Stripping finish off Remington stock.

I've used regular Strip-EZ, from the local hardware store to rmove pretty much any finish I've encountered (both guns and furniture) Some just come off more easily than others.
 
Epoxies and urethanes are eventually softened by anything containing methylene chloride. Check the ingredients. Methylene chloride evaporates quickly, so you have to keep refreshing with a brush.

Nick
 
tape it up

Cover it with tape and then when you get it stripped and sanded, and refinished, remove the tape. If you have to do any heavy sanding, make sure you sand on the edges of it as well without the tape on it.
 
stripping stock

Dear Sir:
Yes, Brownells sells a stripper that works!

However, I remember in my youth sitting in my basement with a piece of broken glass scraping finish off!
It's much easier today.
Harry B.
 
You should remove any plastic or metal parts before using chemical stripper. If you use a chemical you'll need to use water afterwards and that will raise the grain, which requires plenty of sanding. I have not used broken glass to remove finishes but have used a steel scraper and it worked fine but required some elbow grease. The scraper didn't raise the grain either.
 
Consider that that glossy stuff is an excellent sealant that makes your stock more weather proof. I'd paint over it instead, but that's cheapo me.
 
If you want a duller finish, don't remove the epoxy finish. You can dull or matte it by using rottenstone - http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/productdetail.aspx?p=7781&s=4053

Make a paste with the rottenstone and vegetable oil - some people use linseed oil, but vegetable oil works as well without a big mess. Put the paste on the stock and rub it in using felt pads - http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/productdetail.aspx?p=12713&s=

Rub the paste into the stock with some pressure and wipe it off. If the finish is not dull enough, rub some more. It's a lot easier than stripping and refinishing the stock.
 
nothing wrong with stripping

There is nothing wrong with using stripper and it will prevent the problem of having the wood below the metal because of excessive sanding. I use a citrus stripper when I strip a stock and have no problems with it at all. check out the selection at your local hardware store or Lowes or Home Depot. They have a large assortment of various strippers. Get the one that will remove your finish the best and not have toxic fumes and you will be fine.

Scraping like Harry does does very well also. This is just a lot quicker and easier.
 
Citristrip is the stuff you want to use for that remington stock. I've done several and it wont hurt the black plastic forend at all. Just slop it on thick, wrap the stock in aluminum foil and wait 30 minutes. Use a littlemore fresh stripper and a stiff nylon brush to clean out the checkering and you are good to go. I have only had to reapply it once and that was on a Remington BDL stock that I didn't let the stripper work long enough. It's great stuff.

Weagle

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Interesting post. Since I haven't tried it I have a couple of questions: How does the Citristrip do about stock swelling? I thought it was water base, or is it just citrus oils and emulsifiers that allow water rinsing? Do you find you need to do anything along the lines of desiccating the wood to dry it afterward? Do I correctly infer from the can of mineral spirits that you are using that product rather than water to remove the Citrustrip afterward?

Nick
 
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Nick, I haven't had any trouble with the stocks that I strip. I make sure to let them dry for about a week before to make sure any moisture is out. I hang mine close to the ceiling to dry, but a drying box is handy if you have one. If you let the water soak on the stock, of course it will enter the wood. I wash mine with lacquer thinner and then use a wash cloth with clean water and a heat gun to raise the grain before finish sanding the stocks.

The stripping process saves me more than a few hours of labor and the results have been just as good as what I used to turn out when scraping and sanding the finish off.
 
I use the mineral spirits to clean up the stock. I don't use any water at all.

I haven't experienced any stock swelling and the stocks are dry and ready to proceed in 24 hours.

Weagle
 
question for you

Do you not raise the grain prior to reapplying the new finish? I do because I sand a little before I apply the new finish and I raise the grain before. The way I do it though doesn't add a lot of moisture back into the stock. I never wash the stock in water either, I apply a damp rag and heat to raise the grain.
 
Yes, I do wipe the stock with a damp cloth to raise the grain when I'm sanding it, but this is later in the process. I was referring to the stripping process and clean up when I stated I didn't use any water.

Weagle
 
"...keep the stripper off of it and sand it down by hand..." Absolutely not. Takes forever and doesn't get the plastic out of the wood. Wood is wood. You use the same products and techniques you'd use on furniture.
 
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