I’ve seen all the videos and descriptions of different methods of finishing AK furniture. I considered some of the methods using RIT dye and polyurethane, but decided to go with a more traditional pure tung oil gunstock process.
Below is a long writeup of the process in detail. Feel free to skip the longass description and go straight to the gallery:
I purchased walnut furniture from Ironwood for this MAK90. I am not sure how this process would look on blond wood - I suggest testing your process on sample pieces of wood. I purchased some small pieces of walnut, and refined my process while I waited for the furniture to be delivered (leadtime was a little long due to everyone going nuts and buying accessories during the quarantine).
The Ironwood product was beautiful - a little hand sanding and fitment was required. Below is a picture of the bare walnut. Notice the open pores of the natural walnut.
Note: Wear gloves through this whole process to keep your nasty hand oils off the wood
First, wet the surface of the bare wood to raise the grain. Sand with 220-400 grit sandpaper. Use denatured alcohol to clean the surface and clear the pores. I avoid tack-cloths, as they can transfer bees-wax to the surface and screw up the whole process (I know from experience).
Apply full strength tan GoodFilla wood filler all over the surface to fill the grain. After the surface is fully coated, use damp blue shop towels to remove most of the filler from the surface, leaving the filler only in the pores. (this damp towel step can be skipped, but more sanding will be required next)
Allow filler to cure for 24 hours - use 220-400 sandpaper to remove ALL remaining filler from the surface. Do not use any sandpaper finer than 400, as it will close the fibers of the wood which keeps the stain/dye from penetrating. Notice how light colored the wood filler appears in this picture - the wood filler will turn dark later in the process...so don't worry.
Next we dye the wood - this is the first part of layering color for added depth. I experimented and ended up with a mix of 60 drops of red and 40 drops of orange mixed with about 2 ounces of alcohol.
I applied 3 coats of dye to each piece of wood with a blue shop towel, ensuring each coat was dry before applying the next coat. At this point, it will seem like you ruined your wood...the grain will not pop, and the color is nuclear red...horrible looking...don't worry...this process is a rollercoaster.
Apply the first coat of Cabernet gel stain using blue shop towels. I buff the stain into the wood. The gel stain is forgiving and it also helps fill any grain that was missed by the GoodFilla. Use a fresh towel to buff off any excess gel stain after letting it dry for a few minutes. I did two coats within about 30 minutes time.
I used a curing oven to help speed up the curing process of the gel stain and remove all moisture from the wood prior to the tung oil. I left the wood in the oven at 100F for 24 hours. This step can be skipped. Just wait 24-48 hours for the gel stain to fully cure (I just wanted to show off my oven and that cool roll-up map from gradeschool). Also notice all of my wood samples on top of the oven....
Next we apply the pure tung oil. Do not buy the “tung oil finish” products from the box stores. These products with the word "finish" are not tung oil - they are varnish. Buy 100% pure polymerized tung oil. The non-polymerized tung oil takes a week to cure - the polymerized stuff cures in 24 hours. Use your finger and hand rub the oil into the wood. Only a few drops are required for each coat. Apply as thin as possible.
Do not sand the first few coats of tung oil (wait 24 hours between coats). Sanding at this point will cut through the oil and remove the stain. The total number of coats is a judgement call - I went with 10 coats for a high luster finish. You could stop around 4 or 5 for a more matte finish. Once you get a decent coat of cured tung oil built up, you can begin very lightly sanding the surface between coats with 600-800 grit sandpaper. Make sure the color of the sanding dust is white - if you see any red, stop sanding because you are removing the stain. Here is a picture after 4 coats:
After 10 coats (10 days), I used 3M rubbing compound and glaze on the surface. I buffed the surface using the rubbing compound first with a blue shop towel. Cleaned the surface with alcohol, and then buffed with glaze….then cleaned the surface and applied the wax. The wax takes some buffing to leave a nice finish.
The pure tung oil is an amazing finish. I believe layering many coats of boiled linseed oil can achieve similar results, but takes longer to cure than polymerized tung oil. The finish has an outstanding tactile feel - its super grippy - it almost feels like hard rubber. Much more grippy than a hard varnish or polyurethane. Tung oil is often used on high end hunting rifles, and also wooden weapons like kali sticks and those practice bamboo swords that ninjas use because the grip and feel is unsurpassed. Even sweaty hands can get a good grip - it doesn’t become slippery.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pics and the long description.
I’ve seen all the videos and descriptions of different methods of finishing AK furniture. I considered some of the methods using RIT dye and polyurethane, but decided to go with a more traditional pure tung oil gunstock process.
