I am working on a SC Parker and the finish was two coates or more of varnish. The ckeckering was full of the stuiff and at 77 my eyes don't checker any more. I had a hot flash and coated the stock with Citrusolve paint remover. After three hours I wiped it off and then went to garden hose. Wow, the local high pressure cleaned the stock to wood and nothing was damaged. Checkering was very clean, side pannels looked like new. After a day I checked with a moisture meter and every thing was good. Best method I ever tried!

bill

I've used paint remover to strip one, too, Bill. A different brand, but like yours it worked well, and easy.

SRH

Varnish and shellac are about the easiest finishes to remove.

Bill,
Now rub her down with some real fine steel wool, clean her up good and use Tru-Oil to refinish, she will look like a million bucks.

Ryman Gun Dog

Shellac finish are the easiest to remove followed by lacquered finishes. Never really hard when you can apply alcohol or a lacquer thinner to reactivate, dissolve or remove a finish. On a field grade gun sometimes you just need to remove the top portion of finish and leave what has filled all the pores in place. After all, many of these finishes are just a few layers deep with the top ones badly oxidized and holding a lot of dirt in them while the lower ones can be fairly decent.

I am going back with Garnet Shelac, the original finish. It gives the wood the redish color of that era. This wood has a touch of sap wood , black lines, and even a touch of marble cake. Garnet shelac will blend in the sap wood so it can not be seen.

bill

Good lord have mercy no...
JR

Never, ever use steel wool on raw, unfinished wood. Or finished wood for that matter.
JR

JR
What would you suggest?

Bill,

You are on the right track with what you are planning on doing. No need to muck it up.

Steel wool snags and leaves steel fibers in the wood, with very little beneficial removal of imperfections.

Start with a VERY careful wet sand with 320 wet-or-dry sandpaper and mineral spirits, paying close attention to sharp edges and contours. GO SLOWLY, taking time on small areas until all surfaces have been sanded completely. I cannot emphasize enough how important this first sanding is in getting a great finished product. Go over it with reading glasses in a well-lit area. You will find places you missed, I assure.

Next, do the same thing with 400 grit, then 600, 800, and last a sand/polish with 1000 grit. It should have a glassy smooth surface.

Stain as needed with Timberluxe Stain, then apply a series of coats of 1/3 CCL Conditioning Oil, 1/3 polyurethane, and 1/3 Tru Oil, thinned out with mineral spirits. Wipe off excess. Let cure for several days, depending on humidity. Continue with additional coats until satisfactory result is achieved.

You can also do a wet sand with the above mixture for a pore-filling, sanded-in finish that gives a satin sheen.

You can use Timberluxe stain through the final finish if needed.

GO SLOWLY!
JR

Addendum:
The Timberluxe Stock Finish works great also. Doesn't get tacky too fast. I'm going to try their new #2 Formula that is thinner on my next refinish. I've quit trying to do stock refinishing this time of year in Mississippi.
JR

My pro stockmaker friend would mask off the checkering carefully and wet sand the stock with 380 grit wet or dry paper, then clean off any residue. If you use a commercial stock finish you can sand in the first few coats, which will fill the grain with the sanding dust mixed with finish. Sand between coats until the surface is smooth. Then apply several thin coats of finish.

I have used shellac to refinish a model 21 (original finish was an orange shella, I used a French Polish technique similar to what I used on some Art Deco furniture I worked on. Shellac is thinned with alcohol and succeeding coats partially melt the underlying coats of shellac. Gradually a unified, smooth finish is attained. Lots of work to apply and requires frequent maintenance. It is also easily damaged by water. Looks awesome, though.

Good Shellac is not effected by water. That is an old wive’s tale.

On a scale of 1 to 10, shellac as a stock finish is a weak 1.
JR