[snakeman56]

I want to refinish the stock and handguards! on my M1Garand Service Grade.

What is the best way to do it and how do I remove all the metal pieces.

I was going to get a new set from CMP, but decided to just refinish the one it came with so they all match in color.

Thanks in advance.
Tom

 

[HK770]

try this:

Collecting and Shooting the Military Surplus Rifle (2006) - Surplusrifle.com


Be sure to get a cheap set of these, don't ask (You will regret not getting them )

How to use the M1 Handguard Pliers with the rear handguard clips.


If you use a wet cloth and iron you can steam most dents out. But it will remove finish. Sand litely and stain, then coat with boiled linseed oil.

imho......Luck

 

[rondog]

Please do plenty of research before you start, you don't want to ruin a collectable stock with nice cartouches. If it's like my M1 stock though that doesn't have a stamp on it anywhere, then go ahead. But still do some research, there's a lot of advice out there. Lots of good info on the CMP forums too.

The hardest part, IMO, is getting as much of the oil/grease/funk out of the wood as you can. I've had good luck scrubbing them with Dawn Power Dissolver (which WILL remove the old finish) and repeatedly heating the stocks near a large electric space heater to sweat the oil out.

Myself, I'm a big fan of Fairtrimmers Military oX for refinishing military walnut stocks. Gives great results, but don't sand smoother than 180 grit, the wood needs the "tooth" so it can soak up the finish. I like mine to look clean, yet authentic, I don't want it to look like a new gunstock.

 

[Orlando]

I have refinished proably 35-40 stocks and this is the best way I have found to clean them:
If I want to do a deep cleaning and refinish of the wood here is how I do it. Takes maybe 10 minutes for a compltetly bare clean stock
I first take Purple Power degreaser and put it in a spray bottle.

I then spray down the stock with degreaser, immediataly you will see years of grease. oil and dirt start to roll off

I then take a soft nylon bristle brush and go over the stock.
Rinse well with hot water while rubbing with brush .
I will usually do procedure one more time except the last time wipe dry with cotton towel.
It probably only takes 10 minutes for the whole procedure
If stock is very oil soaked it may take another cleaning .
I then let set to dry out of direct heat source.
If it drys slowly you have a less chance of wood warping.
This is what the wood looks like after drying

I let the stock dry for a day or two before refinishing

You really dont have to remove the handguard metal, I have done it both ways.
If you dont have the proper tools and never attempted it before I would suggest leaving it on
JMO

 

[rondog]

Where do you get that Purple Power stuff? Never seen it before. How good is it at sucking the deep oil out of the wood?

 

[Orlando]

Its a concentrated degreaser, should be able to get it at any auto parts stores.
Never tried it on a heavily oil soaked stock.
I would think it would only take the top oil /grease off,anything soaked deep into the wood, would be unaffected

 

[Paper]

Filling In The Pores

I'm currently working on pretty decent stock from a CMP FG HRA Garand.. It's got it's typical bumps and bruises, and the dishwasher treatment took most of them out.. Any that are left are small and I figure they're part of the history of the gun..

Anyway, this stock is just like others, with typical grain pores, as seen in the following photos.. This is the stock I'm currently working on, by the way..

The grain on this stock is decent.. Nothing crazy, but there's enough for it to stand out. After diswashering and a week of drying, I lightly sanded with 220, 320, and 400 paper, and then 0000 steel wool. I gave it a coating of some gunstock brown stain. I let that dry a couple days and then steel wooled it again.
I've given the wood 3 coats of BLO, rubbing in by hand, allowing to stand for 40 minutes, and then rubbing off the excess with cotton cloth.. After coat #2 of BLO, I again hit everything with steel wool, and then tossed on coat #3..

The photos are of where it stands right now, after the work mentioned..

At any point in time, will the wood pores start to fill in, adding gloss or at least a flat surface?

In the past I've used Formby's Tung Oil Finish for a couple coats to seal the wood and then steel wooled to remove gloss, but I still end up with far from a flat surface..

Short of several coats of TruOil (no, I don't want or plan on it) is there any way to get a more flat/solid surface of the wood??

Reason I ask is that I have kicked around getting a "fancy" stock for a Garand as a show piece and would like to finish it to a really pretty stock and flat gloss, like you'd see from older, glossy rifles.

Is that something that I'd have to go to Polyurathane or something??

 

[Orlando]

Looks good to me the way it si.
Only way to make it smoother was to sand it more with finer grits of paper. Tung Oil finish while not correct should help give it the glossey look

 

[rondog]

Everybody that wants to refinish a military rifle stock should at least check into this stuff. I think it's wonderful! It's all I'll use. Fairtrimmer's Military oX gunstock oil

 

[Paper]

Looks good to me the way it si.
Only way to make it smoother was to sand it more with finer grits of paper. Tung Oil finish while not correct should help give it the glossey look

I'm in agreement with it's current condition.. I'm pretty much thinking of calling it good and moving onto the next stock. (or maybe ONE more coat of BLO) I've used TOF just to seal the wood better, and then used the steel wool to remove the gloss.. Seems to work well, but I'm thinking that I'll leave this one in just BLO.

Rondog, do you have anything that you've finished with Fairtrimmer's?? A couple photos, anyway...

 

[rondog]

Rondog, do you have anything that you've finished with Fairtrimmer's?? A couple photos, anyway...

C'mon Paper, you've seen these, I know you have. When I refinish a stock I don't necessarily try to remove the dents and scratches totally, just clean it up nicely.....

I've currently got my M1 Garand torn down and headed for the refinishing ordeal, and the K31 is next on the list. Also have a Mosin M38 that I did, but no photos of it yet. I actually need to put another coat of Tom's wax on it.

 

[Orlando]

Basically its just a Danish Oil finish with stain in it.
Wont give you that smooth finish you are looking for.
Only thing that will do that is wood preperation.
I have used the Military Ox finish before. Does it work? Yes. Was I impressed? No. I still have 3/4 of a can left. Nothing against it but I would rather use a alcohol stain for the wood if needed and multiple coats of BLO

JMO your may vary

 

[texnmidwest]

Great info guys! I have only finished one stock and used Watco medium walnut.
Need to pick up another Garand so I can refinish.:thinkerg:

 

[Paper]

Thanks both Rondog and Orlando.. Tex, not so much.. :joke:

I guess if I really want to get the supergloss/flat finish, I'll have to stick a bunch of time into a stock..

How the hell does Stockdoc move them thru so fast?? I'm often spending a month on each stock.. Granted, it's only an hour every 3rd or 4th night, but it takes a while for BLO to dry..

Oh well, if I was in a hurry it wouldn't be fun.. That's half the reason I keep buying FG Garands, anyway!! :squareeyed:

 

[Orlando]

Great info guys! I have only finished one stock and used Watco medium walnut.
Need to pick up another Garand so I can refinish.:thinkerg:

The Watco and Military Ox finish is basically the same thing. IMO the Watco works better for me.
On new wood I like the Watco, on used USGI wood I prefer BLO.
Just my opinion, yours may vary

http://www.gunandgame.com/forums/powder-keg/95369-another-project-complete.html