Winchester 94 Wood Finish?
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GTKF
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Winchester 94 Wood Finish?
I picked up a mid 70s model 94 30-30, I'm planning to use for CLA. A previous owner put a sloppy coat of polyurethane over the original finish. I'm stripping it now and would like to apply the original type of finish.
Can anyone tell me if Winchester used varnish, oil or a low gloss poly at that time?
Thanks
Ken
Can anyone tell me if Winchester used varnish, oil or a low gloss poly at that time?
Thanks
Ken
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John F.
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- Joined: Fri May 02, 2008 5:21 pm
Mid-70's Win. 94 wood finish
Hi, I read your post re: refinishing a mid-70s Win 94, asking what the original finish consisted of. I got one in the mid-70's (first deer rifle)
and it has a slightly glossy, oil-appearing finish. Not "Browning gleaming bright" or even as shiny as several coats of Tru-oil with 0000 steel wool between them, but not a true matte, either. It is natural-looking -- not that sprayed-on uni-color brown that later rifles seem to have, and I don't get the impression it is polyurethane, from the way it will scratch and from its' general appearance. I'd say the closest way I know of to match the finish would be to finish with Tru-oil and then knock off any excess gloss with a fine rubbing compound -- possibly rottenstone? Available from Brownells.
It is a surprisingly handsome stock for what was then about a $100 rifle. One big, BIG issue is not to sand anywhere near the action tangs or edges of the action as it is very easy to take off enough to leave the metal sticking out of the inletting. Also, the fine edges of the wood at the inletting are very fragile and must be treated with care. You will see very often that lever guns that have had the wood refinished will have the sharp corners of the stock at the receiver near the hammer chipped off/rounded, or fine edges along the tang may exhibit chips, so do handle it carefully. If I could refinish without sanding it at all, that would by far be my preference.
Sorry I can't give a better description, but hope this helps. Good luck with your project!
John
and it has a slightly glossy, oil-appearing finish. Not "Browning gleaming bright" or even as shiny as several coats of Tru-oil with 0000 steel wool between them, but not a true matte, either. It is natural-looking -- not that sprayed-on uni-color brown that later rifles seem to have, and I don't get the impression it is polyurethane, from the way it will scratch and from its' general appearance. I'd say the closest way I know of to match the finish would be to finish with Tru-oil and then knock off any excess gloss with a fine rubbing compound -- possibly rottenstone? Available from Brownells.
It is a surprisingly handsome stock for what was then about a $100 rifle. One big, BIG issue is not to sand anywhere near the action tangs or edges of the action as it is very easy to take off enough to leave the metal sticking out of the inletting. Also, the fine edges of the wood at the inletting are very fragile and must be treated with care. You will see very often that lever guns that have had the wood refinished will have the sharp corners of the stock at the receiver near the hammer chipped off/rounded, or fine edges along the tang may exhibit chips, so do handle it carefully. If I could refinish without sanding it at all, that would by far be my preference.
Sorry I can't give a better description, but hope this helps. Good luck with your project!
John