Zvenomans Stock tips

[ZvenoMan]

Occasionally people ask me about how I work on my Milsurp stocks. To be clear, my knowledge is from reading the old Surplus Firearms magazines, trying different methods, and reading forums (mostly here and SurplusRifle Forum; the stock care section is the best).
To start, I never use chemical stripper (unless there is some chemical on the stock). Generally a good water based cleaner is all I need. I have tried Purple Power (in spray bottle, with about 50% water), Simple Green (also cut with water, Citrus Cleaner (dollar tree) and dollar tree knock offs of purple power. ny of these work best; I use whatever of these is handy, purple power probably being "the best", but I don't rush it. Wipe off what you can, then spray on your cleaner, let it sit a few minutes, then scrub with a sponge with the built in scotchbrite (again, dollar store). Wipe off, maybe use some warm water on the sponge, and repeat as necessary. This works on 90% of my milrurp stocks. I got an M14 stock from CMP that had some funky clear stain, looked like tape residue (but GooGone did not affect it), that was the only time I used a chemical stripper, and it did not impress me.
Soviet Stocks that are painted in lacquer are different, generally just a wipe with a damp cloth, maybe purple power, is all they need.

1. M14 stocks; I wiped off dust and any visible grease/cosmo then sprayed with PP and let sit.
[IMG]DSC_2710 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]

2. 2nd spray, note the stains on newspaper of what the PP was removing.
[IMG]DSC_2714 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]

3. When done they will look like this. Note middle one still has a few stains, I kept working on it.....
[IMG]DSC_2757 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]

4. If you want to stain, now is the time. I used USSR stain (available from forum member USSR) on one just to try it out, great stuff. Otherwise I rarely add stain, most stocks I work on are milsurp so I just clean and re-oil, they don't often need stain.
I generally use BLO (generic from Lowes/Home Depot). I tried Tung once, it did not seem better (I used pure tung oil from Woodcrafters). Note: Make sure you buy Tung Oil or Boiled (or Raw) Linseed Oil. WM generally does not have it, but they carry (as does Lowes, HD) "Tung Oil Finish" (from a few companies, Fornbys is one). Some have used this with great results; I suggest you use pure oil for your first job.
I use Fairtrimmers Military OX oil frequently as my first few coats. It is a BLO base, with thinners (Turpentine?) and tints, formulated to accent grain and cartouches. Sme don't like it, some claim it doesn't work. I have had good results, the tints get into the broken fibers of cartouches (and gouges!), as well as soak up differently in different grain. It is very subtle, one coat and you can't tell much. It is BLO based so can be removed later like BLO with mineral spirits if needed (I never have). I generally do a few coats until I like the look, then cover with a few coats of BLO (more on that next).
Here are those same stocks:
[IMG]DSC_2859 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]

Top one I used USSR stain, other two just Fairtrimmers.

Regarding BLO: I used to apply it straight, usually with a 0000 steel wool pad, let it sit 30-60 min then wipe off. After hearing enough about thinning it I mixed a bottle with turpentine, I like that method. So, after cleaning, use Fairtrimmers if needed, then 2-4 coats of thinned BLO (1 do one coat per day, approximately!). You will know when the wood is not soaking it up much more. Then a few coats of straight BLO. I apply with the 0000 steel wool, then rub in by hand. The heat from rubbing helps penetrate. Let sit 30-60, wipe off. 2-4 coats. The bottom Birch M14 stock was done this way.

Tom's 1/3 mix: Saw forum users with it, gave it a try. It is his packaging of "Gunny's Paste", known by a few other names as well; it's a mix of BLO, Turpentine and Beeswax. You can make your own, but I'm told finding the right manufacturers (even generic) is trial and error, and I like to support fellow hobbyists, he sells it cheap enough. It's like shoe polish, but sort of clear. Rub it on by hand, create heat; let dry 30-60 min and buff off. A few coats gives a great looking glow. This can be your only finish, or can be the top coat over BLO, Tung, whatever.
Here is a CMP Refurb Daisy 853. I cleaned the stock with denatured alcohol and 0000 steel wool, and as it had "HC", the DA dissolved it, I kept the "H" obviously. When dry, all I did was rub in (wood was pretty dry!) a few coats of Tom's 1/3 mix.
[IMG]DSC_3929 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]
By the way, the CMP refurb Daisy's are a great deal; they have allegedly been overhauled and seals replaced; they come with a new accessory kit that has front sight inserts, sling and rear sight. Mine shoots great; Zvenoson can pump it himself finally.
More to follow

[ZvenoMan]

Links for stock care that I find useful. I have received no product from any of these guys for free, and my comments are based on my experience; your results may differ. If anyone has links for milsurp stock products PM me and I'll post them.

