Crossbow Stock finishing

[the_shed_man]

G'day!

I'm looking for advice as to how to restore a 39 year-old crossbow stock.

The timber is Mahogony. The finish is a faded and patchy remainder of what was in 1971 the result of carrying out the instructions which came with the kit, namely "Sandpaper stock smooth. Finishing with garnet paper. Fill grain and seal. Finish with P U varnish". [I take this to mean a Poly Urethane "varnish" from circa 1971, whatever that was! ]

I'm happy to sandpaper the stock smooth again and finish with garnet paper, but I'd like help on what to fill the grain with? What to seal it with? How to restore the timber to the beautiful red it was? How to oil it up after? Or can I give it a hard clear deep finish?

Any help would be appreciated, thanks

the shed man

[brizylad]

G'day Shed_man,

Probably the best thing you could do is to get hold of a copy of Neil's "A Polishers Handbook".

It covers all you want to do with the stock.

[Manuka Jock]

As I recall , a beeswax , carnauba wax and oil mix was a common one for gun and rifle stocks ,
Melting the mix to a liquid first and warming the wood , and then applying it with lots of elbow grease was the method .
Thats if my memory serves me well

[the_shed_man]

G'day!

Thanks guys for that, I'll have to shell out for a copy of Neil's "A Polishers Handbook". I guess!

I was worrying about the P U varnish and whether it would make the re-finishing patchy, but I'll just see what it's lke after I rub it back

Cheers and any more advice welcome!

the shed man

[Woodlee]

Go to a gun shop and ask for Birchwood Caseys "Truoil" Gunstock finish .
Also get a bottle of the grain filler .
Sand the stock back using finer grades of paper as you go , then fill the grain with the filler as per instructions on the bottle . Follow the instructions on the bottle of Truoil .
If you follow the instructions to the letter I'm sure you will love the result.

Kev.

[Bob38S]

Totally agree with Kev re the Birchwood Casey stuff.

If I could also suggest - sand off the finish - try to leave the wood as much as possible and be careful near any edges or checkering. Rounded edges, hollow spots, flattened checkering are a dead give away of poor refinishing.