How to refinish an old buttstock?

[Amicus]

I've been playing around with the old A1 stocks from Numrich. A representative sample is here:

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/catalog/...20A&catid=7270

They are scuffed, scratched, ingrained dirt ...

Any ideas?

[Quib]

I've heard of guys using rubbing compound to remove scratches. A lightly used stock might buff out nicely using black Kiwi shoe polish. I've had good results with Kiwi on A2 stocks.

[rljatl]

Brownell's says: "We like the Matte Black color for refinishing those used AR-15 buttstocks and handguards you pick up when building a parts gun, knock-around “truck” guns and, of course, anodized parts."
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=1...A_HYDE_reg__II

Use a coarse sandpaper to keep the finish kind of rough. I made the mistake of using a very fine grit and it came out too shiny and slick. I like a rougher finish. Also, buy some extra nozzles. They clog fast.

[bkb0000]

black krylon.. maybe a clear-coat if you want to be groovy

here's one i did some 'sperimentin with, since i didn't really have anything else to do with it.

one side

the other side


the old scratchy plastic seems to hold the paint well

[mark5pt56]

I did one for a buddy, had engraving on it, etc. I filled it with plastic epoxy, sanded smooth to taste and good to go. I used clear, you could barely tell where the engraving was. Maybe some dye in it would really help. Try some shoe dye and a tad of olive oil to recolor some old stocks, wipe off after it sits in the sun.

[bkb0000]

I did one for a buddy, had engraving on it, etc. I filled it with plastic epoxy, sanded smooth to taste and good to go. I used clear, you could barely tell where the engraving was.

did you coat the stock, or just spot fill?

[mark5pt56]

did you coat the stock, or just spot fill?

Spot fill, but had overflow and required sanding. The other parts of the stock needed sanding also.

[Amicus]

Well, I decided to paint, and have already produced a drip; but that is why God made sandpaper, steel wool, and light second coats.

It'll be based on the old German ambush pattern, used on vehicles and favored by modelers for years. Looks like this:

[Amicus]

OK. Did the buttstock and the handguards with some 10 year old Aervoe rattle can paints I bought for a project that never happened. Quick snaps follow.

Don't get on my case too much. This is the second time I've painted a stock and the first time I painted with more than one color. The "ambush" pattern evolved some during painting, and I did not leave it alone when I should have. There are screw-ups, and a few chips in the base coat that did not cover so well -- bad prep on my part. I was also surprised when the replacement Krylon clear coat (the old Aervoe urethane was completely dead) melted the paint job a bit.

Did I mention that this is my first build (i.e., RRA upper, BCM standard mid-length bbl, YHM bolt-on gas block and front sight, Spikes lower, Stag LPK, RRA handguards and Numrich '60s era buttstock)?

[Amicus]

I've heard of guys using rubbing compound to remove scratches. A lightly used stock might buff out nicely using black Kiwi shoe polish. I've had good results with Kiwi on A2 stocks.

Quib,

Thanks for that suggestion. I tried some Kiwi black polish on one of my too-screwed-up-even-for-refinishing stocks and the color is quite good. The old stock material/plastic seems to take the polish quite well. Of course, it doesn't do squat for the scratches themselves (but, who said it would?), but it fills in to cover the ingrained dirt that won't wash out even with power washing or lacquer thinner.