1. SurplusRifle Forum's stock care for milsurps. Great info on many different ways to clean up, repair and restore Milsurp stocks.
http://www.surplusrifleforum.com/vie...3add2c2e03516f

2. USSR US Service Rifle Stain: It is a small bottle, he says 1-2 stocks per bottle, I suggest maybe 2-3! In my opinion this is a great price for an already mixed stain that is a good match for the reddish tint on older USGI rifles like 1903s, 1903A3s, M1 Garands and Carbines, etc. Sold by CMP Forum member USSR, read about it and order it here.
http://forums.thecmp.org/showthread.php?t=27670

3. Tom's 1/3 mix: Look on the CMP "How To" section, Aladinbama (Tom's 1/3 mix) has videos on stock cleaning (using BLO and turpentine) as well as how to use his stock wax, and other great stock care videos. Research and buy his wax here:
http://thegunstockdoctor.com/

4. Fairtrimmers Military OX oil (I have no idea where the name originated). Learn about it and order it here:
http://www.fairtrimmers.com/

5. Chestnut Ridge. I have not used their stain but I have heard many people on forums talk about it, seems like a good alternative to USSR's stain.
http://www.chestnutridge.com/

6. GarandGear.com. I have not ordered from them, but they sell a kit that contains a citrus cleaner in a spray bottle, and a bottle of thinned oil (thinned with the same citrus cleaner they sell!) and a bottle of full strength oil. They sell it in Tung oil and Raw Linseed oil. I heard about them on some forums, people seem to like the kit, and if I was a first time refinisher I would consider it.
http://www.garandgear.com/index.php

7. Fred's M14 stocks. Do a search on Google or Bing about his reputation. I have ordered a few times, got what I ordered fast, and the product was much better than described. But he has a reputation; like I said I and just telling you what I know and experienced with these links! Why do I list him here? His M14 stock prices are excellent, but more to the point, he has cut off M14 stocks he sells, 3 for $10.00. Great for practicing; want to see how a stock product will look, try it on one of these. I have some, they are what he advertises, and I try stock products new to me on these first! Someday I'll do something creative with them, like make these into feet for the Mosin Nagant crate I will turn into a glass top lighted coffee table.....
http://www.fredsm14stocks.com/

JH

[ZvenoMan]

Tru Oil:
Here is my observation on TruOil (from Birchwood Casey, it is sold at any store that has gun stuff, including Walmart, sporting goods stores, etc).
I heard about it, have seen it forever, and have seen some posts where Milsurp stocks were done with this and looked pretty good. It is known for its shine. It is a mix of oils and thinners and who knows what else, iced teas for all I know.
Like any stock finish, the preparation is the key. I like linseed and similar as if, when applying them, I see some areas that need more prep (not uncommon for your first few stocks), you can address that and go back to oiling. This will be harder with TruOil, it needs a good prep.
It seems very thn out of the bottle, but rubs on by hand (per the directions), drys fast and gives that pimp shine. I sanded with 0000 steel wool. per the directions, each coat when dry and recoated. To me, it looked "pimpy", or at least plasticy and not how a Milsurp should look. I tried the 0000 steel wool and I couldn't get it to look "military". I do think it would work great in a Ruger 10/22 or other stock that you want to produce a nice deep and shiny finish. It was very easy to apply and dries quick (I think I said that).
I am not saying TruOil is not a good product, but it is not in my Milsurp toolbox. If anyone has some good TruOil Milsurp stocks, let's see them.
Here's an M14 stock I did, it has 4 or so coats of TruOil, 0000 steel wool when dry on each coat.
[IMG]DSC_3121 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]

Why M14 stocks? Every time I am in the south store I look at the rack of M14 stocks and one always seems to come home with me. $35.00, great stock projects, and they usually have a great selection, some appear new. Fred's cheapest are $35 or so, and he can sell you very fancy stocks, but there is a price for that grading. My M1A has a stock for every day if the week, and then some....
[IMG]DSC_2699C by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]

The top 2 are not wood stocks, they were my first Duracoat test stocks......

