Jump to content
SASS Wire Forum

Uberti 66 ugly red stocks


Marshal Hangtree

Recommended Posts

I love shooting my Uberti '66 in .44-40, but I really don't like the ugly red stain they put on their stocks and fore ends.  How is the best way to re-stain these stocks?  How deep does the factory red stain go?

 

Thanks y'all,

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Strip it off, hand rub 100%  tung oil (3-4 coats), protect with Johnson's paste wax. Pretty easy, but time consuming as you're supposed to wait several days between coats of tung oil.

 

If you don't want to use 100% tung oil, Minwax makes a decent alternative that goes on quick.

 

 

 

 

1. M-12814-MX773794.jpg&f=1

 

 

2. hc02001.jpg

 

3. diversey-sc-johnson-cb002038-1-lb-wood-p

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Marshal Hangtree said:

Is there a good stain/varnish stripper that will do the job without sanding deep into the wood?

I use Dad's like pictures in the link above. Scrapes the finish right off. I do usually lightly sand it afterward with 400 grit sandpaper

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Tyrel Cody said:

I use Dad's like pictures in the link above. Scrapes the finish right off. I do usually lightly sand it afterward with 400 grit sandpaper

 

DUH!  How the hell did I miss the very first picture?  Thanks, TC.

 

The rear stock is pretty simple, but are there any tricks of the trade that I should be aware of when removing the fore end?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's been a while since I did it, but I think I had to knock out the pin that hold the mag tube and the screws on the forend cap and everything slid right off.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Howdy

 

I know many  of us think that the wood on a Winchester toggle link rifle should look like the wood on this Model 1873 that was made in 1887. The fact is, over time the wood has darkened. They did not look like this when they left the factory.

 

187303.jpg

 

 

 

 

Take a look at the color of the wood on this 32-20 Model 1873 that left the factory in 1888. It has been restored, perhaps by Winchester, to what it looked like when it left the factory.

 

100779711_52105_461F48B97EF323D7_zpskecz

 

 

 

 

Take a look at the restoration work Doug Turnbull does. I doubt he is making up the colors of the wood, I suspect he is restoring them to look as they looked when they left the factory.

 

https://www.turnbullrestoration.com/

 

 

 

You can change the looks of your 1866 if you want, clearly it is your gun.

 

But I suspect Uberti is putting a stain on their rifles to look like they did when they were new.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some where on here I read to use a CitriStrip or a Citrus stripper. I didn't want it to take that long and got the most environmentally unfriendly, caustic stuff I could find. Put it on and no go, put it on and let it sit overnight in a plastic bag. a little came off but still no go.

I went back out and bought the CitriStrip or something similar put it on and let it set overnight and the finish came right off. Hardly any sanding, I was good to go.

Then I finished it with Tung oil and Johnson Paste.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As mentioned, the reddish color on those Uberti '66's is pretty authentic.  But that doesn't mean you have to like it.  Lots of folks have used Longshot Logan's (R.I.P.) instructions to refinish:

http://www.theopenrange.net/articles/ll_uberti_refinishing.pdf

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Abilene, SASS # 27489 said:

As mentioned, the reddish color on those Uberti '66's is pretty authentic.  But that doesn't mean you have to like it.  Lots of folks have used Longshot Logan's (R.I.P.) instructions to refinish:

http://www.theopenrange.net/articles/ll_uberti_refinishing.pdf

 

Yep. This is the one I used, and would recommend! 

Thanks Injun Ryder and Abilene for posting

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Interesting topic! 

 

Any pics of finished products?  I don't hate the reddish color but I don't love it either.   It'd be cool to pick a wood tone I like.  This might be a fun project for when the range is under snow and closed. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Any paint/varnish remover will damage(soften) the surface of the wood. Please allow the stock to dry thoroughly before beginning any finish work!!!!!!!

Just for the record - I believe formby's to be the least damaging to the wood but use anything that is NON water based.

 

When refinishing, please do not use Tung oil. It takes too long to dry and can leave a slightly sticky finish. It doesn't soak into many hardwoods well.

Once you remove the finish you need to lighly sand the stock to 400+ grit.

Then you need to seal the wood to help prevent moisture penetration. I recommend a 50/50 solution of marine spar varnish/thinner. This penetrates the pores of the wood and seal the wood. Apply several times until the wood no longer will absorb the mixture. LIGHTLY sand between coats.

(I then use a thinned shellac coat over this to fill the pours of the wood. (Many woods do not require this  - Maple, Myrtle, etc.)

Now you can apply the finish - Best to just buy Casey's Tru oil finish if one stock is all you are doing. 15-20 coats will do the job. 

You can put any finish over shellac you desire. On cowboy guns I do not recommend epoxy finishes as they are almost impossible to repair.

 

Bastogne Walnut 

007.thumb.jpg.e90a86459655ce9bedd664ae3a34379c.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I fully agree with Ace's post.Spar  varnish/thinner gives lots of protection and looks good too.I also like Tru-oil or if you can find it,Lin-Speed Oil.Both have a drying agent that cuts the time between coats.They are medium build finishes that will fill and seal the pores, but a good filler sealer also cuts down on the time needed to get the finish you are looking for.I sand out to at the least 600 grit before applying the first coat of whatever I'm using,then lightly steel wool before the next coat.I do this until the grain is filled and the surface looks like I want it,usually 6-8 more coats.Works well for me,YMMV. 

