Refinishing the wood on K-31

Big Tool · 02-03-2008, 02:55 PM

I just got in a pair of k-31's from classic arms, and i'm about to start refinishing one of them. My biggest question is how do i remove the furniture. I know there has to be a guide somewehre on how to do it, but i can't seem to find it.

.22guy · 02-03-2008, 03:23 PM

Collecting and Shooting the Swiss Karabiner Model 31 (K31) - Disassembly/Reassembly

You should check out that entire site, they have lots of info on most any milsurp.

Big Tool · 02-04-2008, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by .22guy

Collecting and Shooting the Swiss Karabiner Model 31 (K31) - Disassembly/Reassembly

You should check out that entire site, they have lots of info on most any milsurp.

Thanks for the link. I will be sure to put that in my favorites.

My next question is can I use a oil such as tung oil/BLO over a stain. I'm probably going to regret it, but i went ahead and sanded the rifle down and it turned out great considering how chewed the rifle was. The grain had a very pretty stripe going through it and would have looked great with a tung oil finish, but instead i decided to try out some stain Red Mahognay"sp"

Now the stain is on it didn't bring out the detail at all. Will the poly brighten it up a bit? or can i go over the stain with tung oil?? Either way it looks a million times better right now than it looked 6hrs ago.

The gun had a very rough stock and that was the reason i chose it instead of my other two k-31's. After steaming and sanding it is very smooth with a couple character gouges.

texnmidwest · 02-04-2008, 08:09 PM

Been a while since I did any refinishing but the way I remember once the stain is soaked into the wood there is not much can be done to lighten it up much. There may be something you can do to wash some of the stain out but not sure how. The main thing is to do this before you put any more finishers on it. Tung oil and BLO will seal the wood. Makes it much more difficult to lighten with out sanding more.

SwedeSteve · 02-07-2008, 01:22 AM

Was the stain water, or oil based?

Dookiebutt · 02-07-2008, 06:19 AM

An oil finish would make the grain pop. The "stain" may have sealed the wood making the oil finish less likely to soak in.

What kind of stain did you use?

Here's what I would do. Wipe the stock down with OMS or DA. Buff off any fuzz with some CLEAN 0000 steelwool. Thin some BLO or TO with turpentine or OMS at maybe a 1 to 1 ratio. Wipe a small amount in with a clean cloth. Let it sit for maybe half an hour, then wipe off the excess with another clean, lint-free cloth. Let it dry in a warm, dry area for at least 24 hours, then repeat. You can add several coats.

Don't use poly. It won't look right.

02-03-2008, 02:55 PM	#1
Big Tool Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: MS Posts: 601	Refinishing the wood on K-31 I just got in a pair of k-31's from classic arms, and i'm about to start refinishing one of them. My biggest question is how do i remove the furniture. I know there has to be a guide somewehre on how to do it, but i can't seem to find it.

02-03-2008, 03:23 PM	#2
.22guy Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 4,157	Collecting and Shooting the Swiss Karabiner Model 31 (K31) - Disassembly/Reassembly You should check out that entire site, they have lots of info on most any milsurp. __________________ Guns: they are like baseball cards except they are cool and you can kill things with em. -Billy

02-04-2008, 08:09 PM	#4
texnmidwest Listen to yur Inner Hippo Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: South east Wisconsin Posts: 3,454	Been a while since I did any refinishing but the way I remember once the stain is soaked into the wood there is not much can be done to lighten it up much. There may be something you can do to wash some of the stain out but not sure how. The main thing is to do this before you put any more finishers on it. Tung oil and BLO will seal the wood. Makes it much more difficult to lighten with out sanding more. __________________ "Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati" (If all else fails play dead)

02-07-2008, 01:22 AM	#5
SwedeSteve Thor's Hammer Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Alaska Posts: 10,372 Images: 1	Was the stain water, or oil based? __________________ Thank God we don't get as much Government as we pay for! -Will Rogers

02-07-2008, 06:19 AM	#6
Dookiebutt Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: America's North Coast Posts: 1,163	An oil finish would make the grain pop. The "stain" may have sealed the wood making the oil finish less likely to soak in. What kind of stain did you use? Here's what I would do. Wipe the stock down with OMS or DA. Buff off any fuzz with some CLEAN 0000 steelwool. Thin some BLO or TO with turpentine or OMS at maybe a 1 to 1 ratio. Wipe a small amount in with a clean cloth. Let it sit for maybe half an hour, then wipe off the excess with another clean, lint-free cloth. Let it dry in a warm, dry area for at least 24 hours, then repeat. You can add several coats. Don't use poly. It won't look right.