# Advice on removing ebony fore end tip



## Baroque Brass (Aug 10, 2020)

I have an old Winchester model 70 that I want to refinish the stock on but I don’t know how to remove the ebony tip on the end of the stock. Any suggestions?


----------



## Stroker (Aug 10, 2020)

If it's like most fore tips don't, they're glued on and difficult to keep lined up when glueing back on. Tape it off and strip, sand and stain the wood stock first then sand the fore tip with some 400 then 600 grit sand paper then finish everything with your choice of polyurethane. If your doing a oil finish on the stock you can still sand and poly the fore tip.


----------



## Baroque Brass (Aug 10, 2020)

Stroker said:


> If it's like most fore tips don't, they're glued on and difficult to keep lined up when glueing back on. Tape it off and strip, sand and stain the wood stock first then sand the fore tip with some 400 then 600 grit sand paper then finish everything with your choice of polyurethane. If your doing a oil finish on the stock you can still sand and poly the fore tip.


Thanks, I’ve never stripped and refinished a stock. What type finish would you recommend? I also have to preserve the checkering as much as possible.


----------



## Stroker (Aug 10, 2020)

Finish is a personnel thing. I like a oil finish, especially on my every day hunting rifles, easy to maintain or touch up when needed. Best stripper depends on your current finish. I've used mineral spirits, acetone, MEK, and Citristrip, all with good results, each has it's pros and cons depending upon your finish, do your research, and follow the directions. I find it best to start with the checkering first. Brass parts brushes, old tooth brushes, and a exacto knife will help remove the finish from the checkering, take your time in these areas for best results. If your going to be doing a lot of sanding tape off your checkering to help keep the sharp points and lines. Test strippers on small areas of the butt stock before attacking the whole stock. Get you some bone black off of the internet to mix(little goes a long way) with your stain or oil, it will make the grain really pop. Take your time, practice patience, and a lot of elbow grease will result in great results and a rewarding experience/product.


----------



## nmurph (Aug 10, 2020)

Stroker said:


> ...Test strippers on small areas of the butt stock before attacking the whole stock. Get you some bone black off of the internet to mix(little goes a long way) with your stain or oil, it will make the grain really pop. Take your time, practice patience, and a lot of elbow grease will result in great results and a rewarding experience/product.



Just what are we talking about here?


----------



## Baroque Brass (Aug 11, 2020)

Stroker said:


> Finish is a personnel thing. I like a oil finish, especially on my every day hunting rifles, easy to maintain or touch up when needed. Best stripper depends on your current finish. I've used mineral spirits, acetone, MEK, and Citristrip, all with good results, each has it's pros and cons depending upon your finish, do your research, and follow the directions. I find it best to start with the checkering first. Brass parts brushes, old tooth brushes, and a exacto knife will help remove the finish from the checkering, take your time in these areas for best results. If your going to be doing a lot of sanding tape off your checkering to help keep the sharp points and lines. Test strippers on small areas of the butt stock before attacking the whole stock. Get you some bone black off of the internet to mix(little goes a long way) with your stain or oil, it will make the grain really pop. Take your time, practice patience, and a lot of elbow grease will result in great results and a rewarding experience/product.


I’ve hunted with this rifle since the 80s and it’s taken more deer than I can recall. I’ve retired it and want to make it more of a show piece. I’d like to replace the trigger guard and the floor plate too.


----------



## Stroker (Aug 11, 2020)

nmurph said:


> Just what are we talking about here?


What part are you referring to?





Baroque Brass said:


> I’ve hunted with this rifle since the 80s and it’s taken more deer than I can recall. I’ve retired it and want to make it more of a show piece. I’d like to replace the trigger guard and the floor plate too.


----------



## doublebarrel (Aug 12, 2020)

Some tips have one or two dowels to keep them lined up. BB


----------



## killerv (Aug 12, 2020)

why not leave it and refinish along with the rest of the stock, are you trying to keep it a different finish or something?


----------



## Baroque Brass (Aug 12, 2020)

killerv said:


> why not leave it and refinish along with the rest of the stock, are you trying to keep it a different finish or something?


It has varnish on it now. I’ll try to strip the varnish to restore original look.


----------



## rosewood (Aug 13, 2020)

nmurph said:


> Just what are we talking about here?


I got a good laugh out of this one.  Love it!


----------



## rosewood (Aug 13, 2020)

Unless you have a checkering tool, you might want to keep the checkering taped up through the first few coats of poly or tru-oil, then remove the tape for the last coat over the checkering.  I discovered this on one I did.  If you put several coats of finish on the checkering, it rounds off the edges and looks and feels like junk.

I think I used citrus strip on the last one I did.  Worked quite well.  Put rubber gloves on to keep it off your hands.

Read that you can wet it and then warm it up with a hair dryer or something that will make the fine wood hairs stand up.  Then sand that off as part of the sanding process.

Rosewood


----------



## killerv (Aug 13, 2020)

Baroque Brass said:


> It has varnish on it now. I’ll try to strip the varnish to restore original look.



citristrip is all I use, good stuff.


