G43 Stock Rejuvenation

U

Unspoken

New member
When I picked up this G43, the wood was in rough shape. It looked tired, dried out, and felt almost brittle.

I've always had a phobia of messing around with stocks. I'm not a woodworker so I just didn't want to do anything that would damage it or mar its originality. So I'd just wipe them down and let them be. But the stock is the soul of a gun, it's what gives it life, makes it stand out.

But with this parched G43 and a few dried out Garands, I got tired of it. I started learning the options for stock care. BLO and tung oil are the most popular methods, but it's just not for me. Every time I see a gun with fresh tung or BLO, it just looks wrong, leaving behind a plasticky hardened shimmer that is just unacceptable to me. I can't have a stock that looks messed with.

So I took the advice of a trusted friend and used mineral oil. First I gave the stock a thorough wipe down with a rag moistened with hot soapy water. Then I applied 4 coats of mineral oil.

Here's what it looked like before:




After a good cleaning:



And the finished product:





So that is my endorsement of mineral oil to restore/refresh/maintain your parched old milsurp stock without hurting originality. Thanks for reading along.
 
That looks great, nice job. Did you also oil the inside of the stock? I don't know what finish was originally used on German small arms with wood furniture. Getting different finishes on old wood stocks interests me greatly, I had not considered mineral oil. I use mineral oil on cutting boards; it's an acceptable wood finish for sure and it's much more 'inside the house friendly' than BLO.

But don't be afraid of BLO finishes. I'm not sure what people are doing wrong to make a sticky or plasticky finish. maybe they aren't wiping it off before it dries completely, lol?
 
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Thanks Chris! Yes the inside of the stock got oiled up too.

I love the finish on your carbine. That's absolutely perfect. Beautiful. The Garand, not so much. That has the thick hardened coating that looks off to me. That's not an insult, you're obviously on top of your game, it's just not my flavor. So...do you knock down the coat of BLO with something like steel wool? I'm sorry if that's a dumb question, I'm just repeating what I've heard of people doing. Sounded crazy to me but it came from someone who I've always thought intelligent.

And is that a legit o3a4 or did you build it from an 03? I have a feeling I know the answer to that. And how did you get that tiger striping on it?

This is why I'm publicizing the results- even someone like you who pays a lot of attention to wood treatment hasn't considered mineral oil. Even a basic google search on the subject does not yield too many positive reviews. But when it came time to do the g43, I trusted the people who I know, and the results are outstanding.

Looking at your work makes me less apprehensive of BLO. And now that I understand your method, I think 1-2 coats would be the ideal amount to get the results I like. You have an awesome American arsenal too!
 
Thanks :) The M1 is just very, very smooth wood. I never let the layers of BLO "build up" before a new coat, I wait till it's tacky and then I hand wipe until it's smooth. When that stock was dry, I would wait a day before a new coat of BLO, and on the the 'off day' I would just polish it by hand with a clean rag. It was very rough wood when I got it and I tried to see how smooth I could get the stock. Very smooth as it turns out. I wouldn't go that route again, I'm afraid to put the rifle down on a bench.

I like to use scotchbrite instead of steel wool. Steel wool bits can get stuck in the grain and I don't like that. But I don't use that between all coats. I hand rub a lot- sometimes with no cloth. I feel the heat of my hand helps the oil soak in. Knowing when to stop the oil treatment is hard for me, I want to keep going!

The 03A4 is an 03A4gery. I found a '43 Remington 03A3 that had been drilled and tapped for a scope mount and I made an 03A4 out of it. I guess I "reverse sporterized" the rifle.

The pistol grip stock on the sniper is original USGI and the stripe is simply in the wood. My Father bought that stock in the early '60s. It had never been on a rifle until 2012. Here's the grain after I scrubbed off the finish it had. I think they call it 'curly walnut'. A little odd that a GI stock was so pretty and I've wondered why it was never issued- the through hole for the forward band had never been drilled, I had to do that myself
 
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o3a4gery :D I like it. And the stock on it is insane! I'm not a student of the American stuff but I don't recall ever seeing one with striping like that. Beautiful.

