Removing varnish from stock?

[MW73]

I have an old stock from the early 80s that I want to rejuvenate. It's coated in that lovely thick varnish (still in very good condition considering its age), is there a quality product that has the strength of the old recipe nitromors (was it methylene chloride that was the active ingredient?) or is anything that's available to the public pretty much the same useless product regardless of brand?

 

[deerstalker.308]

Have you tried scraping it off? An old hacksaw blade held perpendicular to the wood (on the back edge and not the cutting edge...!) raked across the wood is a very effective way of removing the bulk of the varnish leaving you just the fiddly bits to need chemical on. It doesn’t harm the wood at all.

 

[old keeper]

Nitromors was always the way to go, but today's product is pretty well useless. In the same way, tanalised timber is nowhere as good as it used to be. I think the powers that be decreed that there were certain ingredients that were causing mass deaths among the population, so they banned them.
I have to say it is nice not having to step over dead bodies littering the local fence lines and I feel blessed that I wasn't taken after refinishing several stocks using the dreaded original Nitromors.

 

[finnbear270]

Aerosol brake cleaner and a soft brass wire brush (Suede shoe brush) ..... Elbow grease.

 

[Heym SR20]

Best way to remove varnish is a sharp cabinet scraper and a hot air gun. Heat till varnish os soft and scrape off. If you do it well you hardly require any further prep before finishing. As said above hacksaw blades are good making scrapers, so are the old bone handled table knives you grandmother had. To sharpen flatten the face, flatten the edges and then use hardened peice of steel - a large drill bit - to roll a burr.

 

[MW73]

Thanks folks, Nitromors used to be excellent and the go to product, I remember applying it to wood and metal and literally seeing the bubbling within seconds, part of the stock however has stippling, so that'll need re-blacking.

 

[logunator]

me,i generally just sand it (carefully) with a variable power DA till you hit the wood then finish by hand
it takes some skill on inner corners but ive been doing it for years
for the stippling i use strong TFR,(caustic soda) and a new boot cleaning brush.it takes out years of crud.

 

[MAH]

I've only done two, so I am no expert.
The 1st my old Marlin, I used Nitromors. Ok, it gets the varnish off after a few goes, but you'll spend loads of time cleaning it of the wood and then sanding out the feathering.
I'll not do that again.

The second one, an old Remington 1100. After asking the same question as you, most folk recommended scrape it off. I wasn't sure. But was surprised how easy and effective it was.
You'll need two hands, so you'll need a good vice.
Small very firm scrape, focus on a bit at a time.
I avoided the checkering.

If you have a friendly firearms dealer, ask him if he has any old scrap guns, you could practice on an old stock first.

M

 

[MW73]

I spoke to a chap last night, he's done a lot of rifle stocks, he said the product he's been using the past few years and is very effective is Paramose. It's pricey though, £40 for 5L.

 

[jb1]

I use Nitromors original, apply using a paint brush and remove using a stiff scrubbing brush specially around checkering , for stuborn areas i use a stanley blade to scrape, then scrub the stock with hot soapy water, this will clean any residue and fill in any minor dents.

 

[sikamalc]

Nitromors. Then wash it off, followed by fine sandpapers and then very fine wire wool to get a really smooth finish. obviously remove the stock from the barrel and other metal work first though.

 

[DK.260]

If you are not wedded to the idea of a total DIY job, consider getting it acid dipped.
I had some old doors dipped a couple of years ago, they turned out far better than I ever could have managed. Then to clear the conscious you can get stuck in with the oil and elbow grease knowing you are starting on a good stable surface.

 

[Donkey Basher]

The last one I did was a Beretta with the horrible lacquer on it. I went for a combination of wire wool & very fine production paper - also steamed a lot of little dents out of it and was able to remove what looked like a barbed wire scratch down one side. Slow but sure is the way to do it. Restained the areas that had been steamed & then oiled it, came up a treat & looks way better than the original finish, plus, it smells nice now too!

