AK stock refinishing question....

[MIL-DOT]

I've done several refinish jobs on AK stocks over the years, my most recent one in a yellowish/amber, and all the others in a more tradtional "Russian red", but my "red" always comes out a plain,uninspiring reddish-brown. I've seen some guns with a more vibrant,cranberry kinda color, and I was wondering if anyone knew exactly what particular stain would get this look?
This pic from AtlanticFirearms gets the color pretty close......
http://www.atlanticfirearms.com/com...-stock-set-free-shipping-detail.html?Itemid=0

 

[dfariswheel]

The real Russian Red is actually an Orange.
Most people hear Russian "Red" and wind up with a stock that looks like a fire truck.
The wood from Atlantic is WAY too Red, but, remember that photos of the Russian Red always look redder then they really are.
I got a very close match with the AK-74 Russian Red with water based Cordovan leather dye.
Cordovan is a Red-Brown that looks Orange on light wood.

I haven't tried solvent based Cordovan leather dye, but I suspect that if you thin it with the solvent (Usually just Denatured Alcohol) and test first on some light scrap wood you can duplicate it.

My rifle stock:



Here's some REAL Soviet era wood showing the range of colors. I was shooting for the color at the top and I think I came close.

 

[Collector0311]

I'm going to be following this thread closely as I'm looking to do the same thing to my Zastava.
I'm also looking to give my receiver and top cover a nice worn look.
Best of luck Mil-Dot

 

[justin22885]

i uesd minwas sedona red stain for a russian red color