Choctaw Jack 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Marshal Hangtree said:

I love shooting my Uberti '66 in .44-40, but I really don't like the ugly red stain they put on their stocks and fore ends.  How is the best way to re-stain these stocks?  How deep does the factory red stain go?

 

Thanks y'all,

 

The red finish on my '66 was more like paint and didn't penetrate the wood.  I used a circus stripper to remove.

 

Link to Longshot Logan's on how to:  http://www.wolffsrowdyrangers.com/StockRefinishing.pdf

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Choctaw Jack said:

I fully agree with Ace's post.Spar  varnish/thinner gives lots of protection and looks good too.I also like Tru-oil or if you can find it,Lin-Speed Oil.Both have a drying agent that cuts the time between coats.They are medium build finishes that will fill and seal the pores, but a good filler sealer also cuts down on the time needed to get the finish you are looking for.I sand out to at the least 600 grit before applying the first coat of whatever I'm using,then lightly steel wool before the next coat.I do this until the grain is filled and the surface looks like I want it,usually 6-8 more coats.Works well for me,YMMV. 

Choctaw Jack 

 

Casey's Tru Oil is banned in California. But then so is isopropyl and denatured alcohol.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've seen lotsa people pay to see strippers at the County Fair Circus but they really never came through!;)

31 minutes ago, Matthew Duncan said:

 

The red finish on my '66 was more like paint and didn't penetrate the wood.  I used a circus stripper to remove.

 

Link to Longshot Logan's on how to:  http://www.wolffsrowdyrangers.com/StockRefinishing.pdf

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Obviously I am not a woodworker; what “thinner” do you recommend for mixing 50/50 with the spar varnish?

 

Do you use the same thinner with the shellac?

 

Thanks for the information.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

44 minutes ago, J-BAR #18287 said:

Obviously I am not a woodworker; what “thinner” do you recommend for mixing 50/50 with the spar varnish?

 

Do you use the same thinner with the shellac?

 

Thanks for the information.

 

 

Thin spar varnish with mineral spirits if you want a slow dry.  Thin with Naptha if you want faster drying.   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't know if this helps, but this is my M1 Garand refinished with Minwax stain and Caseys Tru Oil finish. Someone before me had don'e a lousy refinish job on the stock, so I had nothing to lose. The stripper was something generic from Home Depot. You'll want to use a plastic stripping brush to get the final gunk off. 

 

TO is linseed oil with a dryer in it. As I recall, it's three thin coats. Buffed with 0000 steel wool between coats and after final coat as I didn't want a high gloss or pores to be completely filled. I used Casey's wax with an old cotton t-shirt about a week or so after the final coat.


 

Good luck!

 

yoMcdwV.jpg

GEyRNvS.jpg

ewMcssi.jpg

QYWcjtf.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

 

Isopropyl you can still buy here. ;)

OLG

Just going by what I was told. Mineral Spirits I heard was also on the banned list.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like mentioned above, Citristrip is the way to go.  Got it at the Home Depot.

 

I redid my '66 back in '12.

 

Used Citristrip to loosen all the varnish off it, and the wiped it all down with one of those plastic brillow type pads, also from the Home Depot, designed for wood stripping.

 

Scrubbed it all off, then washed the remaining goop off, and let wood try for a few days.

 

Then lightly sanded down with 600grain sandpaper, wiped down with a damp cloth, and let sit for a day or two.

 

I also used a sandstone powder, not sure if it was before or after staining.

 

I followed directions from some scenic artists I worked with at the time, figured that since doing this type of stuff was their job, they would know best.

 

Believe it, or not, there's an actual science to restaining wood to prevent internal mold, and rot, which will destroy the furniture on your firearm.  But we're dealing with Uberti rifles for SASS use, not a $10k+ shotgun for trap or dove hunting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, El Hombre Sin Nombre said:

Where did you come by this information? 

Just one of many  wholesaler/Retailer online

https://www.wholesalehunter.com/Product/Details/64532?fs=1

 

NOTE.  Bottle Cannot ship to California

 

https://ecolink.com/voc-compliance-strategies/

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Linseed oil and turpentine mixed 50-50 makes a good finish.  The old adage is: a coat a day for a week; a coat a week for a month; a coat a month for a year; a coat a year for 10 tears; then rub it forever.

 

i can’t say that I ever completed the entire sequence, but it looks pretty good after a couple of months.  I just add another coat to cover dings and things when it looks like it needs it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I refinished my Stoeger stock and removed the lame checkering I refinished it with Casey's Tru-Oil. Some where I read to put a light coat of Armour-All on before each coat and it dries almost immediately. Did 30 coats in a couple days and it looked great. I lightly scuffed it after to drop the shine a bit. Took a lot of coats to fill the walnut grain however. Even thinning the first few coats. Now Marlin ejections have dented it up a bit.:o

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Ace_of_Hearts said:

Just one of many  wholesaler/Retailer online

https://www.wholesalehunter.com/Product/Details/64532?fs=1

 

NOTE.  Bottle Cannot ship to California

 

https://ecolink.com/voc-compliance-strategies/

 

Interesting. I ordered some from midway recently without any issue. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They didn't call it Winchester Red for nothing.  The original finish is more of a varnish with stain in it.  As the varnish began to peel with wear folks naturally applied linseed oil to cover and protect the wood.  Marlin, Savage, and Remington used varnish finishes very similar to Winchester.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.