Is Polyurethane Acceptable On a stock?

Looking to refinish a couple of Mosins and an SKS. I know it may not be period correct, but are there any down sides? Will the stock dry out and crack if a stock conditioner cannot penetrate through to the wood. What are your thoughts?
Thanks

I stripped a mosin stock and used poly to redo it. I didn't care for it, (too smooth) so I stripped again. Went back with brush on amber shellac. I had no problems with the poly though. Only problem you might have is your cleaning chemicals might do something to the poly though. Put some poly on a piece of scrap wood and test resistance to solvents.

Never thought of that. Thanks for the tip. I will check that, don't want the finish to get messed up.

Go with the amber shellac. Easy to apply, easy to repair, nice finish.

Very easy to adjust sheen with a little steel wool.

Overall Polyurethane is an upgrade to shellac. Polly tends to be considerably more durable, and will not be stripped as easy by most cleaners. Only real issues is Polyurethane is it tends to turn out very shinny and very smooth, some times slippery smooth.

if its a C&R stock, i prefer a more traditional finish

Tung OIl, TruOil, BLO are my prefered choices.

If it is a classic gun...

other wise poly is fine.

Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil is your best bet. I've done many stocks with it, with great results. You can have anything from a gloss to a matt finish. Use 0000 steel wool between coats. It works well over stain too.

So if I already have Red Mohogany stain, I can put true oil on it as a protective coat? Is it clear?

Yes, it works GReat!



http://www.amazon.com/Birchwood-Casey-Tru-Oil-Stock-Finish/dp/B0014VROMQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1331332005&sr=8-3

Beautiful finish... its all I use now for my refinishing needs , if its too glossy for your tastes just use some steel wool to balance the shine.

Example (not my gun, dont have any pics handy)

It's slightly milky, but dries clear.
As long as it's just stain. Lightly sand the stock smooth. If it's real bad, start with 80, then 120, and finally 220.
I recently did a No 4 Enfield. I gave it 2 coats of dark walnut stain. After it thoroughly dried, and that's very important, I gave it 6 coats of Tru-Oil. Apply 1 coat then go over it with 0000 steel wool. Apply 2 more then 0000 wool again. At this point you will be able to see how the stock is shaping up. In other words, if there are any dings, you can rub it with the steel wool to "even up" the feel of the wood. The Tru-Oil will fill in the small dings. You can now decide what kind of finish you want. Apply and rub as many times as you feel comfortable. About 15 years ago I did a 1952 Tula SKS. I think I used 12 coats, and rubbed it down between each. It's still beautiful today.
I use cleaning patches to apply the Tru-Oil. Make sure there is no dust in the last coat. Let it final dry for about a week. This will let it harden. You can then wax it (optional) with Johnson's Paste Wax.
Hope this helps........

Thanks for your replies. I will be ordering some.

Just get shellac flakes and make a 2lb cut. Apply with an old t-shirt 3-5 coats. It will melt into the old finish and will look more authentic IMO. Garnet shellac flakes will give you that Russian red.

Copyright © 1996 - 2013 :: AR15.Com LLC :: All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.