Refinishing an old Zoli

[BillinOregon]

Gang, I found an old Navy Arms Buffalo Hunter in decent shape, but would like to strip, darken and refinish that shiny beech/birch stock. Whet do you recommend to strip that finish, including around the coarse checkering? Recommend a stain or finish to redo? I obviously have to replace the barrel wedge escutcheon on the left side, too.

 

[BrownBear]

Dunno which finish was used on it, but I'd sure recommend a chemical stripper rather than sanding. Might have to experiment a little unless someone has firsthand knowledge about that particular finish.

But when it comes to the checkering, I've had the best luck using a fairly stiff nylon bristle brush. It seems to work best when the stripper is still a little wet, yet the finish is loosening. Might take a couple of treatments, but you can readily remove the finish that way without damaging the checkering.

Nice score on an interesting little rifle. I have a short 58 (different model and brand, but similar dimensions), and it's become just about my all-time favorite gun for close, quick shooting.

Yeah, yeah, I know- I've heard all the talk that long barrels are cooler and "just as fast to handle." Bull patty pie! Long barrels don't belong in Alaskan alder patches. Got them and tried em repeatedly. The shorties are king until the terrain opens a little.

Looking forward to how that great little gun turns out. Looking forward even more to your hunting reports.

 

[gunmaker43]

I've used stripezz on stocks before, the stuff furniture re-finishers use. And yes scrub the chker'g with a toothbrush & kill with water. Then stain & finish as you like. I like a med, dark reddish brn myself--buts thats just my eyes preference. That thing has Elk killer written all over it ! ..Tom

 

[BillinOregon]

Thanks Brownie.
Tom, Elk Killer is what I am thinking, too. Put in for Oregon ML elk tags. We shall see.
Will try to adapt an aperture rear sight for it.

 

[satx78247]

IF it was my Zoli, I would use any of the commercial strippers that are suitable for varnish removal.
(I've refinished 4-5 rifled WBTS muskets that got "messed up" in re-enactments for our 10th LA members, though I am FAR from an expert. = It isn't hard to do but it is time-consuming.)

That stock looks very similar to my .58 caliber "Civil War Centennial" carbine/musketoon/short rifle or "whatever you want to call it"
AND
my stock was WAY too "blond" to suit me.
(I ended up using a combination of "dark American walnut" and "wild cherry" stain to get that particular piece of European beech to LOOK like a reddish-brown walnut. - It took several "coats" with a piece of old cotton towel to apply it, until it LOOKED "about right".)

Btw, I ended up having to STEAM OUT the worst of the dents out of the stock after I stripped it of the old finish, using a wet towel and my lady's steam iron.
(That took several tries to get the deeper dents out & then I carefully sanded the "raised places" back to "level" with adjacent areas of the stock.)

For the finish, I ended up using a "satin", "wipe on", sealer finish that was made for refinishing pianos. = It's water-resistant and LOOKS "period".
(I don't know of ANY clear finish that's really water-PROOF.)

I hope that that's "of some help".

yours, satx

 

[Col. Batguano]

Another REALLY fast way to strip the last vestiges of varnish is to strip all the metal and run it through the dishwasher. That'll raise all the dents too. I've done it to countless Garand and M1 Carbine stocks.

 

[frogwalking]

For a Garand, you must have a big dishwasher.

 

[ByGeorge]

For a Garand, you must have a big dishwasher.

exactly what I was thinking.

 

[Artificer]

Bill,

I have forgotten how many hundreds of M1 Garand stock sets and M14 stocks I have stripped over the years on active duty and since retirement, as well as many other military and civilian stocks.

You name the stripper compound and I have most likely used it at least once, if not often.

For the last decade or so, the FIRST thing I use to try to strip a stock is Acetone and a bronze "Chore Girl" pad and Acetone with a toothbrush in the checkering. You need plenty of paper towels to clean off the gunk, but Acetone leaves NOTHING on or in the stock that may interfere with staining or finishing the stock later on.

There are a very few finishes that Acetone won't touch, like the Browning plastic finish. When I run into that kind of finish, I use Lacquer Thinner first and follow it with Acetone.

Gus

 

[Mickc01]

When I refinished my almost 40 year old Brown Bess a couple of years ago, I took the stock to a furniture refinishing company. They had it stripped to bare wood in a couple of days and charged me around $10.00. That was probably the best 10 bucks I've ever spent. The moral of the story...let the pros do it. They have the chemicals and tubs to do it quickly and easily. Just my 2 cents.... :hatsoff:

By-the-way, really nice looking gun. Navy Arms imported and sold some really nice stuff, back in the day.

 

[Wes/Tex]

On the same track as Mick's remarks, many places that do a lot of furniture refinishing now use a dip tank, and I mean a big one. Can't recall the name of the product but a local shop used it and it was great stuff. Put a piece in the tank, let it bob around a few minutes, brush off all the old finish with plastic brushes, lift out and dry off. They can do it in minutes instead of days.

 

[Captjoel]

Several years ago I refinished an old Zoli rifle. I hated the looks of the blonde stock. I used Stripeeze to remove the old finish and washed down the bare wood with rubbing alcohol. Whiskered the stock several times with fine sand paper and then stained with LMF nut brown mixed with just a touch of honey maple. Finished with a few coats of teak oil.

 

[BrownBear]

Wow!

Our taste in wood runs right down the same path. Well done. :thumbsup:

 

[satx78247]

LOOKS GREAT! = Congrads!

yours, satx

 

[BillinOregon]

Inspiring stuff guys. I will get after that finish on my stock ASAP. I have some bronze wool at hand, too.

 

[satx78247]

GOOD PLAN. - "Get with it" as there's LOTS of feral hogs, deer, elk, moose, bear, etc. "out there" waiting on you and I wouldn't be afraid to take a Brown Bear with my .58 Zouave "replica of nothing at all".

Btw, my 530 "homebrew" Minies FLATTEN boars of up to 200KG. = The hog that ran the fartherest, after being hit in the K-5 area, was about 15 long steps & GYD right there.

yours, satx

 

[Wes/Tex]

Good job. All those rifle-musket-rifled musket military guns look better with walnut colored wood! :wink: :thumbsup:

 

[btech]

I just sanded mine with 220 grit followed by several coats of Laurel Mountain walnut stain and Permalyn.

 

[satx78247]

PURTY THANG!!!!

congrads, satx

 

[Mickc01]

Love the color and finish! Great work....MickC :thumbsup: :thumbsup: