Restoring yet another Remington 512 Sportmaster Part 3

If you missed the first two posts click on the links below

Part 1
Part 2

Now that the metal parts are ready to be blued we will get started on the stock. I use Citristrip to remove the old finish, paint it on and wait an hour

Then scrap off the gunk

You can see where it spilled onto the other side and removed the finish

After scrapping I clean the stock with acetone and an old tooth brush. This also gets rid of any oil in the wood.

 Next we identify any dents and steam them out 

A wet rag and a hot iron (this is a hobby iron for use on model airplanes). the process forces steam into the fibers of the wood and lifts them, removing or at least reducing the severity of the dent

Next we need to deal with the bottom of the pistol grip, there is a chunk missing and the edge is scraped up.

I take a file and begin removing material, I discovered the grip cap was not perfectly flat

The gouge is gone and the grip cap is perfectly flat

I then sand and blend it with the bottom of the stock

Here is the stock, ready for oil, sanded to a 600 grit finish. All but the deepest dents are gone, the butt plate is flush with the wood (and sanded smooth)

We'll be using Minwax Antique Oil Finish

The first coat is rubbed in by hand and allowed to cure for 24 hours

after curing for 24hrs, I rub in a thick coat of oil and then sanding (600 grit sandpaper) with the grain, using the oil as a lubricant I sand every part of the stock. The slurry is then rubbed into the grain of the wood. This fills the grain. I do this 4 times, then rub in one final coat and before it finishes setting up I rub the stock down with a lint free cloth

The result is a super smooth satin finish.

Finished:

Before and after