I wanted to try out some combat stocks for my Highway Patrolman, but didn’t have any N-frame SB combats and didn’t want to spend upwards of $300 for them. I picked up a take off set from a forum member that I guess came from one of the new “classics” series. They feel great and really fit my hand better that the Magnas that came with it or a set of Targets I tried out. The one thing I didn’t like was the high gloss and bright red wood, so I decided to strip the old finish, darken the grain and refinish with Tru-oil for a satin finish.
Stripping them was the hardest part. S&W is using something akin to a hard urethane finish that is nearly impervious to most strippers. I tried acetone first, but that didn’t even make the finish hazy. Then I went to the next thing I had in my cabinet, which was Loctite SF 790 paint remover (AKA chisel gasket remover). We use it at work to remove baked on gasket remnants. It took four applications with rinsing under hot water and scrubbing with a maroon scotchbrite pad between applications to remove MOST of it. Then a lot of sanding with various grit sanding sponges.
I did 5 applications of Minwax semi-transparent penetrating stain in espresso color, leaving it on for about 45 minutes before wiping it down well. I let it dry out in the sun for a couple of days, then applied a coat of Tru-oil, letting it dry overnight. I’ve only done one coat so far and will apply a couple more at intervals of three or four days. Here is what they look like so far. I’m pretty happy with how they turned out. What do you guys think?
1. Original finish
2. After stripping/sanding
3. Cleanup with denatured alcohol
4. First coat of Tru-oil
5. Mounted on my HP
Stripping them was the hardest part. S&W is using something akin to a hard urethane finish that is nearly impervious to most strippers. I tried acetone first, but that didn’t even make the finish hazy. Then I went to the next thing I had in my cabinet, which was Loctite SF 790 paint remover (AKA chisel gasket remover). We use it at work to remove baked on gasket remnants. It took four applications with rinsing under hot water and scrubbing with a maroon scotchbrite pad between applications to remove MOST of it. Then a lot of sanding with various grit sanding sponges.
I did 5 applications of Minwax semi-transparent penetrating stain in espresso color, leaving it on for about 45 minutes before wiping it down well. I let it dry out in the sun for a couple of days, then applied a coat of Tru-oil, letting it dry overnight. I’ve only done one coat so far and will apply a couple more at intervals of three or four days. Here is what they look like so far. I’m pretty happy with how they turned out. What do you guys think?
1. Original finish
2. After stripping/sanding
3. Cleanup with denatured alcohol
4. First coat of Tru-oil
5. Mounted on my HP
