Why are so many #5s called Malaysian?

[bradtx]

Peter, Do you know if it was lacquer or shellac that was slathered on the carbines?

TIA,
Brad

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[nzl1a1collector]

Here's a Typical SPF marking on an Australian L1A1 rifle

[Peter Laidler]

I NEVER saw shllac or varnish applied to Military or Police rifles in the Far East thatre. As far as I'm concerned, all of our wood went into a hot-to-the-hand linseed oil tank. Varnish/shellac would serve one purpose, and that was to keep the damp and moisture IN. And believe me, there was plenty of damp and moisture over there!

Without doubt, your rifle is one of those that had seen a lot of service and had found its way through the main workshops on the Ayer Rajah Road. Nice, relaxed place to work. They went back into Ordnance or Service like new. The 25 or so rifles set aside with 25 Company RASC/RCT at Gloucester Barracks and used for funerals and high ranking Guard mountings were originally highly polished No5's with gleaming bayonets but later these were SLR's. Once again, highly polished with gleaming bayonets with wooden grips.

[bradtx]

"Varnish/shellac would serve one purpose, and that was to keep the damp and moisture IN." --Peter Laidler

One hundred persent true!. While removing the cosmo and the lacquer/shellac/varnish my furniture on the FMP marked No.5 was pulpy down to ~1/32" below the wood's surface and worse in a couple of areas on the buttstock!

I used a home made wood scraper to get to the good wood. Some BLO applications over time has the furniture good as new.



I don't know if the patterning of the buttstock is from the water or the wood.

Brad