doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Advice please on filling gouge in Ithaca 37 stock

Here is a 1956 Ithaca 12 gauge configured as a home defense gun with an 18.5 inch barrel (I measured three times)

I want to refinish the stock as a hobby project and as practice for future projects.

Unfortunately, there are several gouges that are not merely dents.

What would people do to fill and stain?

I am also unsure how to lay down an even stain.

Thanks

Lou

I doubt that is the original stock, so, sandpaper will do nicely.

Here's one approach that has worked for me on several Hawken muzzleloader walnut stocks.
Based upon the fact that removing an old finish by sanding and/or steel wooling usually changes the physical dimensions of a stock,
I don't do it that way.

I take mine to a used / antique furniture place that has a commercial chemical stripping booth...drop off the stock,
pick it up the next week stripped to the bare wood...no brushes, sandpaper, or steel wool used at all.

I let it sit in the house for a week to ensure its bone dry then start wiping/rubbing on one thin coat of Tru-Oil at a time.
I let it hang in the house for a couple days to get bone dry.

Then I lightly / barely slide a 0000 steel wool pad over it to knock off the shine, and apply coat # 2...hang it back up for a couple days.
I usually put on 5-6 coats that way...no stain was ever needed (as least on walnut) as the Tru-Oil darkens the wood enough by itself
and really lets any grain or figure 'pop' into view.

Without seeing it, my reaction would be to steam out as mnay of the dents as possible (damp washcloth under an iron). If the stock has an original finish, it's probably lacquer and the steam will do half your finish removal. Go to wood with a fine sandpaper.

Out and out gouges are a tough nut. I've used tinted epoxies, would fillers, and so forth. In the balance I've probably had better luck with the (carefully) tinted plastics for the simple reason that they finish better than fillers. This is a pretty clever crown here and someone is likely to be able to improve on this advice.

At the tailend, wet the wood one last time to raise the grain, and do the finish-sanding with Pilkington's tinted oil (Brownell's) to fill pores and put some color in the wood. Top coat it with Permalyn, either hand rubbed or sprayed. There may still be some signs of the gouges, but that often adds character to an old gun, and we're in it for the learning process, right?