Here's a $35 stock from Freds; I'd love to see what $100 or so gets you. I have seen some pictures of some nice M14 stocks, this one is not too bad.
[IMG]Springfield M1A by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]

JH

[ZvenoMan]

Finn Pine Tar?

I started my Milsurp collecting on Mosin Nagants. "Fortunately' I did not get the Finn bug, but have a few (you could have 25 and that's not even a good start).
I acquired an M39 Finn about 20 years ago, and cleaned it up, and finished the stock with BLO because that;s all I knew. It was, and remains, one of my finest looking milsurps.
Recently I have learned that the Finns used Pine Tar instead of BLO on most (many? some?) of their stocks. You can get pine tar, tractor supply and any other farm type store will sell it, it is used to coat horse hooves. Many coat wooden tool handles with it as it weatherizes them well (kind of like BLO....).
Tom's 1/3 mix company sells a Finn Pine Tar mix; I do not know if it is pure pine tar or if he added anything to it (I have never opened the tubs of pine tar in tractor supply, it is under $10 for about a pint or so). Anyway, as I like to support hobbyists, and Tom's 1/3 wax is one of my go-to products, I dropped $10 on his pine tar.
Of course, I forgot to take "before" pictures. My M39 was in great shape, it was cleaned and finished with BLO 20 years ago, and BLO applied every few years as needed. Summer of 2014 I decided to redo it with Pine Tar. I performed my standard stock cleaning with dollar tree cleaner and a scrubby sponge. Below is after 1-2 scrubs, it took 3-4. It was 400 degrees in the sun so I scrubbed, wiped, scrubbed, all in about an hour, and it was dry enough for the pine tar after another 30 minutes.
[IMG]DSC_3552 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]
Per Tom's 1/3 company directions, apply the pine tar by hand. Use gloves per him; I didn't, no major issue. It has an odd smell, like pine plus an old campfire. I wiped it on, it is thicker than BLO, about like vaseline. My milsurp forum research indicated heat is needed to activate it, get it to soak into the wood, and 2 or so coats are best. As it is almost black (but when you rub it in it thins), I set it on the porch in the sun, and after 30 minutes it was easily 200 degrees (no exaggeration this time). After cursing because I burned my hand, I wiped it dry with a paper towel, and set it in the shade to cool. I re-coated after an hour, and cooked for another 30 min, then wiped it dry. Here it is cooking:
[IMG]DSC_3555 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]
I let it sit in a corner of the garage (smell was strong for a few days; it was dry to the touch after a few hours).
Interesting finish, kind of waxy, dry and nothing oozes, but different from BLO. Really accents the arctic birch. I am looking for another project for the pine tar, while I am a fan of being authentic (that is how I decided to use it), if I see the right birch M14 stock it may get some pine tar.....

[IMG]DSC_3607 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]DSC_3606 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]

JH

[ZvenoMan]

Fairtrimmers?

I use Fairtrimmers Military OX oil on just about every non-birch stock I work on (birch has enough character). I find it accents the grain well, and it seems to accent the cartouches as well. Essentially it operates like a wash, the tint is suspended in the fluid (a BLO mix) and will gather in low spots (cartouches) and some grain more than others. The effect is very subtle, and the directions tell you how to alter it from red to brown. I apply with steel wool or my hands, and rub it in (again, wood and BLO respond well to heat from the friction).
I have had a few tell me that it is a varnish or polyurethane; it is not. I have had some tell me it cannot make a cartouche look any different, and on some stocks I am sure it is true, but most of the time I find it works great. I think you can use it as the final finish, but as it is not cheap (compared to BLO, which is what, $10 for a quart at HD; Fairtrimmers is, as of today, about $32.80 shipped for a pint. As each coat adds tint, I find a few coats is all I need, but then I add a few coats of BLO, or Tom's 1/3 wax. However, find the price to be well worth it for me.
CMP rack grade 1917, Fairtrimmers, maybe 2 coats:
[IMG]DSC_0520 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]DSC_0508 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]
Yes, it highlights gouges as well! I see no need to sand stocks, I try a bit of blending if needed, but it is rare. This stock clearly showed the grain when I bought it, but the Fairtrimmers added some tint and accent.
This was sealed with a few coats of Tom's 1/3 mix.

