen it up. A little oil got on the stock and just about instantly the wood turned from a tired brown/white color to a much nicer brown color!

What I'm thinking is that I might just want to rub some type of oil on the wood but I am not sure what oil I would need to bring out the color in the stock, plus I am not sure how the Finnish finished (heh heh) their stocks to begin with. If I can refinish this as close as the original as possible that would be great. But like I said I am not sure how they did it to make their stocks look beautiful.

So, ladies and gentlemen, what would I need to do to make this stock look great again? I'm thinking rubbing tung (sp?) oil on it and going from there but then again I've never done this. Keep in mind I don't want to just go and buy a mahogany red stain and just brush that on and call it a day. I want to stay as original as possible. Thanks to all in advance!

 

[SmileDocHill]

So you want your finished Finnish stock to be refinished?

 

[Mosinguy]

So you want your finished Finnish stock to be refinished?

No, I'd like to finish refinishing this Finnish finished stock.

Well I'm not sure what the deal is with the color. I'm thinking it is originally an oil finish and the oil has just dried out of the wood.

 

[charles.wolff]

I would sand it smooth with some very high number sand paper like 1000 or 1200 and then apply several (7 or more) coats of Forby's Tung Oil, sanding with even higher numbered sand paper (1500 or higher) or steel wool in between each coat. That should give you a very nice Finnish finish once finished.

 

[IndyGunner]

No, I'd like to finish refinishing this Finnish finished stock.

 

[88E30M50]

I think the original finish for a Finnish stock is boiled linseed oil mixed with pine tar. You can buy both very cheaply. The beauty of an original Finnish finish is the different tones and the matte finish. There should be guides online somewhere that will step you through the steps needed to finish a Finnish finish.

 

[Mosinguy]

I think the original finish for a Finnish stock is boiled linseed oil mixed with pine tar. You can buy both very cheaply. The beauty of an original Finnish finish is the different tones and the matte finish. There should be guides online somewhere that will step you through the steps needed to finish a Finnish finish.

Hmmm. Sounds like I need to do more research

 

[Matt52]

Hmmm. Sounds like I need to do more research

Two guys on youtube have used the Pine tar lin seed oil mix and have made videos. They are Logcabinlooms and Gungeek check them out. The process calls for a heat gun to open the pours of the wood to allow the pine tar to seep in.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

I'm almost finished finishing my Finnish and I've been using linseed oil... Oil is wet in this pic, but it will have only a dull sheen when I'm completely finished finishing the Finn. Mine was a post-war (war was finished) refurb stock with very little Finnish finish.

 

[DragonGunner]

You want 150 sandpaper....if you use finer it actually will stop the oil from penatrating as deep. Garands have the texture of 100 to 150 also. Boiled Linseed Oil I have used, but not anymore. On hot humid days it can start to bleed an get messy. Real Tung Oil sonds like what you want an its more water resistant than BLO. You can also stain before applying, an after several days after the Tung oil has dryed you can apply a stain over it, let dry an put more Tung oil over it for the desired color you want. Allow Tung oil to dry which can take a few days an several coats can be put on depending how dry the wood is....after that just touch up when you feel its getting dry. Good luck......google up Real Milk Paint Tung Oil, they sell some good stuff.

Also on the very first application mix 50/50 Tung oil with mineral spirits, it help to really penetrate deep into the wood....after that just 100% tung oil.


This was done using the above....

 

[jblomenberg16]

One option to refinish your currently finished Finnish stock is to take it to Finland to be finnished by a Finnish gunsmith.

