Arisaka Stock Restoration Advice?

Hello all, first time on this website. I recently picked up a Type 99 Arisaka in pretty good condition, except that the stock appears to have been varnished at some point. The gun store owner who sold it to me seemed to think that it would be simple enough to remove the varnish with some steel wool. However I don't know a thing about wood except that it grows on trees so I was hoping I could get some knowledgeable advice on whether it's possible to restore the original finish and if so how best to do it safely.

I'm hoping that the original Japanese lacquer is still present and the varnish was just applied directly over it. The stock still seems to have its reddish color under the varnish, and on the underside of the handguard where the unvarnished wood still has its original color the parts that were varnished seem to match the color of the rest of the stock, so I'm hoping that means the rest of the stock wasn't refinished either besides the varnish. But I'm wondering if anyone has a better way to tell whether the original lacquer is still present underneath?

Assuming the original finish is still there to be restored, the next question is how to remove the varnish without harming the original lacquer? I tested it a bit with some fine steel wool and the edge of a coin but it seemed resistant to both, which based on what I've read suggests that it might actually be polyurethane rather than varnish? Again I know next to nothing about wood so any advice on how to tell the difference and how to remove it gently in either case would be welcome.

Hopefully my question wasn't too rambling for anyone to actually answer it. I'll include some pictures of what the stock currently looks like. I don't know if they'll be helpful at all since it's hard to pick up the proper color of the wood with the camera. Thanks in advance.

Removing Varnish

Read this.

I don't think you have any of the original finish left. Looks to have been sanded right down. The originals were finished with a formula made from poison sumac I think it was, so I wouldn't want to raise that dust at all... We've also had this discussed here and you could find those discussions by looking through the Japanese weapons forum...

Here's a whole article about this.

https://www.gunboards.com/sites/banz...h/UpM99Fin.htm

Nothing to loose. I'd try citristrip and then reevaluate.

Yeah, that's been stripped and Poly slopped on.

Jeff is correct. Need a full restore

Thanks for the info everyone, after doing a bit of experimentation with sandpaper I can confirm whatever this stuff is it's not coming off easily and I'll be fully refinishing the stock after all.

My next question is: does anyone have any tips on what to use to get the stock to resemble the original finish as closely as possible, without tracking down actual urushi and risking sending myself to the hospital trying to use it?

I do not know much about "Urushi" but if you use say 60/40 mix RLO (Raw Linseed Oil) and 40 Mineral Turps keep applying & drying it out 24 hours between coats till it cannot take any more then rub it down with bees wax and buff with a soft cloth should look schmiko.
Thats how I do my 303 stocks and they are various timbers like beech, walnut and on one 1945 OA MkIII in a teak stock now that is a dense piece of timber.

Sprayed on Lacquer, rubbed out with Rottenstone will give the closest to Urushi I’ve been able to come up with.
Could buff it with jewelers rouge too.

Edit= I didn’t mention it should be tinted Lacquer. There’s canned stuff available, I’d go for an Amber or Honey color.

Yes, that really looks like what I have referred to in other contributions as a "treacle rifle":

Modern jelly-type paint stripper - the stuff that burns your skin (I think it contains some kind of -uol or -ene -toloul? xylene? who knows?) - will remove just about anything - apart from original Urushi lacquer! As others have said, you have nothing to lose.

BUT - you do NOT need to use sandpaper or wire wool. Sorry, let me correct that: NEVER use sandpaper or wire wool. I have described how to do it some detail in a long series about restoring an Argentine Rolling block. I suggest you look it up.

Forum/Milsurps Discussion Forums/The Restorer's Corner /Argentino M1879 Rolling Block. Is it worth restoring?

Start on Page 5.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Patrick Chadwick

Modern jelly-type paint stripper - the stuff that burns your skin (I think it contains some kind of -uol or -ene -toloul? xylene? who knows?) - will remove just about anything - apart from original Urushi lacquer!

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I'd have never guessed that.

Jim, I can't guarantee that as an unconditional statement. If anyone wants to try it out, it's at their own risk!

All I know is that, wondering if my Arisaka still had the original finish, I applied the jelly-stripper to an unobtrusive corner - just in case it did strip - and there was no visible effect. However, if one sloshes the stripper onto Urushi and leaves it for a long time - who knows? Maybe someone with a scrap Arisaka might care to try it out and let us all know?

Patrick

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Patrick Chadwick

there was no visible effect

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It usually shows right away too... Don't think I want to get over involved in stripping that stuff anyway, with all the stories about what it comes from.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Patrick Chadwick

Yes, that really looks like what I have referred to in other contributions as a "treacle rifle":

Modern jelly-type paint stripper - the stuff that burns your skin (I think it contains some kind of -uol or -ene -toloul? xylene? who knows?) - will remove just about anything - apart from original Urushi lacquer! As others have said, you have nothing to lose.

BUT - you do NOT need to use sandpaper or wire wool. Sorry, let me correct that: NEVER use sandpaper or wire wool. I have described how to do it some detail in a long series about restoring an Argentine Rolling block. I suggest you look it up.

Forum/Milsurps Discussion Forums/The Restorer's Corner /Argentino M1879 Rolling Block. Is it worth restoring?

Start on Page 5.

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I took a look at that thread and I appreciate the detailed instructions. My question, though, is why it is that I want to avoid sandpaper? It seems to me that sanding would be a lot simpler and safer than gathering all those materials and dealing with volatile chemicals.

Safer for you, not the wood.
The goal is to preserve the wood and the history. Sand it all down and you’re left with a nondescript hunk of wood holding some metal bits.

Sanding is removing the original wood which can never be restored once gone. Areas not supposed to be rounded will become rounded, etc. It's how we know your rifle has no original finish under there, we can tell it's been sanded. I don't go so far as to say never use sandpaper, I rarely use sandpaper. My exception for using it always comes on rifles that someone else used sandpaper on before I got to it. Some people were never taught that you always sand with the grain, not against it and I've purchased at least two rifles that they sanded against the grain leaving obvious scratches which are extremely annoying to my sensibilities, ADHD, whatever you want to call it. So I lightly sanded them to get the cross grain scratches out.

As for removing the finish, I use Citristrip. It isn't caustic, cleans up with water, when used in the spray can easily applied and it smells pleasant to me anyway. My wife hates it. Take the stock off the rifle, remove easily removed metal, put it in the shower, spray, let sit 20 minutes and wash off with hot water and a bristle scrub brush. It also cleans soap scum off the shower walls in the process. If you need a second application, you can spray it on immediately and repeat. Usually within an hour you have a nice clean stock, a house that smells like orange peals and a slightly cleaner shower.

Now with most rifles, I use BLO after the wood drys out which surprisingly doesn't take very long in a warm house. Usually just a couple of hours. Japanese rifles I have never done this too because of their finish and never had to citristrip one of my own as none have ever been attacked by bubba. I had one that had some major dings that I just applied the oil to the dings and it came out pretty nice. Might want to try Warpigs suggestion for finishing the Japanese stock.