----------



## Baroque Brass (Aug 13, 2020)

killerv said:


> citristrip is all I use, good stuff.


I was planning to use that. I’m looking at Tru Oil for the finish, but I suspect it will be a soft finish. In one way, that’s ok since I don’t plan to hunt with the rifle, but may take it to the range occasionally. Is there any reason why after sanding and filling the stock, I can’t just use a Minwax stain and a satin polyurethane top coat for a more durable finish?


----------



## Clemson (Aug 13, 2020)

Minwax Wipe On Poly dries hard and wears very well.  I learned to use that in Gunsmithing school years ago.


----------



## rosewood (Aug 13, 2020)

Clemson said:


> Minwax Wipe On Poly dries hard and wears very well.  I learned to use that in Gunsmithing school years ago.


So, poly is recommended over Tru-oil?  The poly is more durable?  I had been using Tru-oil because I thought that was best for firearms.  I may have to start using Poly.  Does poly do well against gun oil and cleaners?

Thanks,

Rosewood


----------



## Clemson (Aug 13, 2020)

Polyurethane finish is what the old gunmakers of the past century would have used had it been available.  If you want a hard, water-resistant finish, Poly is it.  If you want a finish that is easy to touch up, Tru-Oil is great.  I use several different finishes depending on what the customer wants.


----------



## rosewood (Aug 13, 2020)

Clemson said:


> Polyurethane finish is what the old gunmakers of the past century would have used had it been available.  If you want a hard, water-resistant finish, Poly is it.  If you want a finish that is easy to touch up, Tru-Oil is great.  I use several different finishes depending on what the customer wants.


Good info.


----------



## fi8shmasty (Aug 14, 2020)

Just cut it off and put what you want on it.


----------



## Baroque Brass (Aug 15, 2020)

fi8shmasty said:


> Just cut it off and put what you want on it.


I want to retain the ebony tip. I was only wanting to remove it for the stock refinishing process.


----------



## fi8shmasty (Aug 15, 2020)

Just tape it off.


----------



## Baroque Brass (Aug 24, 2020)

Any suggestions on how to restore the luster to the ebony tip? Should it be painted?


----------



## JustUs4All (Aug 24, 2020)

If the tip is actually Ebony, I would not paint it.  Depending on how bad the finish is on it I would abrade it away and then polish the wood with successively finer grades of steel wool until I had the look I wanted then refinish it with the finish I wanted.


----------



## Baroque Brass (Aug 24, 2020)

JustUs4All said:


> If the tip is actually Ebony, I would not paint it.  Depending on how bad the finish is on it I would abrade it away and then polish the wood with successively finer grades of steel wool until I had the look I wanted then refinish it with the finish I wanted.


Have no clue if it’s actually ebony. Model 70 Winchester made in the mid seventies. The tip is just dull looking. I’ve tried polishing but so far it doesn’t look like what I want it to.


----------



## rosewood (Aug 24, 2020)

Baroque Brass said:


> Have no clue if it’s actually ebony. Model 70 Winchester made in the mid seventies. The tip is just dull looking. I’ve tried polishing but so far it doesn’t look like what I want it to.


Probably plastic.  Work on it up to about a 2000 grit sandpaper.  Then take some automotive polish and work on it with a soft cloth and see what you get.  Use polish not that stuff they call polish that is really a wax.  You may want to try a buffing wheel.  You should be able to make it shine if you put enough elbow grease on it.

Rosewood


----------



## Baroque Brass (Aug 24, 2020)

rosewood said:


> Probably plastic.  Work on it up to about a 2000 grit sandpaper.  Then take some automotive polish and work on it with a soft cloth and see what you get.  Use polish not that stuff they call polish that is really a wax.  You may want to try a buffing wheel.  You should be able to make it shine if you put enough elbow grease on it.
> 
> Rosewood


Thank you. I just applied the fourth coat of oil finish, when I’m done with that I’ll work on the ebony.


----------



## rosewood (Aug 24, 2020)

If it is still attached, tape around the wood so you don't hit it with your polishing.

Rosewood


----------



## JustUs4All (Aug 24, 2020)

Can you scratch it on the barrel side to see what it is made of?  If it is plastic there it this recommendation:
http://www.winchesterowners.com/viewtopic.php?t=1373


----------



## Baroque Brass (Aug 25, 2020)

JustUs4All said:


> Can you scratch it on the barrel side to see what it is made of?  If it is plastic there it this recommendation:
> http://www.winchesterowners.com/viewtopic.php?t=1373


Great suggestion! i really appreciate that. That’s exactly my rifle, a 30.06 made in 1973. Stock is looking really good, will apply the sixth coat of finish tomorrow. I’ll post some pictures as soon as I figure out how to resize them.

The bluing is coming off the trigger guard. I’d like to replace it and the floor plate. Nothing wrong with the floor plate except that there must be an improved version. I’ve seen some one piece trigger guards and floor plates but not sure they will work with my stock. As I said, this rifle is retired, I want to create a heirloom, or a gun worth something when I’m gone. I only hope that shooting and hunting will still be relevant when my time comes.

Thanks to all that have offered advice.


----------

