[Ugh!]

Anybody think it might be a good idea to post pics of finished stocks, that details the starting wood, preparation, and the stains used? Its tough to tell how a whole stock will turn out by looking at the little swatch on the can or at the store. This way maybe we can save people money by seeing what the end result will be.

Here is my entry. It is an attempt to duplicate the Norinco orange color. The pistol grip is from Ironwood, it is maple. First I wetted the grip, then sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper, then 320 grit, then 400 grit, and finished up with rubbing it with steel wool. Then I applied the wood conditioner. I let it soak in for 20 minutes then applied the Golden Pecan stain. I applied a coat of Golden Pecan stain daily until it wasn't getting any darker. Then I applied 4 coats of the amber shellac.

Here are the results comparing the grip against the Norinco Stockset:

Hope it helps.

 

[hcpookie]

A color library is an excellent idea!

Good pics!

 

[mike26038]

Great job matching up the PG...

I suck at woodworking, but I could polish your AK to a high sheen.... :headspin:

 

[Ugh!]

Here is another. It is an Ironwood laminate set, with the PG cut for the grip cap. First I wetted the grip, then sanded it with 220 grit sandpaper, then 320 grit. Then I applied the Minwax wood conditioner. I let it soak in for 20 minutes then applied the Minwax Golden Oak stain. Next step will be putting a sealer on it.

 

[jimtash]

Here's a pic of my SARs with the SAR 3 on top and the SAR 2 on the bottom done with Minwax Sedona Red and the SAR 2 in the middle done with just tung oil. The light in the picture doesn't do the furniture any good but in person, the Sedona Red matches the Bakelite magazines perfectly.

Here's a pic of my AMD-63 done with just tung oil again. I think the blonde look is very nice and compliments the rifle very well.

 

[yosuthnmasa]

I think this is a wonderful idea!

jimtash, did you sand the wood down at all before using the tung oil? I like the natural color of the AMD-63 as well, but mind has scome scratches I want to get out.

Ugh, after your last sand with paper, what type of steel wool did you use? 0000

 

[jimtash]

I think this is a wonderful idea!

jimtash, did you sand the wood down at all before using the tung oil? I like the natural color of the AMD-63 as well, but mind has scome scratches I want to get out.

Ugh, after your last sand with paper, what type of steel wool did you use? 0000

My AMD wood had a few dings it also and I took care of them by taking a hot steam iron and a wet towel and "steaming" them out. It took a few passes to do it, but it made the wood expand and lessened the amount of sanding I had to do. I then took 320 grit sandpaper to the whole stock and finally worked my way up to 600 before the first coat of tung oil. After that, I used superfine steel wool.

 

[yosuthnmasa]

Never used an iron to get the dings out. What is your precise method of doing it?

 

[jimtash]

Just take a wet cotton towel that's folded over and put it over the area that you want to fix, and then take a hot iron and gently rub over the area. You might have to re-wet the towel and make several passes with the iron to see the wood start expanding. You need to be careful to make sure that the iron doesn't make direct contact with the wood and also keep in mind that you will need to do some minor finish sanding when you're done, but the dings should disappear.