SKS wood stock restoration
- Thread starter Just4Fun
- Start date
Funny you should ask. My father is a woodworker and I have asked him if he would like to make a walnut stock for my SKS and he gladly obliged me. I am pretty sure he has started on it and I will be happy to pass on any info as it becomes available. I do understand that you are not starting from scratch, but I am sure I can give you valuable info that can help with your restoration. 
Regards,
kgs.
Regards,
kgs.
kgs,
You are correct. I want to restore the original stock.
Everything I have read seems to be the same except for sanding vs. steel wool. Obviously, sanding should be kept to a minimum. I guess it will depend on how bad the stock is after I swell the wood.. The method that sounds the best is boiling the stock.
thanks,
Jerid
You are correct. I want to restore the original stock.
Everything I have read seems to be the same except for sanding vs. steel wool. Obviously, sanding should be kept to a minimum. I guess it will depend on how bad the stock is after I swell the wood.. The method that sounds the best is boiling the stock.
thanks,
Jerid
sks
I'm a cabinetmaker and build and restore fine furniture. I've restored my SKS stock as well as my M1 stock.
Many military stocks, like the M1, come with only oil on them. The SKS, however, appears to always have a finish on it although pretty lousey. Even a poor stock can be saved. Here is a photo of my SKS.
First of all you have to remove all the old, shiny finish. Try lacquer and steel wool first. If it is shiny, then it probably lacquer. If someone put polyurethane on it, then you'll have to sand with 150 Aluminum oxide (gray) paper until it is off. Once you've got the old clear finish off, you have to try to put color back in.
Forget stains. You should try to find dyes.
A company called Behlen makes an entire rainbow of colors for furniture use. Dyes penetrate the wood. Stains sit on top of it. Plus, stains are usually suspended in tung oil which will seal the wood after the first coat. Dyes, otoh, are usually in alcohol, and can be applied many times to detemine the final depth of color. You can also combine dyes to get a "custom" color. Behlen dyes are available through most retail woodworking catalogues. They are easy to find. (wear gloves or your hands will look funny for days)
Once you've got the stock stripped, add color to your liking. The stuff drys in minutes. Once that's done, simply get a can of spray lacquer in either satin or gloss depending on what you want. Lacquer is very tough an easy to apply. Each coat binds with the first so you actually end up with one coat on the wood. Spray two coats and let it dry. Then sand with 220 aluminum oxide paper, wipe it down, and spray another coat. When thats dry, spray two more. The finish will be very pleaseing and is easy to accomplish. If you sand through the first two coats, you can reapply dye again. If you shoot lacquer with a sprayer, you can even add dye to the lacquer and make a "toning" spray.
If you need any other info or have questions, contact me here or email me directly.
Rome
I'm a cabinetmaker and build and restore fine furniture. I've restored my SKS stock as well as my M1 stock.
Many military stocks, like the M1, come with only oil on them. The SKS, however, appears to always have a finish on it although pretty lousey. Even a poor stock can be saved. Here is a photo of my SKS.
First of all you have to remove all the old, shiny finish. Try lacquer and steel wool first. If it is shiny, then it probably lacquer. If someone put polyurethane on it, then you'll have to sand with 150 Aluminum oxide (gray) paper until it is off. Once you've got the old clear finish off, you have to try to put color back in.
Forget stains. You should try to find dyes.
A company called Behlen makes an entire rainbow of colors for furniture use. Dyes penetrate the wood. Stains sit on top of it. Plus, stains are usually suspended in tung oil which will seal the wood after the first coat. Dyes, otoh, are usually in alcohol, and can be applied many times to detemine the final depth of color. You can also combine dyes to get a "custom" color. Behlen dyes are available through most retail woodworking catalogues. They are easy to find. (wear gloves or your hands will look funny for days)
Once you've got the stock stripped, add color to your liking. The stuff drys in minutes. Once that's done, simply get a can of spray lacquer in either satin or gloss depending on what you want. Lacquer is very tough an easy to apply. Each coat binds with the first so you actually end up with one coat on the wood. Spray two coats and let it dry. Then sand with 220 aluminum oxide paper, wipe it down, and spray another coat. When thats dry, spray two more. The finish will be very pleaseing and is easy to accomplish. If you sand through the first two coats, you can reapply dye again. If you shoot lacquer with a sprayer, you can even add dye to the lacquer and make a "toning" spray.
If you need any other info or have questions, contact me here or email me directly.
Rome
Here is a link I found that has a step by step..
Anyone want to comment on this method (good/bad)?
http://www.arizonaresponsesystems.com/notes/pagewoodrestore.htm
thanks,
Anyone want to comment on this method (good/bad)?
http://www.arizonaresponsesystems.com/notes/pagewoodrestore.htm
thanks,
restoration link
Most of the details listed in this link are quite good, especially for removing dents. I could go on for quite a while about how to repair dings but suffice it to say there are some great products the pros use to fix fine furniture.
Applying the color, however, is really easy with dyes. It is also very easy to adjust the color which is important to some people. Dyes can be easily adjusted to suit just about anyone. As a matter of fact, most "fine" furniture from 100 years ago is really only fair wood with great coloring. Most furniture used Poplar and with the proper coloring it looks just like mahogany.
Stock get a lot of abuse just by the nature of what they're attached to. Guns throw off a lot of stuff caustic to finishes. I've found that the lacquer covered dye finishes I've detailed here are most durable, repairable, and easy to accomplish by even the most "untalented" woodworker.
R
Most of the details listed in this link are quite good, especially for removing dents. I could go on for quite a while about how to repair dings but suffice it to say there are some great products the pros use to fix fine furniture.
Applying the color, however, is really easy with dyes. It is also very easy to adjust the color which is important to some people. Dyes can be easily adjusted to suit just about anyone. As a matter of fact, most "fine" furniture from 100 years ago is really only fair wood with great coloring. Most furniture used Poplar and with the proper coloring it looks just like mahogany.
Stock get a lot of abuse just by the nature of what they're attached to. Guns throw off a lot of stuff caustic to finishes. I've found that the lacquer covered dye finishes I've detailed here are most durable, repairable, and easy to accomplish by even the most "untalented" woodworker.
R