# Can My Weatherby Deluxe stock be fixed?



## breadfan (Oct 6, 2009)

I have a Mark V 7mm-08 carbine with a Deluxe stock. The walnut is close to grade 3#, very nicely figured. One problem, the owner before me took off about a 1x2 area of finish on the flat part of the forearm towards the top. Why, I don't know because the rest of the stock is nearly perfect. I attempted to fix this by masking off the area and re-sealing it with some gloss coat. It turned out darker and well, I didn't do a good job. I would like to get this fixed without refinishing the whole stock, which would be very expensive. Any thoughts or ideas? I can post a pic later.


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## Hammack (Oct 6, 2009)

find someone who does cabinet finishing.  I once had an exhibition grade stock on a madel 12 win that had a bad spot on the finish, I tried and never could get it right.  a friend who does cabinet work was able to match it exactly.


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## Cknerr (Oct 6, 2009)

sorry to hear about all your work not panning out.

Duplicating an existing finish on a modern rifle is problematic at best. Finishes on the cheaper firearms use a urethane or modified lacquer finish that can on occasion be repaired. The better brands (like yours) now use a post/pre catalyzed acrylic finished that is a bear to remove and really impossible to replicate. The finish is made to be sprayed onto a roughly sanded finishes and produces a smooth surface. It is almost as hard as a teen-ager's head, and dry/cure very quickly with no runs. Just the thing for production.  Because of the factory using a finish that is so hard and so inert/impervious to just about anything, makes it difficult to patch or repair. It is possible at times to use other coatings to approximately match the appearance, but that is all you are going to get....approximate (as you found out). It is also likely the new stuff won't stick well to the old stuff and will soon slough off.  Unless you are a professional cabinet shop, access to this stuff isn't likely. The cabinet shop can just spray over the old with new and off you go. For the rest of us -and especially with a nice piece of wood, it is usually better to strip it and start over. This way you can really show off what you have. The only stripper I have found that will even work is the aircraft paint stripper usually found in most auto parts stores. Follow the directions religiously. Then put on your choice of finish. 

In my shop, we charge $200 to $350 to do all that. Doing it yourself will certainly save you a lot of money. (= more ammo for shooting?!) What type of finish you do will mean a lot for the appearance. The reason we charge so much is the time consuming process that will show the wood off. There are no compromises. This is what seperates us from refinishers that replace what is on your wood. There is a big differance in appearance. Is it worth the expense or effort? That is the question! Most people are not willing to put that much effort into refinishing their wood. If you are willing to go that route, then you too can have an eye popper work of art. 

If you (and anyone else interested) can wait until next week, I can hopefully help. There is a Marlin stock in the shop that is almost to the point of getting it's finish put on. All the tinting and finish(s) used will be detailed. This is a hand carved stock that started out as a chunk of presentation grade walnut blank.  Since it doesn't matter if the stock was just stripped of finish, or a virgin surface like this, it all gets completed the same way. 

The write up will eventually go onto my website. In the mean time it would be appreciated if people would read it over and tell me where I left info out or just wandered off into left field. Why things are done the way they are I feel is an important part of the explanation. This will hopefully give you a little time to figure out what you want to do?

If you do decide to go this route, you can almost do it in real time with the postings. It doesn't take any real woodworking abilites or talent. Just some attention to detail....perfect for the hobbyist gunsmith/woodworker to do. Even if your work bench is the kitchen table! (it is where I started)

Sigh...it isn't easy is it? Leave it as is and cuss at it, strip it and throw something on it (and wonder what it might have looked like), or strip it and do all the long winded carrying on stuff in hope it will look fantastic?!!

I do sponsor Open Shop weekends. This is an invitation to the public to come to my shop and use me, equipment, tools, etc., to try their hand at gunsmithing and woodworking. Usually it is people stopping by with something that has them stumped. We figure a way around it and then it usually turns into a social gathering. Never know who will show up. Best of all, it is totally free!  The idea is to pass information back and forth and to teach and show people this type of work is not rocket science. St. Augustine is a long ways to drive though....

Please keep us posted as to your progress and what you are doing.

Best of luck,
Chris


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## germag (Oct 6, 2009)

Chris,

What was it that Weatherby used on the earlier Mark V rifles that would check so bad? Was that a nitrocellulose finish?


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## Cknerr (Oct 6, 2009)

could be. They experimented with a lot of stuff. The early days of the high tech finishes was a roll of the dice. They didn't really have a good way to test what would happen decades later to their finishes. They certainly wanted them to exceed the warranty. They extra effort was to get a finish to survive a decade of abuse so their reputation as a having an even better firearm could be substantiated. If the rifle still shot as well as the competition BUT looked better, then it had to be superior. They almost made it. It is my opinion - and mine only- they could not judge how much UV rays would hit the stock and just what effects the acidic stuff like gun oils and sweat would do over extended time. The effect was to make the finish continue to harden. So hard it got brittle and would crack under the strain of the wood expanding and contracting during the seasons. 

All of the cellulose based finishes get harder as time goes by. It does react, however slowly, with the nitrogen in the atmosphere. Modern lacquers that are cellulose based do the same thing. However, modern chemistry has all but stopped the progression of the stuff continuing to harden. Big difference today verses a decade ago.

