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Old December 31, 2013, 03:02 PM   #1
Nathan
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Putting a new stock on my 10/22

So, I have a Boyds laminate stock without finish on it. I want to put it on my 10/22. Do you think it would be better to finish it first and then bed it, or would I be smarter to bed it and then finish it? This is the first time I've done stock finishing.

BTW, I'm thinking about staining it blue and then doing a final finish of either high gloss poly spray or using the West System Epoxy based clear finish.
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Old December 31, 2013, 07:50 PM   #2
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Fit, then finish !!

Are you going to bed it of free-float? Regardless, when given the option,, I would do the "fitting" work first and then the finish. ....

At any given point in time, we only have two choices .....

Good luck and;
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Old January 1, 2014, 11:29 AM   #3
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Always do finish work last
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Old January 1, 2014, 01:14 PM   #4
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^^ X 2

This one, is a no-brainer. Use blue painter's tape to tape off the stock, but why take a chance when you have a choice?
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Old January 12, 2014, 09:15 PM   #5
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I've been looking more into the finish. It looks like there are lots of bar top epoxy finishes available. Anybody use this on a rifle stock?
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Old January 13, 2014, 12:34 AM   #6
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I've never heard of using that to seal a stock, but I've used it on desktops before. It might work if you can find a good way to apply just a thin coat. You could buy a small quantity and test it on some pieces of scrap wood. You're going to want to check to see how thin you can apply it, how well a thin coat will flow out and self level, whether it sags and forms drips, and how durable just a thin coat will be when cured (the bartop coatings are usually 1/8-1/4" thick).

Also, you probably won't be able to apply the coating inside the fitted areas of the stock without drastically changing the fitment, so you'll need to come up with a good transition from sealed to unsealed, and that might be a problem...

Before you commit to bartopper, look for sprayable epoxy or catalyzed sealers (Like marine boat finishes). Some epoxies can be thinned and applied with a paint gun. You'll probably get a more consistent and uniform finish with less effort and time investment.
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Old January 13, 2014, 01:25 AM   #7
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Funny how when new gun people look for finishes, they look at Home Depot, famous for firearms finishing.

Perhaps a search at Brownells will turn up Acra-Wood sealer spray. It works very well.
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Old January 13, 2014, 04:49 AM   #8
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Thanks Scorch. Not sure how new I am, but I would agree I'm new to finishing.

I started by looking at West System because my friend, the woodworker, suggested it and we made a sample piece. It was fine, but will be like $70 in materials. BTW, several pool cue makers use this, but I forget names now.

Then when searching Brownells, I found Acra-Wood coat. Sounds like spray epoxy, but since it is 1 component, how can that be? Will it be hard?

Then, researching other epoxy finishes, I see the smaller $15-$30 sizes on Amazon and throught surely one of you guys has done this...so, now I'm asking. Have not been to Home Depot yet.
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Old January 14, 2014, 03:24 AM   #9
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Acra-Wood is an epoxy dissolved in acetone. When you spray it on, the acetone dries and leaves the epoxy behind. It is tough as nails once it is cured.

And don't get me wrong, the West Systems epoxy makes a great finish, but it is not for the casual hobbyist. I have done several rifles with it, and they turn out nice, but it is a lot of work.

I have seen several rifles that people tried to coat with bar top finish. I wouldn't.
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Old January 14, 2014, 02:18 PM   #10
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I'm going to jump in here with an alternative viewpoint to what Scorch posted about sticking with "gun industry" finishes.

First of all, he's absolutely right that if you stick with products that are targeted towards rifle stocks, you're not going to go wrong. If you don't know what product to use (which sounds like the case here) or if you are building to gun with a thought towards eventually selling it then this is a safe and expedient route.

But the stock is just a piece of wood. There are lots of great wood finishing products out there that won't show up in Brownells. If you have had good luck with a specific product in the past or are looking for something other than a traditional finish then I'd say you may be well served by looking elsewhere.

I used to be a professional jeweler and we bought Acra-glass bedding compound to use when we made stone/shell inlay.
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Old January 14, 2014, 07:11 PM   #11
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Quote:
I started by looking at West System because my friend, the woodworker, suggested it and we made a sample piece
I'm going to do my next Mosin-Nagant project rifle stock with West System.
I've literally used tens of gallons of the stuff on boat restoration projects. Yeah, it's expensive (MAS is a less expensive alternative) but there is NOTHING that can compare to epoxy in terms of durability and waterproofing in a clearcoat finish. West has a special clear hardener that works well for exposed clear applications.

The downside to epoxy is that it's very viscous and doesn't "flow-out". It can be thinned slightly (sometimes necessary in hot weather) but that affects the properties that make it attractive to use in the first place. Epoxy also lacks UV inhibitors, so when used outdoors or in an application that will receive a lot of UV exposure it needs to be overcoated, usually with a clear urethane. For most of us, our firearms don't see enough sunlight to make this an issue.

But if one is looking for a high-build, durable finish that you can darn near pound nails with, epoxy is it...
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