doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com best thing to remove Hi-Gloss Weatherby finish

Exact same finish. I toured the factory in Japan in the 1980's. If was a spray on finish and then put into very large drying booth.

I think Browning used to advertise DuPont Imron as their finish a few decades ago. That stuff and Fullerplast are just about as resistant to strippers as I've stripped. I ended up using an aircraft stripper. Probably can't get the strong strippers anymore.

I scrape off any finish. It isn't as difficult as it may sound and is a lot less messy than liquid strip products. Doesn't cost anything other than the sharp edge of a couple of common blade knives.
Won't hurt you like the chemicals unless you get careless.

Just a nice sharp regular edge to the blade and use it as a scraper. No need to turn the edge over and form a cabinet makers type finishing scraper though they can be used too in the process.

The common blade used carefully will curl the old finish right off and down to the wood smoothly. Then you can go further if you want to and remove some scratches and marks too.
Work from any direction.
Careful how you 'enter' the work so the blade doesn't leave a mark on the surface. You want to gradualy come down onto the surface and begin scraping the surface.

Using your thumb to back up the blade works well one handed as a gauge of sorts. Your thumb feels the surface before the blade hits it and allows a soft landing onto the surface.
Two hands on the blade, one on the tip, will allow good control that way when scraping in heavier cuts into the thicker orig finish.

The work goes quickly. Ready for a some sanding afterwards but very little generally.
Some of the orig finish may still be in the pores of the wood depending on how deep into the surface you go. But that'll help fill the grain for the next finish and will disappear especially w/ wet sanding (if you use that method).

Clean up is a broom and dustpan.

Kutter, that's fine for those modified varnish/poly finishes from Browning, Beretta, and such, but that epoxy finish on a Weatherby Mk V is another thing.
JR

I've had success removing these finishes by heating them with a heat gun and then scraping them.

That will work, but you better be REAL careful...
JR

my go to solution for removing most finishes is MEK (methyl ethyl ketone), the solvent utilized in making fiberglass.

35 years ago had a browning rifle with the typical "alligator" cracking of the factory double-based urethane finish. lived next door to an engineer who worked for a large petrochem plant, and he brought me small samples of every solvent they used/produced - none of them would touch the stuff.

ultimately had someone tell me to try mek, and sourced some from a fiberglass boat repairman. it simply melted the finish away with little time or effort. it can be found at any paint company stores.

my method is a small disposable pan (tinfoil pie plate will do), and a cheap paintbrush, always work outside (this stuff is quite nasty) and wear chemical resistant gloves, eye protection, etc. I hold the stock upright in the pan and start at the highest point. simply continue to brush the solvent onto the finish until it is gone. as it runs down the lower areas it will start the process before you reach them.

in my experience, 15-20 minutes will take care of virtually any finish. the volatility of mek insures that it will not soak into the wood (it evaporates extremely quickly), so you are left with a bone-dry surface without any hazards related to chipping/sanding/etc.

happy labor day to all!
tom

That was an excellent first post Tom. Welcome on your first post.

You set the bar pretty high for yourself. I hope there is more where that came from.

Best I've found:
https://www.amazon.com/Klean-Strip-GKS3-Premium-Stripper-1-Gallon/dp/B001CEQDCC

I'm going to try this next stock I do, may be better:
https://www.amazon.com/Jasco-QJBP00202-P...EGZFSDF1WHTHX7G
JR

I thought MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) had been banned as being a cancer causer?