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How to Finish Maple Stock

A gun stock is a wooden support to which the gun's barrel is attached. It is a handle you use to hold the gun and steady it while you shoot. Gun stocks can be made from wood or metal. You can customize your gun stock using maple, a wood that has a tight grain so you don't have to fill the pores before finishing your stock. Whether you are refinishing an old gun stock, have carved a new one or are using a blank, you want to finish the maple properly so it has uniform color and shows the character of the maple.

Things You'll Need

Rubber gloves
Work apron
Safety glasses
Steel wool
300, 400 and 600-grit sandpaper
Mineral spirits
Fine gray scouring pad
Chemical varnish or paint stripper
Aluminum foil
Plastic scraper
Paintbrush
Toothbrush
Wipe-on oil finish
Lint-free rag
Checkering oil
Wood conditioner
Soft cloth
Mineral oil

Instructions

- 1
  Put on the rubber gloves, work apron and safety glasses. Remove all old sealant and oil with chemical varnish or paint stripper. Follow the manufacturer's instructions, and wrap the stock in aluminum foil so the strip works more efficiently. Scrape the finish off with a plastic scraper and brush. Rinse the stock in cold water and scratch it with a gray scouring pad. Brush the engraved areas on the gun stock, but be careful not to saturate them or they will become mushy and lose their character. Clean the smaller areas with a toothbrush. Clean your stock with mineral spirits and let it dry for up to one week.
- 2
  Tape off the checkering. Sand the stock with 300-grit sandpaper. When it is smooth, sand it again with 400-grit sand paper. Finally, sand it well with 600-grit sandpaper. Avoid sanding the patterns out of the engraving on your gun stock.
- 3
  Wet sand your maple stock with 400-grit sandpaper and a 50-50 mixture of a wipe-on oil finish and water. Leave the leftovers on the stock and let the wood dry for two days. Wet sand the maple stock again using 600-grit sandpaper. Wipe the stock clean with a lint-free rag. Let the stock dry for two more days.
- 4
  Apply three coats of mineral oil. Dilute the oil using mineral spirits so that it is only 25 percent oil. Wipe off excess oil after you paint it on the stock. Let the stock rest for at least 24 hours between coats and scrub it gently with a gray scouring pad before applying an additional coat of mineral oil. Thin the oil according to the instructions on the oil. Apply the second coat, diluted to 50 percent oil, wipe the excess off and let the stock rest another 24 hours. The final coat is diluted to 75 percent oil. Wipe off the excess and allow the stock to dry another 24 hours.
- 5
  Apply additional coats of full-strength mineral oil until the desired color and texture are achieved. Use full-strength oil and allow the stock to rest and dry completely between coats.
- 6
  Let the stock dry for at least seven days. Apply checkering oil with a soft toothbrush and wipe off the excess. Apply two coats and allow the oil to dry between coats.
- 7
  Apply a wood conditioner with a soft cloth to the final product after it has dried completely.

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