varnish to re finish a gun stock?

[broken_line]

im looking to sand all the scratches out of the stocks of a few guns a 870, marlin model 60 .22lr, a old winchester model 270 .22 lr and a ruger 10/22 what type of varnish should a guy use to get a nice durable gloss top coat? also what would the steps be to re finishing them

[96trigger]

Helmsman Polyeurathane for the top coat. The last gun I did, I used a dark maple stain, put 3 coats of poly on after that, it turned our very nice. I have another gun I refinished and wood was blonde, I should have stained that gun, I still might at some time.

[PurpleFloyd]

Once you have it sanded down to bare wood and have all of the scratches out you will want to prep sand it. I generally sand something like that down to 220. I will start with 150 then 180 then 220. After that you will want to stain it. Generally walnut shaded stains are used, just find one that you like. If the stock is a maple they can look great with a clear coat too.

If you want a gloss look and a hand applying then you will be putting several coats of gloss poly on there and rubbing out between coats with steel wool or a sanding sponge until you get the build you are looking for.

You can get a better look and get there faster if you choose to spray with a lacquer. I have done several stocks with gloss Nitrocellulose lacquer and they look fantastic.

Another thing to look at is most guns are just finished with an oil finish instead of the film finishes like poly etc. They give a more natural appearance and let the wood breathe so to speak. One product that is used is tung oil for the process and you just rub in several coats and periodically you can refresh it with another coat.

[96trigger]

Just an FYI, refinishing the stocks decreases the value of the gun pretty significantly. I never care about that as my guns will be passed down through the family. I only refinish guns I find cheap because they look rough. I did refinish an old Winchester and I probably should not have done that.

[broken_line]

i dont really care about the money value as the guns will probly never leave my possesion.. they just gotta look nice i plan on using a darker walnut stain on the rifles and a lighter early american on the 870 as its close to stock color.

[Ufatz]

Hey fellas, here's an old reliable stock finish that is easy to renew every season and gets better with age. Get a quart of top quality boiled linseed oil and a can of a product called Penetrol. Dump a pint of BLO in a jar and then maybe a shot glass of Penetrol. Sand the stock until it is smooth. Wipe it with paint thinner or actone and then sand it again. Now start wipin on the mixture from the jar with an old rag. Rub in a good coat and put it away over night or even for a couple days. Go back and repeat. Over time you will build a nice deep warm finish in the wood. This finish is not as durable perhaps as a ply varnish, but it is nice looking and easy to maintain.

Gives you something to do for a few nights next year before the opening day. Sorta gets ya in the mood. And you can do it for years.

[broken_line]

i started out with 60 grit, then 100 then 150 then 200 then just to get it super smooth i hit it with 1000 grit. ill try to post pics up when im done