How do you steam out dings and dents from walnut stocks?

[Redleg]

I will try to post some photos of the end product soon. Bear with me.

[Redleg]

I get the "photo too large" icon when I try to upload. Any suggestions? My photos are all about 12mb in size as put onto my computer from Nikon D3200 camera.

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[Redleg]

Well, that did not work either.

[Patrick Chadwick]

Well, that did not work either.

And this is probably why:

My photos are all about 12mb in size as put onto my computer from Nikon D3200 camera.

Upload systems usually have a size limit, and you are probably going way above it!

SO:
Open one of those photos in an editing program (PhotoPaint or whatever you have).
Clip the picture to cut off any redundant surroundings, leaving just the portion that matters.
and/or
Reduce the color depth ("32bit" color depth is overkill for a computer screen, 24 will do just as well)
and/or
Reduce the resolution.

When you have got the photo down to say 1-1.5 Mb, try another upload. If it works, you know the answer to apply to the other pics.

[Redleg]

Lets see if they took. Yep! Finish so far is several coats of 50% mineral spirits and 50% BLO. The tiny stamped alpha/numeric in the bbl channel is a single digit that looks like a tiny Capital L or F, not a number. ???

[Rick B]

%0/50% turp/oil or mineral spirits is a wash after the soak in coats. What do you use to clean up paint brushes? Turpentine or Mineral spirits of course only serves a purpose for the first coats then needs to be removed from the mix or cut to a minimum or you waste allot of time spiting on windows while spraying cleaner on and wiping it off. I hope that analogy makes sense . I have been oiling stocks for over 15 years and have produced hundreds of great finishes for the Garand community so I am not shooting from the hip on this help. Rick B

[Redleg]

I have tried BLO alone on stocks that have been cleaned like this, but did not like the result....too dark and sticky. Cutting the BLO with mineral spirits, for the first few applications keeps control of the process. There are 3 hand rubbed on it so far and I may leave it for a few more months. The left side of the butt is the worst as shown. It may have been sanded in its prior incarnations, and is dead even with the butt plate all the way around the plate, but there is only one circle P. It is not a collector grade stock, but one salvaged from the tomato patch.
I know that Gas trap stocks are somewhat smaller in dimensions at the butt compared to later stocks ( later stocks being bigger at the butt, for long term life/ sanding) but I do not believe that this is one of them...so far.

I have been driven off the work benches in the cellar, back porch,garage and outbuilding, due to tools and ongoing projects getting into the way. I am now at the cane-back chair as a work station, and even that is filling up, as you can see.

[WarPig1976]

It seems we all have our own "best" way..

I gotta say the thought of boiling or soaking a stock goes against everything I've ever felt was good for a chunk O wood. But if it works,, it works.

FWIW, if your BLO was too sticky, it may have been left on for too long or less likely it happens when too many coats have been applied. Good job removing all dents and gouges off the fore end without using sandpaper...

[Redleg]

I just remembered that I first had to use paint remover to life the poly that was on the stock. Several stocks I picked up this year had polyurethane on them. I have only had luck with stripper on that stuff. Stripper and a hose off after using steel wool to take off the stripped goo.
The bathtub first soak was for 8 hours with 2 other stocks. I use laundry soap liberally--a cup at least, no bleach. The 2nd soak, about a week later was for 24 hours, alone. I used a plastic milk crate to hold it under the water. That long soak really lifted the last of the dents and oil. I have found that given a chance, water WILL do miracle work.

Keeping the ferrule and butt plate on may help control cracking. Wood will shrink back after it drys out, but the dents remain gone.

Sandpaper is a last resort for a really dead layer of stains or gouges, not for dents, as dents will rise with water.

[WarPig1976]

Food for thought,,,

What if instead of using the turkey fryer to clean/dress up a stock, use it to heat RLO and finish'em like they did at the factory.? It's a lot of oil but If you have volume work like Rick B it could be economical in both time and money.