Here is my SVT40. It came to me with the standard post-rebuild shellac. I have shot this OFTEN, maybe 2500 rounds, in many matches, and the shellac finally started flaking off. I have done some research, you can buy shellac, and some sell some allegedly similar to the "original" color (ugly orange?). I deviated a bit from my normal "restore) and decided to remove all the shellac and use an oil finish, as it would have appeared during the war. How do you remove shellac from your Soviet "dipped in a vat" firearm? Denatured Alcohol (WM sells it in the paint section, as does HD...). Varnish is just flakes of solid varnish (buy it on eBay, red and orange mostly) dissolved in DA. DA therefore melts it like butter. It took just a few minutes, and some lite encouragement with a scotchbrite sponge. To refinish it got a few coats of Fairtrimmers which really made the cartouches pop. I sealed it with 2 coats of Tom's 1/3 wax, and it sat for 2-3 years. I had it out a few weeks ago for it's annual cleaning and stock care, and decided to see about deepening the finish. Some have asked if you must remove Tom's 1/3 wax before using oil, I did not know so I decided to try. I had used it some since the original 2 coats of wax were applied, so it had thinned some. I used a thinned BLO mix, jus BLO and Turpentine 50%. I applied by scrubbing it in with 0000 steel wool, let it sit, and wipe off after 30-60 minutes. About 6 coats over a week, then about 4 coats of straight BLO, same application, 1 day apart. The finish just "deepened", very satin-like. I sealed it with 3 coats of Tom's 1/3 wax. I really like how it came out. The Tom's 1/3 wax just adds a satin glow in my opinion, I really like it as a final finish over BLO, or just plain.
Before the annual cleaning, so 2 or so coats of Fairtrimmers, and a few coats of Tom's 1/3"
[IMG]DSC_3905 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]
After cleaning and many coats of BLO/Turp, then BLO, then Tom's 1/3"
[IMG]SVT40 TULA 1941 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]DSC_3915 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]DSC_3921 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]DSC_3922 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]
OK, not a stock picture. The "brake" is quite effective in converting the recoil to noise and wind. A spotter had a hat come off in the muzzle blast once (he wasn't that close), and it is by far the loudest whenever I shoot. The recoil is insignificant, like an AR. I have had no issues with malfunctions or breakage with mine. If it had a better rear sight, mounted on the receiver (like a Garand) I am sure it would be competitive with one; I have shot some CMP matches with it, and given my eyes it shoots well with the barrel mounted rear tangent sights.

JH

[Ericc]

6. ... and a bottle of thinned oil (with turpentine) and a bottle of full strength oil. They sell it in Tung oil and Linseed oil.

http://www.garandgear.com/index.php

JH

Just a minor correction. The oil in our 50/50 bottle is thinned using the same orange oil that we supply in the small sprayer. We don't use mineral spirits or turpentine as the thinning agent.

-Eric

[ZvenoMan]

Just a minor correction. The oil in our 50/50 bottle is thinned using the same orange oil that we supply in the small sprayer. We don't use mineral spirits or turpentine as the thinning agent.

-Eric

Thanks Eric, I have corrected the post!
Wish I had seen your kit when I first started working ion stocks 20something years ago, would have saved me much time!

JH

[The Garandster]

Thanks

ZvenoMan, thanks for your very helpful information - I've got a SKS stock dripping with cosmoline and your info is very timely.

