AIII restoration

[sakorick]

Some of the late 70's deluxe guns had a very bad batch of stock finish. I have seen some that look 1/2 melted and others that are simply shattered. I have been stock making for some 40 years and have made some decent $$$ restoring these problem guns. I found a Sako AIII deluxe that had a shattered finish and picked it up for $700. It's chambered in the popular 7MM Remington Magnum and the metal is overall good+. For starters you have to get the old finish off.....this is not easy! Sako heaped a ton of poly on these deluxe models and I suspect this was part of the problem. Anyway, their finish I am certain would not pass any ocea standards as Strypeeze barely makes a dent in the stuff. It does however soften the goo to where you can scrape it with a hard plastic scraper. After some 5 to 7 coats most of the finish is history(use surgical gloves!)....then the hard part starts.....hand sanding to remove all traces of the old finish. I use 180 grit followed by 220. Caution....do not get aggressive here, just take your time and let the sandpaper do the work using very light pressure. It took me 2 weeks with the chemicals and just one morning of sanding. I have put a hand rubbed coat of TruOil over the entire stock inside and out. Now I will let it completely dry for 24 hours and inspect for blemishes. I will then use masking tape to cover the checkering and butt pad that has also been sanded. Here are a few photos so far. I will be back in a few days to explain the spray finish process. Stay tuned! Regards, Rick.



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[ctbrow]

Rick,

Thanks for your instructions on this process. I have a couple of stocks that I have been thinking about salvaging. However I have been hesitant not having done this before. It looks like with the proper chemical and a great deal of patience that I may be able to do this myself. I will be interested to see your final results. Thanks again.

 

[sakorick]

You can do it I promise. Round 2. I found all the dents and blems easily and sanded them out before church this morning. Then I masked the buttpad and checkering and applied another coat of hand rubbed TruOil. That first coat of oil really takes all the guesswork out of what need sanding and what is good to go. I stripped all of #1's coat off with 220 then 400 and applied coat #2. From here on out it will be an aerosol job. You know when the sanding is done when your fingers hurt!out it will be an aerosol job. You know when the sanding is done when your fingers hurt!

 

[misako50]

Good work, Rick. That looks like a great stock for a new dress.-Misako

 

[eddsako]

Love the work I think its gutsy doing it but why not

 

[sakorick]

​Just an update. With the cold weather I can't spray the finish. I am patiently waiting for some moderation here. I'll post when done. Regards, Rick.