Stock refinishing question???? > AK Discussions

Posted: 12/25/2007 1:06:14 PM EDT

I started to refinish my factory thumb hole stock, my question at this point is I want to re-stain it the original orangish color it has on it now.
Can any of you folks lead me into the direction of a specific stain I might be able to purchase to replicate this color. (I will not be using a varnish or shellac when refinishing, I am doing away with the shine and will be using tung oil instead.)

Here are a three pics of the stock before refinishing...

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x251/72flameorange/AKfurniture001.jpg

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x251/72flameorange/AKfurniture003.jpg

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x251/72flameorange/AKfurniture002.jpg

Any help appreciated, thanks and have a Merry Christmas!!!

Posted: 12/25/2007 10:43:14 PM EDT

[#1]

Try posting the same question in one forum only, dupes are frowned upon.

Posted: 12/26/2007 6:28:39 AM EDT

[#2]

Did you already sand the upper handguard? Could you take that into a hardware store and see if they can die a stain or recommend a stain to match?

Posted: 12/26/2007 9:00:15 AM EDT

[#3]

I have already sanded the upper and lower hand guard, but I could take in the rear stock to show them.
I was told on another part of the board that the orange color is due to the shellac on the stock. I just need to find out how to get my hands on some shellac?

Posted: 12/26/2007 12:43:08 PM EDT

[#4]

You can usually get shellac at Lowe's and Home Depot, or you can order online from one of the online hardware "stores".

As I recall, shellac comes in tinted and un-tinted. You'd want the tinted.

Shellac is really not a very good stock finish, so you may want to think about staining the wood and using a better finish.
There are MANY ways of getting the AK Orange or Russian Red-Orange color.
Some people use RIT fabric dye.
I've had much better results using Tandy water-based leather dye. I used Tandy Red, Yellow, and just a tiny bit of Cordovan, which is a Red-Brown to get the Russian Red.
You could use just a little Tandy Red and a lot of Yellow to get your Orange color.
THIN the dye with alcohol or water to get a light tint. This prevents dying too dark.

Posted: 12/27/2007 7:17:47 AM EDT

[#5]

I ended up buying some amber tone shellac locally. Once applied it had the orange tone I was looking for. Thanks for your input on this topic.

My last question would be can you use tung oil to seal the wood over the shellac?

Posted: 12/27/2007 10:28:37 AM EDT

[#6]

No. The shellac has sealed the wood so the tung oil can't soak in.
Best to apple another coat or two of shellac.

Posted: 12/27/2007 3:05:32 PM EDT

[#7]

I applied three coats of shellac. After this I did some studying on the net and found out you can use tung oil over the shellac, not as a sealer or anything like that but more for the finish aspect of it.

Posted: 12/27/2007 3:20:44 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
No. The shellac has sealed the wood so the tung oil can't soak in.
Best to apple another coat or two of shellac.

+1.Also if your finish has too much shine for your liking you can take some fine steel wool and oil to bring down the sheen a little.

Posted: 12/27/2007 3:23:41 PM EDT

[#9]

If you want to reduce the gloss on the wood, rub out the shellac with #0000 steel wool lightly wetted with the Tung oil. You could also use boiled Linseed oil. This will de-glaze the surface and give it the hand-rubbed 'satin' appearance. You may want to sand it first with #600 Wet/Dry paper on a soft block to remove uneveness/roughness in the brushed-on shellac.

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