Refinishing t99 stock

[lwsiii]

Hi all,

I am new to this forum and this is my first post. I recently aquired a t99 that bubba JR "customized " with silver model paint. I got it off the metal parts with a soak in solvent but ended up removing the finish cleaning it of the stock. Does anyone know what to use to get the finish back as close to original as possable? any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks

LWSIII

Information

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[Milsurp Collector]

If you are asking about the Japanese Type 99 Arisaka, the original finish was a unique finish called urushi, which is a lacquer made from the sap of a tree http://www.eurus.dti.ne.jp/~k-yazawa/urushi.html

The original finish is very difficult to restore, which is why collectors avoid Type 99 stocks that have been sanded or had their urushi finish removed. Urushi is somewhat hard to find in the US and requires curing in a box designed to maintain high humidity. Something that is easier to find and use is a regular lacquer finish Brushing Lacquer - Rockler Woodworking Tools

[dabsond]

I have also heard on other boards the original finish can be harmful to the skin when removed. I would suggest wearing gloves if you are going that route.

[lwsiii]

I have read about the original finish used somthing called urishi. I learned the hard way to always use gloves with chemicals. I appreciate the info.

[lwsiii]

I will give that a try. Thanks

[take-down]

I did one up a few years ago that somebody had striped and vanished
To remove the varnish I used OO wire wool and cold water comes of fairly quickly without cutting the wood back
I then rubbed a product on called Tru Oil this you rub in and let dry ( Make sure you do it on a warm day or it just stays tacky) Normally 3 coats will do. the thing about tru oil is that you can mix a few small drops at a time of spirit base wood stain. Doing this a virtually matched the original colour & finish

[stockerphil]

Very interesting to hear guns finished in urushi. Never heard that before.

I used to visit Japan for my job and had some lessons on Kamakura carving from the retired President of one of the two official schools . After I carved two trays my sensei coated them with 9 coats of urushi, Japanese lacquer.

When I picked them up he told me to leave them in a dark closet for another year before handling them; because some people have high sensitivity to the finish. I learned more about it.

Urushi is the white sap of a tree that grows in Asia. White sap is typical of poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac; in fact the specific chemical in those saps is called urushi oil. Many people who try working with urushi develp skin rashes, just like poison ivy etc. The sap is processsed by stirring in an open air vat for a long while - I saw a documentary in Japan during one visit but since the narration was in Japanese I missed most of the details. The lacquer is a clear finish that is usually tinted in the reddish brown color usually associted with asian lacquer ware. Any color can be used.

Those who can work with it apply thin coats and wait for it to dry. Brushes made from a womans hair are best according to my sensei. Most coating is done in the humid season, if you try to do it in the dry you must use the high humidity cabinets called "frubai" (I've missspelled that but can't remember the correct word/spelling) The word translates as 'bath' and is the same as their word for bath. The literature says usushi reacts with the wood to make an impervious material. The craft masters say you can bury a urushi coated item in the ground for a hundred years and when removed it will be perfectly fine. It sounds like it would be a great gunstock finish.

Most lacquer is now used to coat tea cups, bowls, dishes, hair brushes, hand mirrors, etc. It has always been used for these and once was used to make leather armor, etc So after curing it seems to be perfectly safe. I have served guests from my trays and plates for over 10 years now, and my wife has a kamakura hand mirror.

During WWII several scientists in America tried to develop a lacquer from poison ivy according to an internet article I read once. It doesn't say why it didn't succeed