[ZvenoMan]

Thanks,
Show some pics please.
Today I had a day off (or an off day) and cleaned up and inspected my Albanian M59/66A1 SKS; I hope to photograph it tomorrow or Wednesday. I have had it for a few years but I am giving my collection a detailed inspection, cleaning and photography now. It has a non-chrome lined bore, hardest bore to clean of any I have seen. The stock is nice, it has full grain and is dark, hopefully someone can ID the wood type when I post it. Cleaned up well. SKS's may be cheap but the few I have had have been great shooters.
JH

[ZvenoMan]

M59/66A1 Yugoslav SKS

I got this from Century about 2005 or so? Well used, but compared to the beaver gnawed Chinese SKS's that are available now it is fine.
The M59 is the Yugoslav version of the SKS, pretty much an SKS made in Yugoslavia, barrels are generally not chromed, otherwise the same.
The M59/66 added a NATO spec grenade launcher (yes NATO spec on a ComBloc design). The design included a gas system cutoff; to raise the grenade sight the gas system must be cut off, fairly soldier-proof.
The M59/66A1 added flip up glow in the dark sights, 2 dots on the rear leaf and one dot on the front post. They may have still glowed in the 70's? I don't think I have ever shot it.
This was in fine condition, as seen in the pics. The bore was very difficult to clean, I scrubbed with just about every chemical I could find, each had some effect!
All I did to the wood was clean it with water based degreaser and a scrubby sponge, a few sessions. It is clean, but the grain is course and dark so it almost looks iike it has soaked up grease and crud; I think the wood just looks like this. Then 2 coats of fairtrimmers to accent the wood grain (I did not see it have much of an effect; worth a try). Then about 6 or so coats of BLO/Turpentine mix scrubbed on with 0000 steel wool, sit for 30-60 min then wipe dry; repeat 1 coat per day. Then about 4 or so coats of pure BLO hand rubbed, sit 30-60, wipe dry. I am not sure of the exact number of coats, working on many rifles this week, and didn't keep up. BLO/Turp until the wood looks like it does not need any more (not dry looking) then a few straight BLO coats until it looks good. The stock is rough, I bet the wood would look spectacular if I used a vibrating sander and took it from 100 grit up to 400-600 or so, but I'll keep this Milsurp un-pimped. It has a few dings and scratches, nothing but soldier use.
I have a bag of Turk M1 Garand slings I got at the SS; several were clearly one-off soldier modified scraps so I pieced together a sling that looks like some I have seen on websites for the M59/66s. A unique web sling seems most common but until one falls from the sky this will do.
Here is the result.
JH
[IMG]DSC_3987 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]DSC_3983 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]DSC_3988 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]DSC_3989 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]

[ZvenoMan]

Turk Mausers

I picked up these 2 Turk Mausers from Century in probably 2002 or so? One was full price ($40 if I recall, I bought 5 at that price) and one was a "U-Fixem" for $12 or $15. This was maybe my first Century purchase so I had to see what $12 got. It met, and exceeded the description, and was missing some small parts, I am sure they cost more than $20 to get! But I still have less than $40 in it.
Metal was just degreased (I bought a parts washer from Harbor Freight the week after getting these, go figure...), and the bores look great, for what they are.
Stocks were cleaned with Purple Power cut with water, and a scrubby sponge, a few sessions. Then straight BLO rubbed in, a few coats, each rub in, sit 30-60 min, wipe dry, repeat in a day. I did not use a mix of BLO/Turpentine at that time; I recently switched to that for my first few coats.
I got them out this weekend and removed all the stock metal, MEK was used to remove dried BLO and Cosmoline and whatever had built up. I soaked a scrap of felt in the MEK and scrubbed the metal, it quickly removed everything that didn't belong. I oiled all the metal parts (my standard is put a few drops of a thick gun oil, usually Hoppes or similar) on a clean patch and wipe all the metal with it. The stocks were a bit dry so I gave them a BLO/Turpentine scrub (see Aladinbama's video), then 2 coats of BLO rubbed in......
The pics in the sun seem to even out the wood; out of the sunlight one of the stocks (the bottom one in the pictures) has a really defined tiger stripe pattern. If I recall the slings came with them from Century, they are different from each other, and from my research they are probably authentic, as the Turks used anything.
I think the top one (mismatched handguard) is the U-Fixem, but I may be wrong.
Here are some pics.
JH
[IMG]DSC_3963 - Copy by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]DSC_3964 - Copy by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]DSC_3971 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]

