doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com 1940 Remington stock finish?

What did Remington use on their gun stocks in 1940?
Thanks, Pete

I think it was Duco lacquer, until you got into the graded guns.

Best,
Ted

Ted,

Do you think is was applied as a protective topcoat in a clear form, or do you think they used a colored version?

Regards
Ken

UV light causes Duco to eventually have an amber hue. I don't know if Remington tinted it, or not. I do remember reading that the plant ran out one day and sent a maintenance guy down to the hardware store to buy more.
That was in a plant history article, and leads me to believe it was just garden variety Duco.

Best,
Ted

It makes one wonder if a current-type automotive clearcoat would work. They don't appear to yellow with age like the old lacquers. Anyone ever try it?

Regards
Ken

I think that clearcoat, without some stain under it, would look too light, like cheap furniture.

Clear is clear.

All I really want to say here is, "What are you trying to accomplish?"

If it is a refinish of an old stock, then use a dye over a sealer, building up layers until you are a little bit lighter than what you want. Then tone the finish coat to match final shade.
Sometimes I'll take scrapings from a piece, dissolve then in something, and then make a smear. Helps to see if the top coat was toned or not.
Modern water based finishes I use a great deal of general Finishes Pre-cat urethane for a very durable clear finish. But it is CLEAR. Almost blue it's so clear. So, that way whatever figure you started with, or tone you worked up, is protected, and visible. Most of the oil based top coats dry yellow.
Here's a chest with a leatherized undertone, covered with pre-cat urethane. Hard as concrete. Dog claw proof so far.


The point is, once the look was reached, I didn't want the top coat to change the color or lift it, or muddy it.
I needed that window seat to look 150 years old, in 2 weeks.

For a gunstock, I would use traditional top coats, unless it was a Browning.
It's all about purpose. If you want it to look like no one was there 100 years from now, use a traditional finish, and tone it a little toward amber on a sample piece.

Thanks for the replies, What finish could I buy today that would resemble a Duco lacquer?
Pete

DuCo lacquer was a nitrocellulose lacquer. Quick drying, high build, and polished out to high gloss. Perfect for mass produced automobiles.

Instrument people still use nitrocellulose lacquers.

Behlen's is popular. Available at Woodcraft stores.

As Steve Schoene, Master finisher says, "Test your finish on scrap or you might have to scrap your finish"

Here's a finish schedule from an instrument site http://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Online_Resources/Finishing/Nitrocellulose_Finishing_Schedule.html

I water pop, sand lightly at 320, dye, then scuff with 400 just to be sure it's as even as I want. Test samples can really help you understand the transparency of base dyes. I typically use them to highlight figure, or establish a base color I want a hint of in the final look.
I'm doing a door today that I can post pictures of tonight.
But it will be in misfires.

Addendum: For purposes of clarity, look at the piece for what it is. Economy shotguns only had a certain amount of time put into finish. You can sand to 220, water pop, and de-fuzz at 320, and be putting finish on a surface that is smoother than original. And it will show. Over finishing makes for a very "plasticized" look.
That is not how these guns were delivered.
They were smooth, but not polished.
Compulsive pore filling was not part of the program on hdwe store guns. Even color, a certain thickness of finish, and that's about it.
So, you can take a chunk of American walnut from Menard's, and fiddle with it to create a finish schedule that near exactly matches the original pretty easily.

Wood finishes are a journey that is a great deal of fun. Practicing on scrap is part of that.