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Finish on TC Stocks?

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I used CitriStrip with good results. The last time I stripped a TC stock I went to Lowe's and found that CitriStrip had doubled in price. I bought a much cheaper bottle of Kleestrip and gave it a try; it worked as well as Citristrip. It takes two applications to get all the gunk off a TC stock, it is a messy process so protective equipment is a must, I wash the stock with a water hose after I scrape off all the bubbled-up crud.

In the picture I tried to strip a stock on a 35-degree day, the stripper didn't work at that temperature so I made a black plastic "tent" over the stock after I applied the stripper to hold heat.

TC paint strip 2.JPG


This warmed up the stock well and the stripper went to work;

TC paint strip 1.JPG


This is what you should have after you scrape, wash and dry the stock. In this picture I had already defined the lock panel with a rat tail file.

View attachment 181816
100_6859.JPG
 
Very nice!

Thanks all. I'm doing a restore as it were on my TC Renegade. It really doesn't need it but I'm using this as prep for building a kit later in the year. I have some experience with both wood and metal but nothing gun related so that's my motivation.

This will make the third gun I've built. First was an AR-10 in 6.5 CM. Second was a highly modified Ruger 10/22. Something calming about working on a gun. Been learning a lot from all this.
 
Critristrip does not put off evil fumes, I suspected the Kleenstrip was more caustic, this is why I worked outside, I used the Citristrip in my shop.

I used Tru-oil on my TC rebuilds, first I sealed the stock with Birchwood Casey walnut stock sealer to fil the pores, put it on, sand it back to bare wood, it dries almost instantly, 5 or 6 coats should do. I follow the sealer with Tru-oil put on with a 1" square of green Scotch Bright pad, saturate the pad, scrub the finish in well and quickly wipe off any excess finish off with a rag. This technique will leave you with a really nice satin finish, and none of the plastic like the original TC finish.

Here are 5 coats of Tru-oil on a TC Hawken that I restored, the wood was sealed first.

finish 5 coats.JPG
 
Critristrip does not put off evil fumes, I suspected the Kleenstrip was more caustic, this is why I worked outside, I used the Citristrip in my shop.

I used Tru-oil on my TC rebuilds, first I sealed the stock with Birchwood Casey walnut stock sealer to fil the pores, put it on, sand it back to bare wood, it dries almost instantly, 5 or 6 coats should do. I follow the sealer with Tru-oil put on with a 1" square of green Scotch Bright pad, saturate the pad, scrub the finish in well and quickly wipe off any excess finish off with a rag. This technique will leave you with a really nice satin finish, and none of the plastic like the original TC finish.

Here are 5 coats of Tru-oil on a TC Hawken that I restored, the wood was sealed first.

View attachment 182046
Eric, what wood sealer do you prefer?
 
I've bought both Citristrip in both the aerosol and the jug and it has been plumb sorry at removing finish on TC, or any other, stocks that I've used it on. Bought the cheap aerosol at Wally-World and you can just about peel the finish in a solid sheet. MUCH better results in my experience.
 
Like I said in the above post I have only used Birchwood Casey stock sealer. Others use a variety of things; some make a slurry of the final finish by sanding the wood while applying the finish and scrub this sawdust/finish mix into the wood. I tried this method but didn't get good results, perhaps I did something wrong.

stock sealer.JPG


It does take quite a few coats of this sealer sanded back after every coat to completely fill the pores on walnut. I have used this sealer on 5 walnut stocks so far, it worked well.

Here is another walnut stock I used the sealer on.

sealed  walnut stock.JPG
 
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Like I said in the above post I have only used Birchwood Casey stock sealer. Others use a variety of things; some make a slurry of the final finish by sanding the wood while applying the finish and scrub this sawdust/finish mix into the wood. I tried this method but didn't get good results, perhaps I did something wrong.

View attachment 182229

It does take quite a few coats of this sealer sanded back after every coat to completely fill the pores on walnut. I have used this sealer on 5 walnut stocks so far, it worked well.

Here is another walnut stock I used the sealer on.

View attachment 182232
Thanks, I see that now. Just missed it.
 
I've done a number of T/C stocks. After giving the stock a good soaking of stripper,
I wrap it in plastic wrap like Saran wrap and let it sit overnight. An old credit card or similar makes a good scraper
to get the gunk off.
 
Now for the 64,000 dollar question.

How much stripper should I order?

I have the stock stripped of parts so next is the finish. However, in two days I get foot surgery and the Doc wants me to stay totally off that foot for 6 weeks. So anything that is not absolutely necessary is on hold. This makes my 9th surgery in 9 years. This getting old stuff sucks!
 
Thanks BigStick. Yeah, I have a wheel chair, walker and knee scooter on hand. Recliner in the LR next to the kitchen in front of the 65" TV and some 15-20 feet from the nearest bathroom. I'll survive!
 
When I used Citristip I bought it in a rattle can and used the whole can on one stock, the spray can only had a few ounces in it.

The quart spray bottle of Green Kleen Strip only cost $9 when I bought it, I just checked and it is $9.98 now. You can get a rattle can of either Kleen Strip extra strength or Citristrip for around $18. Because I may run up on another TC to restore, I like having the stripper available in my shop.
 
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