Below is a long writeup of the process in detail. Feel free to skip the longass description and go straight to the gallery:
https://imgur.com/a/nqhqrAz
I purchased walnut furniture from Ironwood for this MAK90. I am not sure how this process would look on blond wood - I suggest testing your process on sample pieces of wood. I purchased some small pieces of walnut, and refined my process while I waited for the furniture to be delivered (leadtime was a little long due to everyone going nuts and buying accessories during the quarantine).
The Ironwood product was beautiful - a little hand sanding and fitment was required. Below is a picture of the bare walnut. Notice the open pores of the natural walnut.
https://imgur.com/hiqIHch
Note: Wear gloves through this whole process to keep your nasty hand oils off the wood
First, wet the surface of the bare wood to raise the grain. Sand with 220-400 grit sandpaper. Use denatured alcohol to clean the surface and clear the pores. I avoid tack-cloths, as they can transfer bees-wax to the surface and screw up the whole process (I know from experience).
Apply full strength tan GoodFilla wood filler all over the surface to fill the grain. After the surface is fully coated, use damp blue shop towels to remove most of the filler from the surface, leaving the filler only in the pores. (this damp towel step can be skipped, but more sanding will be required next)
https://imgur.com/WmRfIHc
Allow filler to cure for 24 hours - use 220-400 sandpaper to remove ALL remaining filler from the surface. Do not use any sandpaper finer than 400, as it will close the fibers of the wood which keeps the stain/dye from penetrating. Notice how light colored the wood filler appears in this picture - the wood filler will turn dark later in the process...so don't worry.
https://imgur.com/zxufuhE
Next we dye the wood - this is the first part of layering color for added depth. I experimented and ended up with a mix of 60 drops of red and 40 drops of orange mixed with about 2 ounces of alcohol.
https://imgur.com/04zfONn
I applied 3 coats of dye to each piece of wood with a blue shop towel, ensuring each coat was dry before applying the next coat. At this point, it will seem like you ruined your wood...the grain will not pop, and the color is nuclear red...horrible looking...don't worry...this process is a rollercoaster.
https://imgur.com/L8Fwzeu
Apply the first coat of Cabernet gel stain using blue shop towels. I buff the stain into the wood. The gel stain is forgiving and it also helps fill any grain that was missed by the GoodFilla. Use a fresh towel to buff off any excess gel stain after letting it dry for a few minutes. I did two coats within about 30 minutes time.
https://imgur.com/IdOkZSt
https://imgur.com/cuMYU8E
I used a curing oven to help speed up the curing process of the gel stain and remove all moisture from the wood prior to the tung oil. I left the wood in the oven at 100F for 24 hours. This step can be skipped. Just wait 24-48 hours for the gel stain to fully cure (I just wanted to show off my oven and that cool roll-up map from gradeschool). Also notice all of my wood samples on top of the oven....
https://imgur.com/J8NmuKx
Next we apply the pure tung oil. Do not buy the “tung oil finish” products from the box stores. These products with the word "finish" are not tung oil - they are varnish. Buy 100% pure polymerized tung oil. The non-polymerized tung oil takes a week to cure - the polymerized stuff cures in 24 hours. Use your finger and hand rub the oil into the wood. Only a few drops are required for each coat. Apply as thin as possible.
https://imgur.com/WZIGRhn
Do not sand the first few coats of tung oil (wait 24 hours between coats). Sanding at this point will cut through the oil and remove the stain. The total number of coats is a judgement call - I went with 10 coats for a high luster finish. You could stop around 4 or 5 for a more matte finish. Once you get a decent coat of cured tung oil built up, you can begin very lightly sanding the surface between coats with 600-800 grit sandpaper. Make sure the color of the sanding dust is white - if you see any red, stop sanding because you are removing the stain. Here is a picture after 4 coats:
https://imgur.com/A4ruaul
After 10 coats (10 days), I used 3M rubbing compound and glaze on the surface. I buffed the surface using the rubbing compound first with a blue shop towel. Cleaned the surface with alcohol, and then buffed with glaze….then cleaned the surface and applied the wax. The wax takes some buffing to leave a nice finish.
https://imgur.com/61rUPzi
You’re finally ready to re-assemble!
https://imgur.com/VQJati6
Below are a few pics of the finished product:
https://imgur.com/r4pi0ak
https://imgur.com/iARfank
The pure tung oil is an amazing finish. I believe layering many coats of boiled linseed oil can achieve similar results, but takes longer to cure than polymerized tung oil. The finish has an outstanding tactile feel - its super grippy - it almost feels like hard rubber. Much more grippy than a hard varnish or polyurethane. Tung oil is often used on high end hunting rifles, and also wooden weapons like kali sticks and those practice bamboo swords that ninjas use because the grip and feel is unsurpassed. Even sweaty hands can get a good grip - it doesn’t become slippery. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pics and the long description.