My Gunstock History
I started my relationship with gunstocks, when I was 17 years old. I bought my first gun, it was in real rough condition so I decided that I would sand it down to remove the imperfections and apply a new finish. The finished gunstock turned out great and I have refinished several Gunstocks since.
In 1978 I purchased a wood burning set for my son for Christmas, it was one of the 21 watt, ceramic head and cork handle burners... He ended up ignoring it so I started using it on various projects I soon realized why he was ignoring it, the heat from it was devastating on my fingers I ended up burning with Band Aids wrapped around my fingers until I had built the calluses up on my fingers. A good friend noticed what I was doing with wood burning animals on plaques and asked me if I could burn a Grizzly Bear on his muzzle loader I agreed and that was my introduction into applying artwork to gunstocks... I have wood burned over 80 gunstocks for several very satisfied customers...
In 1992 a Friend sent away for a video from the Paragraphics Corporation in Orem, Utah when it arrived we both set down and watched it we were both amazed with the versatility of the tool. After pondering whether to invest in the tool, a phone call to Paragraphic's convinced me to take the plunge. This is my introduction to gunstock carving....
Gunstock Carving and Refinishing Tips & Techniques!!
I hope that the following Information is useful to all aspiring gunstock carvers and refinishers I am no expert but what I do know I would like to share it.
Striping The Finish off: Chemical strippers, work well on older gunstock finishes, but the finish on newer gunstocks is super tough and the chemical strippers will not penetrate the newer finishes ... The stripper that I use is "Citri-Strip". Be sure that if you do use a chemical stripper that you wear the proper safety equipment, eye protection is a must rubber chemical gloves and apron "Citri-Strip", is not as harsh as some of the other strippers but it still burns if not washed off immediately... Usually the only time I resort to using a chemical stripper is if the checkering must be preserved...
The stripping method that I prefer to use is sanding the gunstock using a 1/4 sheet electric sander. I start out with a course grit paper until I have broken through the top finish, then I switch to a medium grit and continue sanding until just before I hit bare wood I stop at this point if I am going to be doing any carving on the gunstock because it will require a final sanding after the carving is finished. If you elect to sand your gunstock leave the butt plate or recoil pad on and sand these to the shape of your stock. If you take them off they will not match the stock when you reassemble it...
Patterns: There are several good sources for gunstock carving patterns the best one is "Tandy Leather", their leather tooling books are a "GREAT" source for patterns. Their books have scrolls, leaves, animals and scenic patterns that are scaled to just the right size... Monte Kennedy's Book, Checkering & Carving of Gunstocks Publisher Stackpole ISBN# 0-8117-0630-3 Price $37.95 has many good patterns and it is a great reference book on Gun Stock Carving. Philip R. Eck's Book, Custom Gunstock Carving Publisher Stackpole Books ISBN# 0-8117-0348-7 is the best reference book on gunstock carving with loads of patterns...
Carving a Gunstock: The first gunstock that I carved I used hand tools, gouges and bench knives I soon found out that power was the way to go when carving on a gunstock. As mentioned above in 1992 I purchased the Paragraphics tool, for those unfamiliar with Paragraphics, it is a company in Orem, Utah that was founded by Dentist Lew Jensen, they produce and sell a pneumatic powered dental drill, that spins at 400,000 rpm it takes the 1/16 friction grip dental burs which can be purchased in carbides, diamonds and various stones. This drill spins so fast there is almost no centrifugal pull it is so precise you can sign your name the same as you would with a pen or pencil. Paragraphics also sells a clear transfer film, that you can copy a your pattern to and it has a sticky side that you can apply to your gunstock, myself I prefer to apply my pattern using carbon paper, I have used the transfer film but the drill requires 2 to 3 drops of oil per minute and I have had the drill shoot a glob of oil onto the film and it will ruin the copy ink on the film, thus ruining your pattern. If you are interested in purchasing this system for woodcarving you can get everything you need for WOODCARVING for around $600.00 you don't need their complete system which costs in excess of $3000.00. I would recommend that you contact me by email and I will tell you just what you need to purchase for your woodcarving needs. You can also save money on purchasing your burs, this system uses the same burs that your Dentist uses contact your Dentist, and see if he or she will order burs for you. I also own and use a Foredom for various hogging and sanding situations.
Using Color: I use various color sources Acrylic Paints, Permanent Markers, Penetrating Stains and Wood Bleach. Most of the color sources are self-explanatory always test your color on a piece of scrap wood before applying it to a gunstock. I will elaborate on Wood Bleach this is a method that I learned about from my Gunsmith. I was telling him that I preferred Birch or Maple gunstocks to Walnut stocks because I wood burned the hair on the animals he then asked me if I ever tried using Wood Bleach on Walnut he explained that Wood Bleach would make Walnut turn as white as Birch or Maple. That was the day my preference was converted, I now prefer and love working with Walnut Stocks.
You can purchase the 2-part Wood Bleach at most Paint Stores, Hardware Stores and Lumber Stores. To use you need to mix equal parts in a container then I apply it to the carving using a small artist brush, care needs to be taken not to get it on any part of the stock that you don't want to bleach. After you apply a coat of bleach it needs to dry before you will see any change and you may need to apply several coats to achieve the desired results. When you have achieved the desired results you will need to neutralize the bleach with White Vinegar. You can see an example of this on my gunstock page the Marlin 30/30 and the Knight MK85 were done using wood bleach.
Finish: Birchwood Casey makes a great gunstock finish or you can buy a Non-Yellowing Spar Urethane or probably the best gunstock finish I have seen is Clear Coat Auto Paint this is the toughest most durable finish I have ever seen on a gunstock. I do recommend a spray over a brush for a smoother finish. You can achieve a glass smooth finish if you wet a clean rag, then wet the stock remember you do not want to raise the grain in the barrel chamber, this is why you use a rag instead of submersing the whole stock in water. I then sand the stock with 400 wet/dry sand paper I continue this process until you can wet the stock and the grain will not raise anymore, than I sand with 600 wet/dry then wipe with a damp rag and let it dry. Once the stock is dry I use a 3M finishing pad, on it this will give it a glass smooth finish.. This tip is very important and it is a lesson that I had to learn the hard way. When you are handling a gunstock during the carving process always wear some kind of glove if you don't the dirt and body oils from your hands will penetrate the wood and when you apply the finish it will boil and cause bubbles in the finish. I wear Latex Gloves I buy these at a hardware store they are a craft grade and cost less than $5.00 for a box of 100.
I hope that you find this information useful if you have any Questions or Comments please use the form below and I will try to respond with an answer!
