Refinished Auto 5 lumber

Discussion in 'Browning Auto A-5' started by win7stw, May 13, 2020.

  1. win7stw

    win7stw .30-06

    So these are ready for rotten stone to knock the high gloss off. I used Arts French Red on all three. I posted pictures of the middle set before and I wasn’t happy with the results so I stripped it and did it over. Still not happy with it but it’s not changing now. Still have to fill in the checkering with some oil. They aren’t perfect by any means but they are good enough for me.
    [​IMG]
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    will post pictures out doors when the weather cooperates. Hard to get decent pictures in my house
    Rockher_man, KyBoB and Rudolph31 like this.
  2. Biz

    Biz 20g

    Nice work Justin, congratulations. Are you going to show them when assembled?
  3. win7stw

    win7stw .30-06

    Yes sir. The one set is a spare so I’ll have to put that on my newest gun or by a beater to put that set on. My thought is to use that and preserve a nice original set
  4. Ranger6

    Ranger6 Administrator Staff Member Administrator Global Moderator Forum Moderator

    Damn when can I send you a stock to re-due
  5. win7stw

    win7stw .30-06

    Next winter
    Ranger6 likes this.
  6. Longshanx

    Longshanx .22LR

    Looks good! Gotta have nice lumber. Looking forward to seeing more pics.
  7. rcatastrophe

    rcatastrophe .270 WIN

    Justin, been using your posts as a guide and been working on this beat up stock. So far so good I’ve stripped it, soaked in acetone, applied Arts French Red, and now in the process of rubbing on the Pro Custom. Even if I botch it up it’ll be better than what I started with. [​IMG]


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    win7stw likes this.
  8. win7stw

    win7stw .30-06

    Let’s see a progress picture
    Biz likes this.
  9. Biz

    Biz 20g

    I second that
  10. rcatastrophe

    rcatastrophe .270 WIN

    Here’s the same bad area now. [​IMG]


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  11. win7stw

    win7stw .30-06

    Looking good. Can’t wait to see the finished product.

    Are you doing the stock too?
  12. rcatastrophe

    rcatastrophe .270 WIN

    It might be a pretty good looking piece of wood once all is said and done. Here’s that whole side. There were so many dents I had to iron out. You can see all those irregular dark lines at the back. Those lines are what used to be dents where the finish was gone. Something (oil?, dirt?) got into the wood there and didn’t want to come out. I soaked in acetone and baked in the oven but never saw any oil come out. I ironed that one really awful dent/scratch near the corner more times than I could count. Ultimately got it close and with a little sanding it was almost flat enough. It’s a dark line now that runs opposite any other marks but for some odd reason I like it. I think every time I see it I know how it was and that it’s the way it is now because I “fixed” it. [​IMG]


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  13. win7stw

    win7stw .30-06

    Looks great. I have a forearm that I had the same issues as you did. No matter what I did I couldn’t get the defects out. Just adds a little character. I’ve found Purple Power degreaser works really well to get grease and oil out after stripping. Are you happy with the color? I ordered the walnut color for my next one.
  14. rcatastrophe

    rcatastrophe .270 WIN

    Here’s the other side. I actually had to do this twice. On my first try I followed the instructions but after the prescribed wait it was still pretty thin. Didn’t fill the grain, which I didn’t really understand the importance of, and when I put the first 4-5 coats of oil on I could tell it wasn’t going to look good. On my second go round, after restripping, and a bit more sanding inside the finger grooves to get them smooth, I let the French Red dry for a whole day. It was nice and thick by then and now rubbing perpendicular to the grain filled it much better. I also got a lot more liberal with the oil and the stock is now approaching the smoothness of the factory finished ones I’m comparing it to. It looks better with each new layer of oil. My issue now is what to wipe it with after I wet sand. I don’t have anything around here that doesn’t leave at least one or two tiny threads. Crazy how something so small can look so big when it’s stuck in your new coat of oil. [​IMG]


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  15. Biz

    Biz 20g

    Nice job! May be you guys can get involved in rust bluing?
  16. win7stw

    win7stw .30-06

    Not a chance. I’m terrible with metal
  17. rcatastrophe

    rcatastrophe .270 WIN

    Thanks! I’m pretty happy with the color. This being my first one I was afraid to get adventurous and wanted to try and achieve something that looked original. It’s close to matching the shoulder stock. Not quite the same red but so much better than before I started when it was all beat up. What do you think? When I do this again I’ll try the Purple Power. I’m thinking my next project will be the stock pictured, then maybe they’ll match![​IMG]


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  18. win7stw

    win7stw .30-06

    Looks good to me. That stock looks good to me but I’m a little picky so I’d refinish it to match the forearm
  19. rcatastrophe

    rcatastrophe .270 WIN

    I could just see that. I start pulling giant vats and chemicals into the garage. The wife just looking thinking what the heck is he trying now. I love DIY but I think there’s a reason they charge so much for the slow rust bluing.


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  20. rcatastrophe

    rcatastrophe .270 WIN

    Yeah. I’m sure I’m going to do it. Just don’t know when to start. When I do I hope to get it one shot! Holding me back has been the acetone soak. At $17/gallon I’ve been challenged finding the right container to fully submerge the wood without also using an ocean of acetone. I wasted a lot of acetone before I finally found a solution that worked. I used a Food Sealer bag, cut long enough to accommodate the wood and sealed on both ends. Then I cut it open along an unsealed long end, put the stock in, and supported it with 4x4s along both sides. When pushed together they kept the front end from floating AND raised the fluid level. I can make something similar with some scrap plywood for the stock I suppose :)


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