If there are any commercial cabinet shop people reading this, maybe they can chime in with some details. There are some really nifty lacquer finishes out there....and they don't have any cellulose in them anymore. Don't know much beyond what I just wrote above. Would like to know more though!

Take care,
Chris


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## breadfan (Oct 6, 2009)

Pics.


















The first one of the forearm is the problem, the rest are just pics of the gun.


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## Cknerr (Oct 6, 2009)

ouch
that is a bit dark. 

That is certainly a light colored stock and the shape is not one I have seen from Weatherby. Is an aftermarket one?

If so, who knows what finish is on it and what the surface prep was under it. 

still, that is a very striking stock. Imagine you get a lot of good comments. 

Chris


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## CAL (Oct 6, 2009)

I personally don't think it is too dark.I think it being dark sorta sets off the light colored stock!


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## breadfan (Oct 6, 2009)

Cknerr said:


> ouch
> that is a bit dark.
> 
> That is certainly a light colored stock and the shape is not one I have seen from Weatherby. Is an aftermarket one?
> ...



Not sure what you mean, it's a Deluxe stock with a weatherby recoil pad. I pretty much know every make and model of these and it's a Weatherby all the way. And yes, I love the wood. If the fix was a little smoother, I might live with it but the change in the rosewood makes it look like someone tried to fix it. And yea, it has to be hard to get anyone to do it and look good. From what I have read, this finish is an epoxy I can see it would be difficult to fix!


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## breadfan (Oct 6, 2009)

Cknerr said:


> ouch
> that is a bit dark.
> 
> That is certainly a light colored stock and the shape is not one I have seen from Weatherby. Is an aftermarket one?
> ...



You can't see the tell tale 45 degree cut on the forend, maybe that's why it looks different to you. It's just the camera angle.


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## Rich Kaminski (Oct 6, 2009)

Thats the standard Weatherby Sporter stock that comes with the gun. Yes, the color is lighter than most Weatherbys. If it were mine, I would pay to have it done right. I love my 300 Win Mag.


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## Cknerr (Oct 7, 2009)

*learn all the time*

Thanks for straightening me out. Didn't realize that was an original Weatherby. I'll have to dig into some pictures and see what else I don't know.

I to like the lighter colored wood. Sure makes the checkering stand out. 


Thanks!
Chris


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## breadfan (Oct 7, 2009)

I reckon it was worth the 40 bucks I paid for it on ebay! I think I got a deal!


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## Cknerr (Oct 7, 2009)

40?!!!! sheesh
you came out of that one smelling like a rose

lol, wow


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## breadfan (Oct 7, 2009)

Yes, a grade three stock from Weatherby is well over 800.00 bucks. A few years a go there was this dude on Ebay from Accurate Inovations selling Weatherby take offs and just getting what he could for them. For a while they were going dirt cheap till people took notice and then they went way up. I also bought 2 Weatherby Sporter stocks for even less. It was a mini gold mine for a while there. But I really love the deluxe. Some say it's too shiny to hunt but I just hit it with a little steel wool before hunting season and then polish it right back up afterwards. The finish is very tough and durable and Weatherby's are meant to hunt. Deadly accurate to boot!


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## Cknerr (Oct 7, 2009)

Weatherby does have a good reputation. Not only for the sizes of cartridges, but accuracy as well. 

Sounds like you have found that out!

Good luck hunting.
Chris


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## germag (Oct 7, 2009)

breadfan said:


> Yes, a grade three stock from Weatherby is well over 800.00 bucks. A few years a go there was this dude on Ebay from Accurate Inovations selling Weatherby take offs and just getting what he could for them. For a while they were going dirt cheap till people took notice and then they went way up. I also bought 2 Weatherby Sporter stocks for even less. It was a mini gold mine for a while there. But I really love the deluxe. Some say it's too shiny to hunt but I just hit it with a little steel wool before hunting season and then polish it right back up afterwards. The finish is very tough and durable and Weatherby's are meant to hunt. Deadly accurate to boot!



I killed a stack of deer with a Mark V Lazermark in 7mm Wby Mag with the "shiny" blonde stock like that...not a single one of those deer ever seemed to notice the stock on my rifle.


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## breadfan (Oct 8, 2009)

Thanks guys for all the good input. I get up to Athens at least once a month so maybe one day I can get over to Acworth and attend one of those classes!


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## Outdoors (Oct 8, 2009)

Cknerr said:


> ouch
> that is a bit dark.
> 
> That is certainly a light colored stock and the shape is not one I have seen from Weatherby. Is an aftermarket one?
> ...





I'm quiet the Weatherby fan myself, and while that stock looks durn nice, and I have no information to back this up in writing.......the checkering doesn't look like a stock wby stock to me. It looks nice, but something about the curve/shape of the butstock from pistol grip rearward, and the checkering shape and coverage areas dont seem right. The Weatherby stocks I've seen with the 3-point forearam and the extended pistol area checkering has always been on higher grade stocks and of finer checkering. Not to mention that even then the shape/layout of the pistol checkering on yours looks a little different than anything I've seen on the weatherbys I can recollect.

Nice piece regardless - Good Luck with that stock.

by the way,   westhunt.com is known for Wby refinishing.


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## breadfan (Oct 8, 2009)

Aside from the color, it looks the same to me.


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## germag (Oct 8, 2009)

It's the same thing. The coloration makes it look different.


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