Help me refinish a mosin!

[wolverine_173]

I got a mosin for 60 bucks and would like to refinish it.

I have been reading about it alot i found this forum http://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=6&f=14&t=244638
I want it to look like rustynuts gun

He apparently just used acetone and steel wool to strip it then used behr 600 which from my research is basically tung oil. I love the look of the natural wood with the grain.

Can anyone verify if these steps should work for me?

 

[dprice3844444]

http://us.yhs4.search.yahoo.com/yhs...t&hsimp=yhs-att_001&type=att_lego_portal_home

look here

 

[Bentley4700]

As much info as you can handle, from the best sources. http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/viewforum.php?f=137

 

[Centurian22]

Tagging this for my own ref as I'll be doing at least one if not two mosin stocks in the next off season or two.

I was going to try this:
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=240961

 

[TrickyDick]

BEFORE:



AFTER:



I just sanded it by hand, water sanded it, skipped the acetone, and just kept sanding it to a finer and finer grit, taped the sling holes, stained it, lightly sanded it, stained it again (using a rag) then after I achieved the color I wanted, I let it dry. after it dried, I took a dry terry cloth, and buffed it very well until it was very smooth, then applied a few coats of satin clear coat by cloth. let it dry, and again buffed it with a terry cloth until it was smooth, and VIOLIA!

 

[caribou]

Stripping with acetone or denatured alcohol and a nice oiling will do fine.

There is no need at all to sand anything.

The Commies already had it sanded and in shape at refurbishment, the shellack was put on to protect the wood in storage.

The Soviets would have issued the rifle as is, its ready to use.

Be aware that sanding the stock will destroy its collector value, while stripping and oiling will not, as marks that are relevant to the collector.

 

[TrickyDick]

Be aware that sanding the stock will destroy its collector value, while stripping and oiling will not, as marks that are relevant to the collector.

I understand the collecting issue, but this isn't a Finn we're talking about. I doubt there'd be much of a collection value to a standard 91/30.

 

[LeftyTSGC]

Here is my Mosin, I had the finished stripped and left the natural wood look. Had a lot of compliments on the range. I have only modified the rear sight. took off the iron sight an mounted a rail for a scope.

 

[wolverine_173]

Thats pretty much what im going for

 

[BCRider]

Reply to caribou's post- Alcohol will remove the original shellac but won't touch the cosmoline that has had too many years to soak through into the wood. Acetone seems to do a number on both at least somewhat decently. As would a couple of other options.

The cosmoline soaked wood still needs some heating to "sweat" out the soaked in cosmoline and once done to a reasonable degree only then the wood can be re-finished with anything other than an oil finish with any degree of long term survival.

To Lefty- That wood is far too shiney to be raw. I suspect that the internal cosmoline is providing an "oil" finish of sorts. I have to say that it does look nice though.

I found that the original shellac on my two 91/30's was simply flaking away due to the cosmoline soak for way too many years. As a result I used cheap lacquer thinner as a stripper and de-cosmoline'er solvent before lightly staining the wood with some leather dye and using a few coats of polymerized tung oil as a finish. The result was more of a light brownish/orange hardwood look with a low "oil finish" lustre.

 

[lhartman89]

I used citristrip to get my finish off. A coat and let it sit for about 15 mins and it will wipe right off with 0000 steel wool and cheese cloh. Some people say you will need to heat the stock to get the cosmoline out. This would cause the stain to be asbored unevenly causing it to look blotchy. I just stripped mine with the citristrip and then let it dry over night. Then stained it with 2 coats. Then I rubbed it down with the steel wool again, then applied a bunch of coats of tung oil finish. Not pure tung oil.

This is how mine came out. It was my first refinish. I also refinished a 20ga NEF Pardner. Granted this is not the original shellac finish, I like it a lot better. I wanted the dark red mahogany finish I had seen. It didn't come out as dark as I wanted, but good enough.

First coat of stain:




After tung oil finish had been done:

 

[9thchild]

The metal on yall's sling holes is so shiny. Mine look terrible, the back one doesn't even have metal.

 

[lhartman89]

I cleaned the cosmoline off mine with steel wool and coated them with the high gloss tung oil finish instead of taping them off.

Mine is a pre-war production barrel/receiver with a post-war refurb stock. The sling inserts are pressed in on late and post-war stocks. Pre-war and early had them held on with two screws on left and right side of the slot. Mid war-time production stocks have a insert under the sling slot on the front and no insert on the rear.

This will tell you a lot more.

This link is about the sling slots and swivels with pictures.

http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinFeatures06.htm

http://7.62x54r.net/MosinID/MosinFeatures04.htm