Post by m***@hotmail.comI've bough a s/h Beretta Silver Pigeon 20b for my lads.. The stock is
varnished, but looking a bit sad and in need of TLC.
I was hoping to strip & oil it - any ideas on how to do this?
I did an air-rifle stock last year, and it was the most time consuming,
boring, fiddly job ever invented.
Firstly I tried paint stripper to get off the varnish (later I found it
was both a varnish and dye). The stripper didnt even make it bubble.
Then came the electric sander.If you have 20 hours, and 40+ sanding
sheets available, that'll do it.
Finally I started scraping it off with a blade.This took 2 weeks of on
and off work.Maybe 2 hours if you are keen enough to do it in one go.
After the paint and varnish was all off, the stock looks rough, and will
need a lot of sanding.An electric sander does help here.
Once it is smooth, you then go over it with finer sandpaper, then when
really smooth, some wire wool.
I've since learnt that there is a product that will strip varnish and
dye in one go, so that would help enormously.
Next comes the oiling. Reckon on 10 coats for a bare wood.I treid
linseed oil, then proper walnut stock oil.I couldnt really tell the
difference, apart from the differing smells, and the 10x dearer cost of
the walnut oil.
I'm doing another air rifle stock this winter, if the dye/varnish doesnt
come off with a good paint stripper, then it is staying as it is, as I
just havent got the inclination to spend a month trying to get a stock
looking right.
Alan.
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