Gun smiths and wood workers?

Question

I bought a double barrell 12 gauge fox shotgun, and they had a rubber recoil absorber on the back of it. where they had it there so long the wood has lost its luster and shine where its at. any suggestions on how to make it shine and return to the normal color?

thanks,

micah

Answer 1

If it is an antique, I wouldn't do anything to it except clean it thoroughly.  Anything that you do to an antique will ruin its collector value.  If this is a modern gun, I would remove the stock from the gun and examine the finish.  if it is one of the modern high gloss finishes, you will have to sand it down to the bare wood and apply a new finish.  If it has an oil finish or a regular varnish finish, all you need to do is to lightly sand it all over to fought up the finish and make it ready to take a new finish.  Then use a product specifically designed for gun stocks such as Linspeed or one of the other gun stock finishes.  Plan to put on several coats a day apart with light sanding between coats.  The final coat, you can leave with a high luster if that appeals to you or you can let it set for about a month and then use some rotten stone with a little bit of mineral spirits to rub it out.  This will give it a beautiful soft luster.  Rotten stone and mineral spirits are available from any paint store.  The gun stock finishes are available from any gun shop.

Answer 2

if it is a genuine A.H. Fox shotgun...

DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING until you check with a specialist gunsmith.  Refinishing the woood can cause a huge loss in value.

your best option would be to remove the stock and replace it with a new stock with no historic value, then keep the old one someplace safe

Answer 3

Refinish your wood stock yourself by striping the old finish and applying a new finish to your liking.  Boiled linseed oil is very popular.  Or you can have a gunsmith refinish it for you.

Good luck.

H