Or, you can do what some other posters have said...lightly sand with 150gr then oil with a good oil. I like Pure Tung Oil (not the Tung Oil Finish) that you can buy at furniture stores. Hand rub it in and wipe off the excess. It really brings out the natural beauty of the grain. If you want a little of the red tint that linseed oil leaves as it ages, you can try a little red mahogany minwax Stain. However, realize that you are now staining which will alter the original wood a bit. The oils generally just bring out it original beauty.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

You want 150 sandpaper....if you use finer it actually will stop the oil from penatrating as deep. Garands have the texture of 100 to 150 also. Boiled Linseed Oil I have used, but not anymore. On hot humid days it can start to bleed an get messy. Real Tung Oil sonds like what you want an its more water resistant than BLO. You can also stain before applying, an after several days after the Tung oil has dryed you can apply a stain over it, let dry an put more Tung oil over it for the desired color you want. Allow Tung oil to dry which can take a few days an several coats can be put on depending how dry the wood is....after that just touch up when you feel its getting dry. Good luck......google up Real Milk Paint Tung Oil, they sell some good stuff.

Also on the very first application mix 50/50 Tung oil with mineral spirits, it help to really penetrate deep into the wood....after that just 100% tung oil.


This was done using the above....

I've loved that rifle in your pic ever since I saw it the first time! It's gorgeous.

Truth be told, and I know it's not "authentic", but my favorite finish truly is spar urethane. No fuss, no muss, and way more durable than an oil finish in my experience, but it doesn't have that hand rubbed look of oil (although it can come close if you use a semi-gloss and knock the shine down a little with some 0000 steel wool). I thought about going the Tung Oil route, but patience is NOT one of my virtues! That's why I settled on BLO. I just made sure I really rubbed it in well and I didn't have any issue with heat or humidity on my Garand.

 

[Mosinguy]

You want 150 sandpaper....if you use finer it actually will stop the oil from penatrating as deep. Garands have the texture of 100 to 150 also. Boiled Linseed Oil I have used, but not anymore. On hot humid days it can start to bleed an get messy. Real Tung Oil sonds like what you want an its more water resistant than BLO. You can also stain before applying, an after several days after the Tung oil has dryed you can apply a stain over it, let dry an put more Tung oil over it for the desired color you want. Allow Tung oil to dry which can take a few days an several coats can be put on depending how dry the wood is....after that just touch up when you feel its getting dry. Good luck......google up Real Milk Paint Tung Oil, they sell some good stuff.

Also on the very first application mix 50/50 Tung oil with mineral spirits, it help to really penetrate deep into the wood....after that just 100% tung oil.


This was done using the above....

Nice!!!

 

[Mosinguy]

Now, would pine tar and then tung oil work out well? Or would it be a "one or the other" type of situation?

 

[johntheplinker]

I think the original finish for a Finnish stock is boiled linseed oil mixed with pine tar. You can buy both very cheaply. The beauty of an original Finnish finish is the different tones and the matte finish. There should be guides online somewhere that will step you through the steps needed to finish a Finnish finish.

Close, they used a raw linseed oil, turpentine and pine tar mix. No big deal to use, just rub some on, let it sit for a while then wipe off the excess. The raw linseed oil takes much longer to dry but it penetrates much deeper into the wood than BLO.

 

[Mosinguy]

What I will do is treat it with straight pine tar first, then apply a couple coats of boiled/raw linseed oil. Just gotta find some money. If only someone would buy my model train in the classifieds...

 

[88E30M50]

Close, they used a raw linseed oil, turpentine and pine tar mix. No big deal to use, just rub some on, let it sit for a while then wipe off the excess. The raw linseed oil takes much longer to dry but it penetrates much deeper into the wood than BLO.

Thanks for the correction. I knew it was something along those lines. My son did his M91with the linseed oil and pine tar method and it came out nice. I don't know if he went with BLO or linseed oil though. I have done a couple of Mosins using a dark stain and tung oil and like that finish on non Finnish rifles.

 

[inlineman]

Birchwood Casey makes a kit for 14 bucks , has everything necassary and in the end you will be tickled.

 

[Hoosier8]

It is allegedly 1/3 turpintine + 1/3 pine tar + 1/3 melted beeswax for a correct Finnish finish. They look dull when finished and not shiny and are usually dark, but age can do that.

 

[Mosinguy]

I think I'm going to refresh the wood with a BLO application or two. The oil I've spilt on the stock has made the color go from a tired white/gray to a really nice color.