The last time i cleaned my 1891 i shouldered it to verify bore cleanliness, and when i pulled it down, it took a chunk of my beard with it. So, i decided it was time to refinish the stock.
After a while of hem-hawing over what to use, i settled on a kit from Randy at Thunder Alley.
Birchwood Casey, cost about $20. You'll want a few extra sheets of sandpaper, unless you actually feel like dropping another $15 on a wood-safe stripping agent.
Heres what I started with...
Take a few parts off...
You'll want to start with 120 grit (if you left the original finish on, that is...
Then i went to 220 grit...
And then I went to 320 grit for a final sand...
After about an hour or so of sanding this was the end product, of the sanding anyway lol...
i used BC's walnut stain (it came in the kit) to lay the initial coat of stain after tack clothing the stock to remove the leftover sanding dust and such.
This is the result of the first application of stain,
i will tell you that the investment of powder-free latex gloves are a must....
And here is the result of the second application, prior to the oiling and sealant (tomorrows project)...
And thats all you get for a day or two, but during the teardown i did get a fabulous little gift, in the form of this little gem...
^^^That ''91'' you see scratched into the bedding of the stock was placed there by the worker that finished the internal bedding for the weapon when the stock was originally cut, I'm guessing somewhere in the timeframe of 1893 to 1899.
Hope you enjoy, and tune in for the next installment:)
-dave