[ZvenoMan]

Commercial stock experiment

I heard on Rimfire Central about some using Meguiars Scratch X (A car polish, available at Wal-Mart or auto parts stores) to polish wood, and then using Howards Feed and Wax (Lowes? Hardware stores?), it is a wood polish containing beeswax and some citrus stuff.
I have a Ruger 10/22, the standard carbine. I used the Scratch-X to polish the wood, it took maybe 5-10 minutes, it became very smooth and shin and did not remove the stain. I wiped it clean then applied the Feed and Wax. A few coats and it had a nice, deep shine.
I then dug out a CZ452, it went even quicker as the wood is better quality.
I would not do this to a Milsurp stock, but I have seen some USAF Presentation M1 Garands that looked this shiny.
The Ruger is the top, I have added tech Sights, QD swivels, an extended mag release, and polished inside the receiver, the bolt, and did a trigger shim job. I had a muzzle brake laying around, probably does nothing; and I added the recoil pad to tame the shoulder breaking recoil, and add to the LOP.
The middle is a Soviet TOZ 78, made by TULA. One of the best rimfires ever, built like a truck but shoots with the CZ and then some. It has a Burris 4x on it currently, I do not care for the revolving leaf sight. I have done nothing to this stock, and it is showing wear (it appears to be beech with a clear finish, no stain, and a black painted forend.
The bottom is a CZ452 Trainer. The stock is Beeck, but well made and stained. It received the Scratch-X/Feed and Wax treatment. It has had BRNO aperture sights and an Anschutz aperture added, and I shimmed the trigger and replaced the spring like so many do.
This and the Ruger had the polish and wax done probably 18 months ago, and nothing since (other than a bunch of range time); I thnk they may need a touch up of wax.
I like how these came out, especially for the cost of the 2 bottles of polish and wax, and the time it took. The finish looks much like a few coats of polyurethane, and has been pretty durable considering the use these get, Zvenoson included. I have no milsurps that need a treatment like this, but maybe some of you will find this of use.
If you decide to pursue this, I suggest a bit of research; some of the gunstock experts at Rimfire Central claim these products are made for cars (they are) and may (not "will") cause some damage to the wood or finish. I figured my Ruger stock is not especially valuable, and there is some disagreement as to the risk. Many have used this method on non-milsurps on that and other forums from what I have seen. Probably too much bling for a milsurp anyway; at least none of mine need this!
Here are the pics. I should have put the bolts in...
JH
[IMG]DSC_4006 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]
[IMG]DSC_4005 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]

[ZvenoMan]

I posted 2 Mosin Nagant M1891s on the CMP Bolt Action forum ( http://forums.thecmp.org/showpost.ph...&postcount=381 )and some users had some questions, so I answered here. On these 1891s I used Renaissance Wax on the metal.