So Chris, you ever heard of using axle grease to refresh a stock? That's actually how this whole process started for me. In the past I've read about the Germans using axle grease or motor oil to maintain their 98 and g43 stocks. So when I was cleaning my Garand, and staring at its parched, dead looking wood, I said what the hey. I put a thin coat of grease on it and it freshened it up nicely. Five days later it still looks & feels clean & brand new. I'm not sure how bad it will sweat when it's in the sunshine but for now, the aesthetics of the wood are beautiful.

But I knew that couldn't be the best option, that's when I started talking to people, and stumbled on the mineral oil trick. You're obviously a BLO guy but if you ever feel like experimenting, give it a shot.
 
The G.43 looks good and close enough to the original. The carbine, M1 and M1903A3 rifles look artifical. Those stocks were not given repeated rubs so they look like plastic; they were given a quick one-time dip in BLO and let dry. The original finish is dull, not shiny. Were I buying a WWII rifle, I would discount one with a shiny or glossy stock.

Jim
 
Uh, James? Your comments are not what I'd call flattering. It's not much effort to try and be a little more diplomatic in the future. I will remove my photos since you do not approve.

Firstly, my rifles are not for sale. So you don't have to worry about ruining your collection by their addition. You may look down your nose at my efforts all you please however, although I think less of you for it. I'm surprised at you.

Secondly, I'm quite fully aware of how USGI rifle stocks were finished in the era of the second world war, and they were not dipped in boiled linseed oil. BLO is what we can easily get today. The rifle stocks themselves had a textural feel equivalent to having been sanded with 100gr sandpaper. I have a pretty good grasp of the subject, and I never claimed that I restored these stocks to USGI original or that I set out to do that. I said that I got good results with BLO, don't be afraid to use it. If you feel that BLO did not produce good results in my examples, your opinion is biased towards a puritanical devotion to only original-appearing results and I therefore take your counsel with a large gain of salt, because that does not mean I did not get good results with BLO.

The original finish is dull in part to the texture of the stock when issued. In part is is due to the oil used. The tung oil or raw linseed oil was indeed a one time dipped thing and it wore off fast in use, plenty of photos of homefront training show that, as well as bare metal gas cylinders. I'm not in WWII and I chose to protect the wood well and make it a little prettier too. In one case, as stated, I would never go that far again. These are not my tools of trade, these are precious items that I cannot easily replace so I take my own counsel on what steps to take. But a GI in the 1930s or 1940s didn't have that luxury or care. I do, and thank God for that.

Lastly, the 03A3 stock is original USGI, unissued. I didn't do anything but remove a varnish and put on three coats of BLO, which was simply until the grain looked uniform. Direct all reports of "artificialness" to Keystone, who made it over 70 years ago. Maybe that's why this bit of firewood was never issued. An inspector said "that one looks too fake. We are running a war here gahdamit! Rejected!". ;)
 
First, I am not "offended", I was simply making a comment. I did not intend to insult you and had no idea you would take it that way.

Jim
 
Mineral oil, motor oil, and axle grease will actually soften wood. Not good for it!
BLO, tung, and other finishes dry and harden. Petroleum based oils don't.
 
Hi Jim. I never suggested you were offended. You were looking down your nose at me with your comments, whether you recognize it or not, and there's no need for that. I say that because sale was not mentioned in the discussion but you took it upon yourself to bring a flat rejection of purchase based on efforts such as mine. This is a negative stance right out of the blue. Picture this: you buy a car and show people the car. You're proud of it. I walk up to you and tell everyone "No way I'd consider buying that car". Who asked me if I could buy, and why am I sharing that unsolicited negativity?

