Just wondering, saw some snickering a while back when myself and a few others said they coated their K31 in poly.  




oh and if you do have a problem, come solve it

I don't know, not traditional enough I guess.  I've thought of doing it to my K31.  Right now I've put Formby's on it and it has a nice golden color.  But, the grain is still exposed and I think the tiger striping would "pop" more.  I want to poly it so it won't get dirt down in the grain.

Quoted: I don't know, not traditional enough I guess.  I've thought of doing it to my K31.  Right now I've put Formby's on it and it has a nice golden color.  But, the grain is still exposed and I think the tiger striping would "pop" more.  I want to poly it so it won't get dirt down in the grain.

that's about the same reason I started doing it.  It came out so nice on my first one, and pretty much guarantees no damage from moisture.  But I put it over all of the wood, even what's hidden underneath.  I live in High Humidity Houston and have already seen what naked wood will do over the years.

I know some people have used tung oil, I might try that when my enfield comes in, but I'm kinda hooked on my method of BLO/MineralSp. and then a few coats of poly.

-mark

not the original finish. for a collector it will ruin the value. if you are just a shooter have at it but don't ruin a rare or exc condition gun. you can get a turk or yugo mauser or some other common rifle to play with.

Quoted: not the original finish. for a collector it will ruin the value.

Pretty much.

People can be very short sighted when the market floods with $90 K-31's. Do you know what a K-31 cost 15 years ago, if you could find one? Upwards of $300. Know what they'll be in another 15 years? $600 I'd bet....but not the one you attacked with furniture finish. That one will be worth about $150-$200. In 50 years, that unmolested K-31 in my closet will be worth $1,500, and the shiney one will be worth $400.

Don't believe me? Look at surplus bolt guns that cost $1,000 right now, and compare what they cost when they first came into the country, and what the value of one is that's not in original condition. Krags are a good reference, btw.....look at Krag values and find ones that have been "restored" as opposed to one with its original finish. Might make you think twice, if you plan on keeping that gun in the family.

When 03 springfields, in their WWI conditions, hit the surplus market after WWII, they were $10. People bought them, cut them up into sporters, redid them, what have you. Essentially ruining what is today a $1000 rifle. But, then, at that time they were all over the place and common as white bread. People just didn't think there would be a time when an all original pedigreed 03 would command $2,500.

I admit I have an altered K-31 for shooting but I also have 3 that are totally as they came from Switzerland and will remain that way, until my grandson pulls them out of the closet and discovers a treasure instead of a rifle that "could be" worth alot of money if someone hadn't taken the sandpaper and wallmart poly finish to it.

For the same reason the hard core AR-15 guys would cringe if you decided to chrome plate and add pearl grips to your Colt...its not the way it should be finished.

Now some people might like a pimp gun AR...but purists will cringe and cry at a wasted weapon.

No original mil-surp wood stocked gun was ever finished with poly...typically is was BLO (boiled linseed oil), or in less cases (like Russian) it was shellac or (like US WWII and beyond) Tung oil.

Ultimately it is the owners gun, if he (or she) wants a fake looking, nice and shiny, plasticy stock, its their choice to poly it. I just wouldn't be caught dead doing it....

well thanks for the replies, I figured from the get-go it was a "not original to the gun" type of thing.  but I guess from now on if I do get my hand on a gem and not some mis-matched parts beater I'll try to keep it original.

I hope admitting to polying two beater K31s doesn't get me banned from the C&R forum

btw, what was the official coating of the K31s by the swiss?

thanks.

-mark

I have  a Wincehster model 1892 that was Shellaqued around 1920 or so (rifle is 1913 manufacture)  sure it looks funny, and it has had more than one coat on it, not just the wood either, but also the metal.  From the wear on it it spent alot of time in a scabbard on a saddle, I have been told it was a common thign to have done to protect from the weather, and it has not detracted from the value of th erifle becuase it was done so long ago and the wear characterizes this as a used but not abused rifle.

I have three Enfield (2 No4s 1 No1) that are Varnished after bing bubba'd, not happy that someone did that to them, but I got them for free, it woudl cost me far more than I coudl ever afford to make them back to original specs


I will never ever coat a rifle in any urethane or simolar product.  My hunting rifles get a wax treatment over everythign to keep them from rusting or whatnot in rain, snow and the other crap I hunt in.  My old war rifles get coats of tung or BLO

One question is, after coating a few times in straight BLO (no mineral spirits added) I got pretty good results.  What is the purpose of mixing mineral spirits with it?

-mark