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Posted: 12/18/2013 8:50:45 AM EDT
| I'm looking to refinish the stock on my model 70 hunting rifle over the winter. The checkering is still visible but worn pretty badly. Can you tell me what tools I need to rechecker? I'm looking at something like this but not sure I need all that. Any help would be great. Thanks. |
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To refresh checkering you don't need a full checkering set.
Different craftsmen use different tools depending on what works for them. One option is a "riffler" which is often used to repair or point up work checkering: http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/stock-work-finishing/hand-checkering-tools/checkering-rifflers/no-131-checkering-riffler-prod6766.aspx http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/general-gunsmith-tools/files/three-square-60-bent-needle-files-prod701.aspx Another way is to buy a single line checkering tool that matches the lines per inch of your stock. You can do that by buying a handle and then buying a single line cutter to attach to the handle. You'll be smart to buy a cheap high intensity desk light from a discount house, and some sort of magnifier visor. You can't do good checkering if you can't see clearly. |
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I'd recommend a Gunline single line cutter and either a riffler or a checkering jointer for that job. They are a little more aggressive than the Dembart cutter. I would recommend practice on a stock you don't care about first.
I tried to rechecker a shotgun forearm with stamped checkering and some horrible thick polymer finish and quit, it would have been less work to start from scratch, plus the recut checkering didn't look right anyway since the factory mess was done by pressing diamonds into the stock, making a negative of cut checkering. That finish loaded up the cutter in just a few strokes. If anyone knows were I can grab a couple or three (or more) WE Brownell handles that don't cost as much as a house, please let me know. |
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Thanks guys. Someone refinished the stock before my grandfather bought it for me around 15 years ago. It looks like a poly finish. This gun obviously has some sentimental value since my grandpa gave it to me but the finish and checkered have really been bothering me this hunting season.
Since I'm looking for a winter project, here's the plan: strip all current poly from stock using a plastic butter knife to clean the checkering Mask off the checkering and sand all scratches from stock refinish entire stock with a few coats of tru-oil rechecker stock with single line cutter and riffler of jointer apply one more coat of tru-oil Sound like a plan? I figure if I screw it up bad enough, I'll just buy a boyds replacement. |
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Quoted:
Thanks guys. Someone refinished the stock before my grandfather bought it for me around 15 years ago. It looks like a poly finish. This gun obviously has some sentimental value since my grandpa gave it to me but the finish and checkered have really been bothering me this hunting season. Since I'm looking for a winter project, here's the plan: strip all current poly from stock using a plastic butter knife to clean the checkering Mask off the checkering and sand all scratches from stock refinish entire stock with a few coats of tru-oil rechecker stock with single line cutter and riffler of jointer apply one more coat of tru-oil Sound like a plan? I figure if I screw it up bad enough, I'll just buy a boyds replacement. That's a great plan and if you are careful, it'll work great |
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A possibly better option than a butter knife would be a brass toothbrush, which is what most pros use.
Apply a stripper, let it work then brush. Repeat until it's clean. For checkering, you need to consider the finish and how much, since thick coats defeat the purpose by filling it too full. The tradition method is to apply a coat of some sort of wood finish oil like tung oil, then brush out the excess. One or two coats is usually enough. If you use a finish like poly or Tru-Oil you may want to thin it to get better penetration into the wood, let it start setting up, then brush it out with a nylon toothbrush to remove the excess. Again, usually two coats is enough. The idea is to seal and protect the wood but not reduce the gripping ability of the checkering. |
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Quoted:
I'd recommend a Gunline single line cutter and either a riffler or a checkering jointer for that job. They are a little more aggressive than the Dembart cutter. I would recommend practice on a stock you don't care about first. I tried to rechecker a shotgun forearm with stamped checkering and some horrible thick polymer finish and quit, it would have been less work to start from scratch, plus the recut checkering didn't look right anyway since the factory mess was done by pressing diamonds into the stock, making a negative of cut checkering. That finish loaded up the cutter in just a few strokes. If anyone knows were I can grab a couple or three (or more) WE Brownell handles that don't cost as much as a house, please let me know. Well I got the finish stripped off this weekend. The checkering is pretty clean. I used a brass brush and the backside of an exacto knife and got all the poly cleaned out. The checkering around the foreend is not too bad but the grip is only visible. I think I'm looking for Gunline VE90 and JT90. Does anyone know where I can find these? It looks like they maybe discontinued? Any alternatives? |
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