Mosin Nagant Stock Refinishing Project

[npmcarbine43]

Hello Everyone, I currently have a Mosin Nagant M44 and Mosin Nagant M91/30, both of which have the original shellac removed especially around the front barrel bands. The stock wood is in good shape besides the shellac finish. Does anyone know how to exactly replicate the red shellac the Russians used on the rifles if that is the original wartime finish? I have seen several other finishes on the stocks of Mosins and is the red shellac a correct finish. What would be the best means to refinish the stock (no sanding needs to be done)?

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[mmi6969]

I have used Lindsead Oil on several of my Mosin Nagant stocks that I have restored over the years and they have turned out very well. I lightly sand the stocks to prep them, then coat them with two coatings of the oil. I also use Old English Oil from time to time to keep the wood from drying out.

[campperrykid]

- Red shellac is the correct finish.
- Often the existing finish can be renewed by wiping off any grease residue and then rubbing the shellac with alcohol.
- If the resulting finish is too thin , a little more red shellac can be applied.
- A thin coat or two of tung oil will protect the shellac , if desired. Not historical correct but makes for a tough and very servicable finish.

[Mosinmeister]

The "red" shellac used is a garnet color flake shellac. If you want to duplicate the finish there are a few more steps involved. The white birchwood was oiled with linseed oil before it was shellacked. Also, a small amount of pigment was added to the oil to give it a reddish tint. This pigment is called hematite. The tinted oil must be allowed to dry before coating with shellac.

[swiend]

I'm in the exact position with my M-44. I'd like to freshen up the stock and hopefully blend some of the scratches and scrapes away. Where can one find red shellac and what type of alcohol do I need?

[coverfire]

Zinser makes an Amber Shellac and it can be found at Home Depot ... Use Denatured Alcohol ... Make sure you read the shellac instructions ... It can be very tricky stuff if you get it too thin or if the humidity is too high ...

[ptf18]

My first M91/30 1943 Tula featured a stock that all an all was in good condition. I stripped the Rusky finish and after wiping off 90% of the loosend material I used hot water to remove the remaining. Being careful not to upset any stock markings I let the stock dry for a couple days and now in the process of applying several coats of Tru-Oil. While not the original sealer/finish Tru-Oil is a tough sealer/finish and, when dry "looks" like the original finish.

[douglass]

Hi all
read this with interest.
my top handguard has what looks like the varnished area cracked and could do with a slightly darker colour to match the rest of the wood, does anyone sell top handguards for the nagants as im not sure about sanding down incas i make a mess and its worse.
see linseed oil was mentioned.
any more advice on the subject appreciated
douglas

---------- Post added at 12:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:34 PM ----------

Hi all
as im based in the UK the red shellac might be hard to find, however on ebay.co.uk
Item number: 260685046925 has shellac, would this do or does it have to be red?
again advice appreciated, or anyone in the USA would send some across? or let me know where to get some?
regards
douglas

[SKS50]

Well although not technically correct I think my M44 turn out well,I hated the old shellac cracking and scratching so easily so I removed it all with denatured alcohol down to the original wood. There sure were a lot more marking on the wood than I has seen with the old finish on it.

Needless to say my budges is pretty tight so I couldn't spend a whole lot of money on material but I want to make it look as close to original as possible. I hand rubbed in two coats of Min-Wax Red Mahogany stain and let it dry fora couple days then I applied four coats of clear fast drying poly over several days and buffed with 0000 steel wool in between coats.

While I was at it I floated the barrel and shimmed the front and rear lug with a cork washer as well as shimmed the front part of the barrel where it meets the wood. The rifle shot decent before but it shoots great now especially with my cast bullet loads. Not to bad for a $75 rifle and $10 worth of refinishing supplies.

[Darkwolfe]

That's a very nice finish on that M44. I've been debating about stripping off the damaged finish from my '42 Ishevsk 91/30. Its number are all mixed up with strikeouts and electro-pencil crap so I wouldn't be losing any real history on it. Might well do the job.

Casting .311 gas-checks myself for both of my 91/30s and my SKS. Works very well for both.