 

[ogri]

In the past I have used nitromore but the last one I did I scraped it off with some sprung steel

 

[MW73]

Nitromors has been crap since they removed the active ingredient in it, it's a waste of money. Regarding dipping, I wouldn't fancy that truth be told, not on the stock I'm wanting to rework , that said, I did do my doors in my Victorian era house, I forgot to use white vinegar to neutralise the chemical and it left the door bowed ,that stuff is potent.

 

[kimh]

last one I used Paint Panther (video) as I too found that Nitromores didn't touch it (well the old tin I had didn't)
first with a razor blade scrape the flat areas paying attention to the edge of the chequering
I apply, Panther, and then place pieces of newspaper over as it holds it in place
I then use a spark plug (brass) brush all over in the direction of the grain, you can cross scrub the chequering, (I got a handful of these from the pound shop when last open)
repeat if required, as there's always a stubborn area, concentrate on the action/receiver areas as these are unsanded so the finish will come off quicker but the stripper will get absorbed!
Hot water with soda crystals dissolved in a bucket then with a nylon small stiff brush and toothbrush scrub clean, toothpick the corners (chequering/receiver/sling studs holes/etc)
Wipe dry with a lint-free cloth
leave for 10 mins and you will find it's dry all bar the open areas of wood, that is if you have kept the liquid applied to a minimum
0000 wire wool the wood to close the raised grain
inspect and repeat
or go on to remove scratches/dents etc
I then burnish with a piece of chamois leather, you will see the sheen come on the wood

I use water-based stain as it's deep in it's colouring, it again raises the wood grain but the chamois is quick to close it, repeat to get the desired colour (the chequering will darken first!)
but the oil will darken it even further
I then mask the chequering off and a further stain
Apply a sealer (normally a thin coat of button polish) to the wood thinning with Meths - NOT the chequering

To finish I then use the Trade Secrets Stock Finish system, the Alkanet adds the richness to the water stain and the finishing oils will return a finish as good as the effort that you are prepared to put in
I can't remember the last time I read the instructions but generally, I apply a small amount with a lint-free cloth buff in with my palm (it's leather?) then as one area builds up and another doesn't...
I use, 1200 wet and dry paper wetted with the oil to form a 'slurry' of wood/oil which works into the open grain thus closing it for the next coat - leave 20mins between coats and overnight for a full cure of this oil finish
I only give the chequering one or two coats as I do the receiver areas and don't build up the edges?
You can finish with wax if you want to maintain a lustre finish or keep oiling for the London finish

A little and often is the motto as is concentrate on the edges and the centre will look after it's self

N.B. this was last done to an unbeaded rifle stock (Remington long action)

 

[GHudson]

As a cabinetmaker I have been asked to tidy up woodwork all the time so consequently I have done a load of stocks on old shotguns that have been varnished at some point

Apply paint panther and leave it until it softens up.

Remove the soft gunk with course wire wool gently, the wool is only to grab the varnish and pull it off not to scrub the wood.

Go over the checking with soft brass wire brush to remove the soft varnish

Once to varnish is off clean up the whole stock gently with very fine wire wool and surgical spirits and again the brass brush on the checking

This will give you a completely cleaned off stock but will leave the original patina of the old wood you can go on from here to sand and re colour and oil or whatever you want to do but this method avoids any potential damage you can cause with and mechanical removal or applying heat. I would only apply heat to bend a stock as I have seen someone try to strip there gun with heat and the fore end of the o/u shotgun had about a 1/4 inch gap either side of the barrel due to the heat softening the lignin bond in the wood and causing it to become flexible.

Good luck I hope it comes out nice!

 

[cjm1066]

I recently failed with Nitromors, but CCL Gunstock varnish remover easily did it, its a lot quicker and easier than scraping.

 

[landkeeper]

When you have all the varnish off(i too use a hacksaw blade and stripper) wet the stock with warm water and allow to dry this will raise any loose grain allow to dry then sand or polish with wire wool then repeat until you get no whiskers appearing then use the finish of your choice