Refinishing a CZ 550

[Yaryan]

I have a CZ 550 that the finish is flaking off. I'd like to strip the finish, then coat in tung oil (I love a matte finish, plus I'd kind of like it to patina itself.)
1. Anyone ever done something like this? (If so pictures!)
2. Is it a good idea?
3. Pitfalls, things to look out for?
4. Does it affect anything other than looks?

Thanks for your time guys, I bought this rifle on the forum and have gotten a lot of good info here!

 

[BlueFlyer]

Traditional finish is with BLO (boiled linseed oil) rather than tung oil. But either will work OK
Suggest you remove the old finish with a scraper rather than chemically of with sandpaper. Have a look on Youtube about how to make a simple scraper.

Do not apply to the checkering or you will fill the grooves.
Simple and rewarding time spent

 

[AimSmall]

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Be aware of your level of patience.
4. You will become 'vested' in that rifle, making it more rewarding to possess.

 

[Nhoro]

I have done 3 of my rifles so far. My CZ 550 turned out beautifully. Search for DIY Hand Rubbed Oil on factory CZ stock.

It is not difficult but does need patience. The moment you put on too much oil, it takes forever to dry. I just sanded it back at that stage and took of the gummy surface to start again.

 

[Yaryan]

Great info! I will definitely be using a scraper instead of chemicals.
1. Is there a difference in how glossy the different oils are?
2. How often do I need to reapply the oil, if ever?
3. Will I need to take the gun apart every time to do so?

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I have done several stocks over the years. Depends on the finish on the stock whether I start with scraping or chemical stripper. Always finish up with stripper. Remington and Browning use an acrylic lacquer that is very resistant to stripper. Fortunately, also very brittle so easy to chip off with a scraper. I used a fairly dull kitchen knife. Wear eye protection! Chips are sharp and flying wildly. I use water and a brass bristle brush to clean off the stripper. Then steel wool to knock down the fuzz from grain raised by water.

I have had very good luck with Linspeed oil finish. It has a red hue that adds a nice patina. Avoid putting any finish on checkering until the last coat. Wipe on a thin coat of Linspeed with finger. Let it dry about forty minutes, then rub it off with paper towels. Rub down to surface of wood. Repeat till grain is filled. Then decide if you want glossy or satin look. Satin is rubbed down to wood at final coat (except checkering which is not rubbed). Glossy is obtained leaving the last two coats unrubbed. With this method I can satin finish a stock in an afternoon.

Remove the rifle from stock until the project is finished. I recommend satin finish as it is easy to touch up and doesn't show scratches as easily as glossy. Oil finishes are soft (the key to their weather resitence) and scratch relatively easily. Nine to twelve applications are needed to fill the grain.

 

[Yaryan]

Great info! When you say to leave it unrubbed, do you mean not rubbing the oil off on the last two coats?

 

[Nhoro]

I also ended on a satin finish. I have had to fix up the finish several times over the years. Scratches- you can scape or sand back smooth and rub in some oil. It already has the grain filled and the wood is already impregnated so 1 or 2 coat will match the rest of the finish. On my 2 CZ , I just scraped with a sharp blade. No chemical strippers. The first few coats took a while to dry 100 %. And final finish is a little soft for a month or so. But the touch up was quick as the wood has absorbed oil and cured before. Touch ups are invisible.

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Great info! When you say to leave it unrubbed, do you mean not rubbing the oil off on the last two coats?

Yes, but only if you want a glossy finish. Then you will need to wait a couple of days between final coats. The close up above photo of rifle loading port is for this stock, the first one I did for my 404J build. Also satin finish. Stock was bought rough inletted only.

Then I got a great deal on a used one with fancier wood and checkering that I refinished and added crossbolts and wrist reinforcement.

 

[Yaryan]

Ok, I think I'm getting a good idea on how to proceed. Last question: Do I need to oil the whole stock, inside too?

 

[Ontario Hunter]

Ok, I think I'm getting a good idea on how to proceed. Last question: Do I need to oil the whole stock, inside too?

I usually just oil the barrel trough inside. The tang channel possibly. You'll get oil in it anyway. No need to rub down internals. One coat is enough.

 

[Woodcarver]

Ok, I think I'm getting a good idea on how to proceed. Last question: Do I need to oil the whole stock, inside too?

To fully protect the wood, the internals get (almost) as many coats as the outside. Key is to not allow any puddling or runs, which is unfortunately easier on the internal corners and mortices. When I'm to the final coats for the outside, I'll stop oiling the inside, so typically the last 3-6 coats are just on the outside.

 

[Yaryan]

I lied, one last question! How do you know how many coats of oil or when to do I know when to stop?

 

[Ontario Hunter]

I will keep adding coats and rubbing off each until the grain is filled, i.e. the surface is completely flat.

 

[Woodcarver]

I lied, one last question! How do you know how many coats of oil or when to do I know when to stop?

When you think you're close (12+coats), roll the stock in good natural light, looking at the sheen on every surface. You are looking for the "flat" spot, where there is a change to the appearance where there shouldn't be. If there is a flat spot, you're about 6 coats from "thinking" you're done again. Once you have that uniform sheen, do 3 more coats and inspect well between each after drying. This will give you a nice satin luster.
The flat spots are where the grain is not filled. They show up like neon signs with good, angled, natural light.

 

[cajunchefray]

When you think you're close (12+coats), roll the stock in good natural light, looking at the sheen on every surface. You are looking for the "flat" spot, where there is a change to the appearance where there shouldn't be. If there is a flat spot, you're about 6 coats from "thinking" you're done again. Once you have that uniform sheen, do 3 more coats and inspect well between each after drying. This will give you a nice satin luster.
The flat spots are where the grain is not filled. They show up like neon signs with good, angled, natural light.

Great advice, thank you. Do you use boiled linseed oil?

 

[cash_tx]

When you think you're close (12+coats), roll the stock in good natural light, looking at the sheen on every surface. You are looking for the "flat" spot, where there is a change to the appearance where there shouldn't be. If there is a flat spot, you're about 6 coats from "thinking" you're done again. Once you have that uniform sheen, do 3 more coats and inspect well between each after drying. This will give you a nice satin luster.
The flat spots are where the grain is not filled. They show up like neon signs with good, angled, natural light.

I used this technique just yesterday on my latest refinishing project; a Remington 550-1 semi-auto from 1948. I detected three small flat spots that I easily touched up with Linspeed oil, and now the surface is uniform. I'll do about two or three more coats of Linspeed over the course of the next week, then let it cure for about two or three weeks after.