Stripped wood work

[RobertBeard]

Thanks Ian

It certainly has not been mucked about with and is a matt finish which I would have thought was oil but thought I would check first.

 

[ips]

Yep defo oil then, if you need to re-oil then "rapid oil" is the best IMO. If you want to give it a quick buff up then use a burnishing cream (trade secret is a good one) 

 

[Clanchief]

For those of us who have not stripped our stocks and forends how do we know what sort of finish we have already i.e. oil, varnish or lacquer so that we can care for it with the right stuff.

For example I have a new Beretta 686 e but don't know what the stock finish is.  To date I have applied a little beeswax and buffed it up.

The GMK site says one should be using a stock conditioning oil but presumably not if varnished or lacquered.

Robert, the older Berettas have laquered wood and is obvious from the oiled stocks, yours with the Mobil chokes will def be laquered. Please be aware that the laquer on modern Berettas is not like any varnish, it is more like a two part epoxy resin sprayed on. It will be very difficult to shift even with Nitromors. I did my Beretta Urika, it took months to get it all off  with glass scrapers and then hot washing the wood to raise the grain, wet and dry and so forth before the Rapid oil went near it. The gun sold for £100 more than I paid for it 8 years before.

There are many stocks also that have what is called Xtra wood coating, which looks good for a laquer finish, if you take this coating off you will have cricket bat underneath, the xtra wood had fake grain in the application process.

 

[ips]

, yours with the Mobil chokes will def be laquered. .

Well I stand corrected

 

[RobertBeard]

Robert, the older Berettas have laquered wood and is obvious from the oiled stocks, yours with the Mobil chokes will def be laquered. Please be aware that the laquer on modern Berettas is not like any varnish, it is more like a two part epoxy resin sprayed on. It will be very difficult to shift even with Nitromors. I did my Beretta Urika, it took months to get it all off  with glass scrapers and then hot washing the wood to raise the grain, wet and dry and so forth before the Rapid oil went near it. The gun sold for £100 more than I paid for it 8 years before.

There are many stocks also that have what is called Xtra wood coating, which looks good for a laquer finish, if you take this coating off you will have cricket bat underneath, the xtra wood had fake grain in the application process.

So if it gets wet just dry it naturally indoors away from heat and presumably just add a bit of wood polish from time to time if I feel like it

 

[Clanchief]

Correct,,,,,,,,,,,,,!

I have seen some gun oil wiped over entire guns and it will eat away at the laquer finish, leaving it dull and lifeless.

Think of petroleum distillates and varnish,,,,,,not a good mix.

 

[RobertBeard]

Thank you Clanchief!

Nice to be forewarned so that I don't go and muck it up.

 

[Michael]

For those of us who have not stripped our stocks and forends how do we know what sort of finish we have already i.e. oil, varnish or lacquer so that we can care for it with the right stuff.

For example I have a new Beretta 686 e but don't know what the stock finish is.  To date I have applied a little beeswax and buffed it up.

The GMK site says one should be using a stock conditioning oil but presumably not if varnished or lacquered.

For those of us who have not stripped our stocks and forends how do we know what sort of finish we have already i.e. oil, varnish or lacquer so that we can care for it with the right stuff.

For example I have a new Beretta 686 e but don't know what the stock finish is.  To date I have applied a little beeswax and buffed it up.

The GMK site says one should be using a stock conditioning oil but presumably not if varnished or lacquered.

Robert

If by new you mean within the last 12 months it  is not varnished, it will be factory finished, ready to take stock oil, my wifes silver pigeon is a similar age, I have applied over a period CCL gunstock conditioning oil. The finish on the wood is now fantastic. 

 

[RobertBeard]

its a Beretta 686 e that was sold to me new in July 2012 but was probably old stock as I assumed incorrectly that it was an Evo which it is not as it has mobil chokes so probably over 12 months old.

I suppose that for certainty I should check with GMK

 

[ips]

Robert

with the greatest respect surely you can tell if its an oil or laquer. Oil will be an obvious finish that is in the wood rather than a laquer which is on the surface.

I have never known Beretta comp guns in recent years not to be oiled.

 

[Clanchief]

I would sadly say it will be older than that, Only the new 686e EVO has an oiled stock all other previous 686e's have laquer.

 

[ips]

I had a 686 bought new in about 2008 and it was oil.

The plot thickens.

 

[Salopian]

Identifying a stock finish.

First  remove any wax in a trial area with a cloth moistened with white spirit (turpentine substitute)

Try rubbing an area with methylated spirit if it starts to break down the surface and leaves a deposit on your clean cloth it is possibly  a french polish (shellac) finish. Meths will not affect varnish or cellulose.

Moisten a cloth with white spirit this will remove a wax finish, a varnish finish but not french polish or cellulose.

Cellulose thinners will affect cellulose finish but not the other finishes.

If none of the above  solvents unduly affect the finish it is probably a two pack Lacquer finish.

Best way to remove a two pack is with cabinet scrapers or glass plates scrapers. Nitro Mors will help to soften, but elbow grease is required. 

 

[Madmillie]

Richard

You may already know this, but to get a more accurate date on the guns age, look at the underside of the barrels and find the square stamp mark with two alphabetical letters stamped within. Those letters relate to the date when the gun was proofed. CI relates to 2012

 

[Michael]

its a Beretta 686 e that was sold to me new in July 2012 but was probably old stock as I assumed incorrectly that it was an Evo which it is not as it has mobil chokes so probably over 12 months old.

I suppose that for certainty I should check with GMK

Hi Robert

When we got the wifes gun brand spankers from GMK, the wood looked flat and quite honestly poor. After 3 to 4 applications of the stuff it as absolutely transformed. I have had a sniff as most old dogs do it smells of mostly linseed, i'm sure there's more to it than that, but the woodwork on her gun has to be seen to be believed. As you can tell i think it's probably related to the holy grail.

Michael.

That's CCL gunstock Conditioning Oil Marvellous.