Thoughts on shellac for Russian Mosin-Nagant

[Skippy]

I've never been a huge fan of the 91/30 aesthetically, but I think yours makes me see the light.

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[ibuymilitaria]

Hi there did my svt40 torkarev in amber shellac, turned out great. Shellac is a natural product and does not have a very long shelf life once open. In fact not at all it should be date coded too. The secret is use a good brush put it on heavy work fast let it go. don't try to work it in. Dont work in the heat or sun light. It dries very fast and if you get brush marks you will be miserable. I ended up putting 6-7 coats of it on ( about 1 every hr) and only after it was dry very dry did i take 0000 steel wool to it to knock the shine down only, not to make it baby smooth. You dont want it to look like an American redo job you want it to look like a Russian original. Something makes me think they did dip them though that would have been more practical for them. Hope this helps anybody interested in re finishing a Russian rifle. Jeff B

[Timmer]

When I purchased my Mosin nagant 91/30 the finish was full of holes and flaking off in many places. Not owning any schellac I took a different direction and used Johnson's paste wax. I removed all metal parts from the stock and applied a very thick coat of wax. I then warmed the stock over my stove and melted the wax into the stock. A cotton towel was then used to wipe off the excess wax and the whole stock was allowed to dry for 3 days. A final coat of wax was then rubbed into the stock and like a wood floor the dull glow appeared. I then reassembled the rifle and again wiped it down with the old towel. I can not tell where the schellac was on the stock and I have a wonderful glow all over the wood. A different approach for sure.