Rob has invited one of the small heresies from the Wonko "nuke it" school of gunwood refinishing to enter, so I'll take up the invitation at my own peril. Perhaps because of my supreme laziness, I shoot for retention, amalgamation, smoothness, and whatever degree of reflective sheen is available from the existing finish. I think a lot of us here are buying/shooting "vintage" (not made yesterday) guns which retain 80-90% of finish metal and wood. Aren't really clunkers and the chemical scrub approach only removes what originality they do have. Currently my spruce-up kit for wood is composed of nothing more than Diggory Hadoke's "slacum" formula with double the proportion of carnauba, rotten stone on a felt rubber, and Simichrome motorcyle polish. I just finished with a 1947 (about an hour of work on two successsive nights) skeet grade model 12 which had some of that wristwatch and vest buckle squiggle burnishing on the large faces of the stock. I'll be darned if I think I have the patience, time, discipline, and knowledge to strip it, steam the dents, and refinish to that characteristic Winchester red. I don't present this as standing in the way of those who do, but as a caution to those asking for the first time for "the" technique, "the" finishing schedule, "the" approved method. As does Rob, I like the color saturation and the "character" blemishes of the "before" NID stock. I also admire the faultless surface and enhanced wood figure of the pro-produced "after".
Please, if you must use abrasive refinishing, back up your paper with a block to keep the surface fair and true, mask the receiver (or better) don't sand areas of the wrist and head at trigger guard and tang mortise or at the abuttment with receiver, stay away from presentable checkering, don't remove the buttplate or pad to ensure at least the best pad or plate fit you will ever get, and don't start with a grit more aggressive than 150-220. Most of the wood of a decent gunstock is already truer and smoother under that old finish than can be improved on by a time-intensive process of destruction and recreation. If I want a river biscuit or driftwood, there's a convenient little stream not far from my house.
jack