I didn't become insulted, I said you want to be more diplomatic in the future. We all have something to learn in interacting with other people and this is perhaps a chance for you to see how other people may take off the cuff comments.

I also explained about how rifles were finished in the era of the second world war. Your stance on BLO being used was something I commented on conversationally, being conversant on the subject. I wrapped it up fairly light-heartedly. Have a good one :)
 
Nice G43. I don't see very many of them. And there is no danger of that G43 being mistaken for having an original finish, the original finish was a yellowish varnish, not oiled. But I like it, nonetheless.
 
What was done to this G43 is a excellent example of misguided information and what not to do. The condition of this rifle prior to the stock refinishing was near excellent and was a completely untouched, unmessed with original. G43's that still have their original wood finish are extremely difficult to find as there are very few rifles that survive in untouched condition.

The so called "rough" wood that bothered you, believe it or not, is how these rifles originally left the factory. They are highly sought after in this condition and near impossible to find. Not only did your stock refinish significantly devalue you your rifle (what was a $3,500 rifle is now a $2,500 rifle at best), but you also ruined a valuable piece of history. These can only be original once. Yes, it is your rifle and you are more than welcome to do what you want with it. However, the sad reality is that we are only temporary caretakers of these guns until they are passed on to someone else.

I apologize if this comes across as a harsh post, but as a long time G43 collector, it is difficult to see when misinformed collectors are unknowingly damaging or ruining their rifles. There is too much information on the internet these days for this to be happening. Hopefully anyone else considering refinishing their G43 will come across this post and decide to do otherwise.

When it comes to these rifles remember less is always more. If the stock was excessively dry to the point where the wood was splintering, a light wiping of howard's feed and wax would have been a sufficient approach. Otherwise it should be left alone.
 
This is a very educational thread.
When it's pointed out that people have done something wrong, they get offended. Even to the point of admonishing the moderator!
I'll say it again- the reason there is not a lot of information on using mineral oil on wood, is because mineral oil SHOULD NOT be used on wood!
Bubba and his sandpaper and cold blue have ruined a lot of guns.
 
I concur with Bill. Mineral oil, axle grease almost never polymerize. They weaken wood. Oil safe on wood polymerizes. Tung is excellent. Linseed oil is not very good. Boiled linseed oil is better as the additives help it cure faster. Walnut oil (salad oil) is also good.

I learned this from years of woodworking. Oil finish is my favorite, as well as shellac.

I was rather stunned to learn mineral oil or even grease is used on gun stock, where I have been working hard to get rid of.

-TL
 
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Both of you are right in that mineral oil was a fairly poor choice to refinish the wood (particularly with the G43's laminate glue that will now begin to deteriorate) and is a poor choice on any kind of wood for that matter. The important thing to note in the case of this G43 though is that any oil (whether it be tung, blo, or walnut oil, etc.) should never have come in contact with that wood given its original untouched condition. It simply should have been left alone.

The rifle in this post went from being a highly desirable example that is very seldom seen to an example that has now successfully joined the ranks of almost the entirety of G43's that come up for sell that have been "improved" by their owners with refinished wood, sanded stocks, rebluing, etc.
 
Meridius said:
The important thing to note in the case of this G43 though is that any oil (whether it be tung, blo, or walnut oil, etc.) should never have come in contact with that wood given its original untouched condition. It simply should have been left alone.
Click to expand...

There is no "should" with private property in a free market/country.

If the OP wants to use that gun as a fence post or a hammer, it is every bit his right.

If the Mona Lisa comes up for sale and the guy who buys it wants to stoke his wood stove with it, it's nobody's business but his.

If someone is so concerned about it, they "should" make it their business to buy up as many of the originals as possible, to stop their destruction. If they can't afford it, they "should" start a not-for-profit foundation to protect the guns.
 
His rifle, his finish.

I doubt if the value to a buyer other than a collector has been harmed by much.

I've always heard the true wartime finish was beeswax, is that true?
 
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