Refurbishing T/C Hawken Stock

[JimCunn]

After fifty years of neglect, mine has its fair share of compression dents (not scratches) from being banged around in closets and the bed of pickup trucks.

Can these dents from being whacked be minimised by steaming or some other method?

Are there any recommendations for touching up or refinishing the stock?
I tend to like tung oil, but am open to suggestion. The stock doesn't look terrible as is - just sorta yucky.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I've not done steaming, but it is the usual process for compression dents in wood. I don't have a factory finished TC, so the best touch up is not something I have experience with either. Maybe a good furniture polish would be enough.

 

[JimCunn]

Yeah, I don't even know what finishing process T/C was using 50 years ago. Looks a bit like varnish. It has held up pretty well, except where it has been hit.

 

[Dave Marsh]

I have refinished 3. I strip them with Citristrip (SP) then sand and scrape them down. A lot of extra wood on them. Good luck.

Dave

 

[Zonie]

Compression dents will almost always respond to steaming them out if the wood fibers haven't broken or sheared off.
That said, steaming them out on a surface that has had oils or other finishes applied can cause the finish to change color or transparency.
On an oiled stock, this can usually be repaired by applying more finishing oil like linseed or tung oil. With varnish type finishes applying oil can help but sometimes the damage will still be visible.

 

[bubba.50]

Strip it, steam the dents aand then all that’s usually required is a light sanding to blend in any. Remaining imperfections.

 

[Bad Karma]

I have refinished 3. I strip them with Citristrip (SP) then sand and scrape them down. A lot of extra wood on them. Good luck.

Dave

I’m with Dave, the cleaned up Hawkens I have seen, several on this site, looked amazing. Not even the same gun.

 

[poker]

Like Bubba says, strip the finish then steam the dents out. To steam them I use a wet rag under a clothes iron set on high. Sometimes it takes several applications but if the wood grains havent been broken the dent will lift.

 

[JimCunn]

Was the original finish (1970ish vintage) polyurethane?

 

[bubba.50]

TC finishes varied over the years. Some were a thin tru-oil like lacquer sprayed on that you could almost removee with your fingernail. Other times it was like a urethane armor or some such and required 2 or 3 rounds with the stripper.

 

[JimCunn]

I'm pretty sure mine is polyurethane.

 

[bubba.50]

With lots of stripper, patience, old denim rags and a plastic putty knife you’ll be fine.

 

[ugly old guy]

Question: What wood did T/C generally use for the Hawken stocks?
Walnut? Beech? Birch? Something else?
I'm thinking of stripping my Hawken and refinishing with linseed oil or something.
(I also want to brown the barrel. Everybody and their extended family and their extended families families have a blued barrel.)

 

[Eric Krewson]

TC used walnut on all the guns I have fooled with.

I have put together one kit and built one Renegade from random parts. After you strip the wood you can make a much better looking gun by defining the lock panels, reducing the cheek piece and rounding the wrist.

I did this to the Renegade and Hawken lock panels;

This to the hawken cheek piece, I reduced the comb as well;

 

[William G]

Looks good Eric ! Do you think it improved the shoot ability of the gun for you ?

 

[Bad Karma]

TC used walnut on all the guns I have fooled with.

I have put together one kit and built one Renegade from random parts. After you strip the wood you can make a much better looking gun by defining the lock panels, reducing the cheek piece and rounding the wrist.

I did this to the Renegade and Hawken lock panels;

View attachment 23776

View attachment 23777


This to the hawken cheek piece, I reduced the comb as well;

View attachment 23778

I’ve been looking for a project renegade and it’s flat amazing how many people attack those panels with an 80 grit sanding block destroying and blending the edges... aaarrggh!

 

[Dale Lilly]

I have a TC Hawken that a previous owner assembled. He did a great job also reducing the check piece and reducing/changing contour of the comb. It is better than any factory TC I have seen. He also browned the barrel very well. Go for some changes while restoring, some good guidance in previous posts. These guys know what they are doing. Polecat

 

[Dale Lilly]

I've not done steaming, but it is the usual process for compression dents in wood. I don't have a factory finished TC, so the best touch up is not something I have experience with either. Maybe a good furniture polish would be enough.

Antique dealers [and I] often use a product called "restore a finish". Good stuff but not magic. Dale

 

[JBeardNC]

TC used walnut on all the guns I have fooled with.

I have put together one kit and built one Renegade from random parts. After you strip the wood you can make a much better looking gun by defining the lock panels, reducing the cheek piece and rounding the wrist.

I did this to the Renegade and Hawken lock panels;

View attachment 23776

I need to do that to the lock panels on a double barrel CVA that I'm redoing, but I'm pretty leery to start carving on it.
They were pretty undefined but stripping it down got them more.

I need to do that to the lock panels on a double barrel CVA that I'm redoing, but I'm pretty leery to start carving on it.
They were pretty undefined but stripping it down got them more. Did you just follow the factory contours? In response to Eric Krewson''s photo

 

[Eric Krewson]

Not exactly on the contours because the lock panels were very indistinct. I drew new thinner line around the lock mortise and cut to my lines.

The picture above is the Hawken, here is the Renegade, the L&R RPL lock didn't fit, not even close, all the stuff you see that looks odd are alterations I that to make to get the lock in and working. I had to put a shim at the tail of the lock plate to fil a gap.

Done;