Using wax on metal is new to me, but here is what I did. On the rifles I detail stripped them and performed a good cleaning (I have owned these 2 for about 10 years so they were already degreased and cleaned, I used my standard cleaning procedures listed in this thread when I got them).
I have read about wax as a firearm preservative, more in museum settings, but these two are far from range guns. Also the Tula, missing much of the blueing, needed to have a coat of oil to keep it from rusting. I did some research and found that wax is popular for this use, and saw a few different articles (didn't keep any, I just googled them). Wax is also easily removed, so it is non-invasive, one of my collecting rules. Turtle paste wax (the can from walmart in the car section!) is popular in museums, as is Renaissance brand wax ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_Wax ). I bought the Renaissance wax on eBay, it was pretty cheap, under $20 if I recall for a small can that will last for years. I used it on a few knives and really liked the results, so these M91s were next. Mine came with directions, google them for the website, plenty of info. I rubbed it on with my fingers, a small amount melts in your hands and goes a long way. I rubbed it in, as it says it is also a polish, and you can easily tell where the metal was dry and it soaked in (over the blueing mostly). I rubbed it in, let it dry (just like car wax) and buffed with a t-shirt. I repeated, for a total of 2 coats; 2 on some parts. It buffs well, not glossy, but they say you can build it up. I notice a nice semi-matte sheen, very pleasant on a milsurp. My goal was a nice looking, non-pimp finish that will protect as well as oil, and it seems to be made for that. It has been 4 or so days since I applied the wax, and it has been raining daily, and these have been in the open shop, so if they were not waxed or oiled, rust would have formed. I "seems" to allow handling without rusting better than my standard coat of Hoppes or other thick gun oil, as best I can tell after 4 days!
I plan to apply Renaissance wax on a "range gun" to see what effect shooting (heat) will have, these are not them!
Renaissance wax may be used on wood as well according to the directions, but that is probably best for a display piece only, I do not have enough experience with it yet. I will post some pics later of a few Renaissance wax experiments I have done with wood. They look good, but I don't think (at this time) that using it on Milsurp Stocks is for my collection; a museum perhaps?

Regarding the wood, the Izhevsk (bottom of pic, with the spliced stock), I cleaned it and rubbed in a few coats of a 50/50 mix of BLO/Turpentine. Again, these had been cleaned and oiled 10 years ago, this was just a good refresh. Once that dried, I used Tom's 1/3 mix ( http://www.thegunstockdoctor.com/ ).

Anyway, once the stock had dried from the BLO/turp scrub (overnight) I used the 1/3 wax and rubbed on a coat, it is just like clear shoe polish (do not substitute!!!), rub it on, let it dry (45 minutes or so) then buff it off with a cloth (old t-shirt). I let that harden overnight, then repeat; 2-3 coats is usually fine (the M91 got 3), but I have a carbine that kept looking better so I used about 8 or so coats. This is an authentic milsurp finish, again keeping with MY collecting goals.
Why didn't I use the 1/3 wax on the Tula? The stock has been beat to Siberia and back, there is not one square inch without 10 dents. My experience with the wax is that it adds a nice sheen, but this stock is sheen-less! It looks fine as-is with just BLO.
By the way, you can use the wax as the only finish (instead of a top coat for BLO or Tung or whatever), in post #1 of this thread see my CMP Daisy 853. It was bone dry when I got it so I cleaned it a bit then used a few coats of 1/3 mix only.

Below are few closeups of the M1891 stocks.
1. Bottom of Izhevsk, metal has 2 coats of Renaissance wax, stock has a few coats of Tom's 1/3. Note stamps are sharp.
[IMG]DSC_4203 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]
2. Izhevsk. The last coat of BLO was applied maybe 4 days before this picture, so I expect the shine to dull a little more as it cures.
[IMG]DSC_4206 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]
3. Tula, metal has Renaissance, stock is just BLO. Note that it has "a few dents and gouges"..... It's a nice piece of wood, in another world it would be interesting to sand it smooth and see...... but again, not how I collect! I do wonder how it looked when new. It seems to have a lot to say now.
[IMG]DSC_4183 by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]
4. The Tula surprised me, it has remnants of the Soviet era cartouche. I have not seen any other stamps yet, but I'm sure there some hiding.
[IMG]DSC_4182cartouche by MrJHassard, on Flickr[/IMG]

[ZvenoMan]

