Plastic End Caps

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DefinitelyNotACop

Inactive
Hello everyone.

I've followed this website for a long time and gotten some good information off it. Finally made the jump to making an account and would like to contribute some of my own knowledge.

In the meantime, I have started a project on a Remington 7600. I am wanting to refinish the stock but I have a question. The stock has end caps on the grip and the forend. I know everyone refers to them as ebony end caps but I am not sure if these are actually ebony. I believe these are plastic but I am not sure.

1. How can I make sure of the material these are made out of?

2. If these are in fact plastic, what can I do to refinish these? They are very high gloss but have a lot of scrapes and nicks. I know oils probably won't do well with the plastic so can I use something else to achieve that deep dark black gloss?

Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated.
 
Been there and done that !!!!

As opposed to wood, these are plastic resins. You really don't have to put any finish unless you want to. Now the next question is; do you pull them and my experience is that you should because Remington and others, stop short of putting some kind of protective finish on the end of buttstock. In fact, I would be surprised if you find any at all. …… :eek:


You can polish the plastic making sure you don't lose the profile. There are many products out there and I use Novus 1,2 and 3.

Be Safe !!!
 
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Thanks. That is exactly what I was looking to to know. Do you think I should I lightly sand off the surface of the plastic before applying novus? Like I said originally, the plastic is pretty bad and it looks like surface chips all over it.

I will probably go ahead and pull them off. This stock saw a lot of water exposure over the years and it is sure to see more. I figure I'll pull the end caps off, refinish the underneath and polish the caps. Then I'll reinstall them with agraglass.
 
Wet sand the plastic with 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Dry, then buff with 0000 steel wool.
Then use any good plastic polish, or buff on a buffer-again, being careful not to change the contour.
 
It will let you know what it needs

Thanks. That is exactly what I was looking to know. Do you think I should I lightly sand off the surface of the plastic before applying novus? Like I said originally, the plastic is pretty bad and it looks like surface chips all over it.
Click to expand...

I often say; Listen to the piece and it will let you know what it needs. The profile/contour doesn't have to be perfect and if noting else. You can always buy a new one. ….. ;)


Be Safe !!!
 
If you use stripper on the stock don't get it on the plastic, it will damage the plastic and make it sticky. Simple solution- sand the finish off down to 400 or 600 grit. The plastic will be smooth and grayish black. When you put finish on the stock, wipe just a fine film of finish onto the plastic. This will create a glossy surface and restore the look.
 
Lotta times "ebony" is about the colour, not the wood. Piano keys are called 'ebony' too and they've been plastic for eons. The wood runs around $100 per linear foot.
Surface chips can be filled with epoxy glue. It dries clear and hard. Or you can put a bit of powdered paint in it for colour.
 
You may have to rough the surface to get good epoxy adhesion, but Mr. O'Heir's comment reminds me that glossy black epoxy spray paint is very smooth and shiny when dry. You just need a dust-free place to let it dry.
 
Sorry to bump up a dying thread. I just wanted to thank everyone for their help. You guys were incredibly useful.

I ordered the novus plastic polishing kit and it didn't really do anything to the end caps. The new finish wasn't staying on there either. I had some tru oil sitting around and it ended up going on perfect and staying on. So if anyone else gets the question, tru oil is great for the end caps. I just sanded them up and got all the old crud off and applied a thin coat of tru oil. I was worried I'd have to try to use the epoxy spray paint but ended up not needing it.

Now I have a lot of novus that I'm using on other stuff. :)
 
Interesting. Did you consider trying automotive buffing and polishing compounds? Those and a drill-driven buffing wheel or felt pad would probably resurface it. Glad the Tru-oil stays put.
 
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