Hi, all. Don't hang out in this forum often, so greetings. I'm relatively new to AKs, but having fun none the less.

I spent Saturday refinishing the furniture on my WASR-10.

First, my brother and I burned off a few rounds.

My bro, Adam:




Me:




Before refinishing:


Not much to look at, eh? You've all seen the paint these come with. Nasty, runs, chips, ugly color. Must fix!

Supplies used:


Step 1:





I slathered on a generous coating of the stripper, and let the parts sit for 15 minutes. The Dad's was rather low-odor, but I used good ventilation. Don't use too much ventilation or the stipper will dry too quickly.

Step 2:


Using a putty knife, I made nice, even strokes across the parts being careful not to gouge the wood. A plastic scraper may work better.

Step 3:


It's coming along nicely, and I'm getting a nice pile of maroon paint. 2 down, 1 to go.

Step 4:


All the parts are clean. I rubbed any excess residue off with steel wool.

Step 5:


All parts were sanded with 120 grit to remove any tool marks. I then smoothed with 000 steel wool.

The finish:


I found some Deft Oil in Dark Walnut and tested it on a scrap of similar wood before using. The can stated that the surface of the wood should be kept wet for 30 minutes (keep spraying), so the oil could properly penetrate.



The excess oil was then wiped off. The parts were left to dry for 1 hour. I then repeated the first application and wiped the excess again. The parts were left to dry overnight.



Finished product:







I'm very happy with this finish. It's a penetrating oil and a urethane sealer in one. The wood is smooth with a nice satin sheen.

I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to remove the original paint. I only needed 2 coats of the stripper and a little elbow grease. All the work was done in a little over 5 hours. Not bad for 1/2 a days work.

Thanks:

Steve @ ADCO for supplying the WASR-10 and mags.

Dad (whistlepigplugger) and Mom for supplying the stripper and finish and the workshop.

Romanian Kalashnikov Rifles for great info on Romaks in general.

And of course, AR15.com for this forum, and all you guys & gals for sharing great tips and experiences on your projects. Keep up the good work!

I'm planning on coming and bringing my Pop with me. We'll see though...I'm closing on a new house that weekend, unless I can do it the week before.

Thanks!

I did not refinish the metal. I was surprised how nice it was.

Not that there aren't scratches/tool marks all over, but they're not too noticeable.

AFAIK, Deft is/was available everywhere. Check out the price tag on the can ($1.00)...I'm sure it's been sitting on the shelf for quite a while.

I just checked online. www.deftfinishes.com/wood/deftoil.htm

Looks like it's still available, but maybe not in a spray can.

very much an improvement over the romaniam varnish. the european actually beech refinishes quite nicely.

i've refinished six romanian m-69 .22 rf cadet training rifles by using light sanding/steel wool to remove the varnish. then i stain with minwax medium walnut put on with 5 or 6 coats with light steel wooling in between coats to smooth any raised grain. finally, i spray on 4 to 6 coats of minwax satin polyurethane. after three coats i steel wool for a final time and apply a final, un-steel wooled topcoat or two.