Random notes about stock work
My approach to stocks (milsurps) is middle of the road. Some believe only light cleaning (maybe a damp rag, or a lightly oiled rag) is all they ever should receive and any more is "bubba-izing", or "restoring". Others feel that unless it is a documented museum piece, known to have been carried by someone important, as they made millions then yours won't ever be "collectible" so do what you want.
I may bring up my thoughts on this someday, until then, my rifles are average shooters (mostly); so I try to research what was "original" and keep true to that but I want to preserve them, make them look better, and shoot them. I look for and preserve cartouches, as well as any markings (initials, whatever).
Many steam out dents; I have not done this much, am no expert in it, and plan to get some stocks to do this on but so far I have not needed to do so. For example, look at the 1915 manufactured Tula M91 stock in post #13 (link in that post to more pictures of it). Every square inch has dents and gouges yet the wood is beautiful. Note the 1920s Soviet Cartouche I found after cleaning. I would like to try to steam/sand it smooth to see it in the original form, but it is 100 years old and M91s are rather rare, compared to the run-of-the-mill 91/30, so I just cleaned and oiled it.
Sandpaper: This is removing wood. Like cleaning, and stripping, I prefer to always start with the least intrusive and get more aggressive only if needed. So, I have rarely used sandpaper on a stock. If the grain was raised after cleaning/stripping, then I will usually try scotchbrite/steel wool first; if that doesn't work then sandpaper it is (again, if I think the rifle is more collectible I may just leave the grain raised; you can not undo it.) In this thread, the SKS (M59/66) is the only stock I used sandpaper on. I sanded it using one of the foam sponge sanding blocks Lowes and Harbor Freight sell. Tip: Always sand with a sanding block. A 2x4 cut to a handy size (2 inches or so is great, or any scrap block of wood. This keeps from rounding edges and keeps flat areas flat; you can not be as precise with your hands. You can be creative and use dowels and sockets for finger grooves, and of course your hands where they taper and other odd areas, but again, in 20 years and 50-75 milsurps I pay have 30 minutes total sanding time. You can not put that wood back.
I have heard of many people who rub in the first few coats of oil using sandpaper; I have not tried this and have no comments!
More to follow
JH

[ZvenoMan]

Steel Wool: Many rub oil in by hand, and I generally do on the last few coats, but I, and many, use steel wool to rub the oil in. I believe it helps the oil penetrate better, it does seem to dry wilh a more even sheen than when I just use my hand. Who knows, try it an see for yourself. I used to just use fine steel wool (0000 or 0000000000 or whatever I could find at Lowes/HD), but a year or three ago I read on some forum that most steel wool comes from China. The argument was that it was considerably more brittle wire, and thus disintegrates faster, and the smaller particles embed in the wood more than America steel wool. Yeah, whatever; I figured this was just some diehard good old boy-ism! (Don't misinterpret my sarcasm, I am patriotic, but the world is globalizing; a topic for another place....). Anyway, I looked at the fine print and sure enough my steel wool was from China. Whatever; the next time I needed some I looked at a few places until I found some made in the US, and did a test. It was instantly apparent to me that the American steel wool was tougher and less brittle than the Chinese. That may not have any effect on some jobs for steel wool (such as bomb making....; ok bad joke...) but I could easily see that the Chinese steel wool broken into smaller pieces and thus was dirtier. I assume it is embedding in the wood, but unlike the post I read I have not seen any issues of rust. I did find that my use of steel wool, pretty vigorous scrubbing in crevices and whatever showed the American steel wool to work much better in working the oil into the wood and was much less dirty (the Chines seems to grind down into grime (tiny pieces of steel!) more. In the past few months I have done some looking and I have been unable to find US made steel wool. Lowes sells Rhodes America brand, look closely, it is not from America. Again, I am not complaining about the globalization of products, and the associated changes, but this item performed different for me. Regarding the size, more zeroes means finer, like a higher number sandpaper if finer. So if you try steel wool (and I suggest you do, it is what, $3), get 4-0 up to 6-0. 3-0 is probably too course, and above that is too fine. But you probably won't hurt anything with "the wrong one), it just may take longer. Glad I read that about the American steel wool, see below!
Scotchbrite: I have read about people using scotchbrite instead of steel wool, but as I had plenty I never found the need to try it. I often use a scotchbrite sponge when cleaning, but not for oil application. I picked up some green scotchbrite (somewhere you can look up to see what color scotchbrite equates to 0000 or 000000 steel wool, but most forums seem to talk about green. Dollar tree has a 4-pack of green "dollarbrite" in the kitchen area that seems pretty close to the name brand scotchbrite I have. I cut a small piece and soaked it in oil and used it for the last few stocks to apply oil, and it worked as well (to me) as the steel wool, so no more steel fool for me. There may be no difference but at least I know I am not embedding steel particles in the wood which may someday cause a problem.
More to follow
JH