Easy-Off Mosin Nagant stock refinish
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- My Mosin Nagant M44 carbine stock finish was irregular and splotchy. So I used Easy Off oven cleaner to strip off the finish and remove cosmoline. This method does not require a lot of sanding, so there is little worry of changing the shape and contour of the stock. Linseed oil was used to refinish the stock. Watch the video and see how easy it was, and how it turned out.
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Jon with no H.. I refiinished my Dad's Winchester Model 12, 12 guage shotgun with linseed oil. we did everything you did and BAKED the stock in the oven at 150 degrees maybe overnight.. it came out awesome!!! Rick, Eagle River, Alaska
I watched this vid a few years back, and have done this process on several mosin/sks rifles and always comes out great! Most of the time i have to do the easy-off/rinse procedure twice to draw out all the cosmoline and impurities The only thing i do differently is use tung oil instead of linseed oil. My stocks are always pretty banged up, but i sand them down as well as possible and the tung oil fills in the deep gouges. Im in no way a pro, but my rifles come out so well after.
Finished product always leaves me smiling!
I used this method yesterday on my new mosin where the stock was caked. Worked really well with two applications rinsing and hand scrubbing between each application. I then followed up with formby's furniture refinish to get the rest out. 400 count sandpaper on the remaining wood. I'm applying several more coats of linseed oil today, but it already has a nice beautiful look and it is amazing. Thank you for this video.
That's great to hear yours came out so good. Thanks for confirming my experiment, and sharing your results.
This is about the simplest procedure I've found so far. I just bought a Chinese Mosin Nagant M-44 and hope to get half as good looking as yours. Thanks for the tips, I'll certainly be touching base before I start.
Good luck Chris Hunnewell I hope it works as well for you
Chris Hunnewell
looks like you have all the needed supplies. Good luck and enjoy.
So glad I searched this video up. Easy Off oven spray. Who knew? Excellent tip!
stripped my mosin using this technique. It worked great. I just applied my first coat of boiled linseed oil. seems to be working just like in the video. If you let the easy off sit on the wood for 20-minutes it works great. I also used a plastic brush and water to remove the old finish.
Rainbowloom56 great advice, thanks for adding to the discussion.
I did this to my Mosin and it did take all the varnish off . But I use a plastic putty knife to help it along. Haven't sanded yet as I don't have the right sandpaper. So Sunday. I will make a trip to home depot to get it. This was a lot easier then using other paint removers. I used the Easy Off that didn't have bad fumes to it. took a few more times till it all was off. It turned out ok. Still got a few spots that need sanding but that's for Sunday. Thanks for posting this. I will post a pic of the finished fully sanded stock when I am done.
I've been thinking of refinishing my M44 for years now but I've always been afraid to try, but you made it look so easy and it turned out looking very good I think I'll have a go thanks for the vid.
Good to hear bassistoftheyear , i hope yours turns out great,
Great video. Never thought of using Easy Off. I had a hard time getting the old finish and oils off my Swiss AG42 rifle. It was not in bad shape but I didn't like the dark stain on the stock. Now after I lot of sanding 3 coats of the boiled Linseed oil, the stock looks so nice and feels smooth. I want to do the same thing with my other Swiss rifle the K31.
Thanks so much for posting this, Jon. I have a 1942 Mosin-Nagant that I'm wanting to re-finish. I had thought about using Tru-Oil but I've changed my mind. Some dumby that had my gun before me tried to re-finish it with a paint brush. It just looks horrible. The work you did really brought out the natural beauty in the stock. Beautiful historic rifle!
Thanks for the compliment ***** , I imagine your stock will come out great too. Good luck.
Easy off works wonders for removing finishes. I used to use it to remove anodizing from aluminum. The rifle looks fantastic Jon
Doing it NOW, your way with Easyoff. Thank you for the post. My project is working out well. I tend to be ... detailed so I'm sanding more for a finer, smother finish with out losing the stamps. Again ... thanks.! Great Vid!
Thank you friend! I'm starting my Mosin rebuild this week. I'm gonna use your method and thank you for the step by step process.
Dan Dan great , I hope it turns out well.
Linseed oil is good stuff. Every time you clean the rifle just wipe the wood with another coat and it will last for ever.
Great info on Easy Off from all posters. Thanks.
I want to do something like this with my Mosin Nagant but, I also like the finish that’s on it because it gives it that old stile look and feel.
Great tip with the Easy Off. I refinish all of my wood projects with the oldest and best preservative formula that is tried and tested. 1/3 Pine Tar, 1/3 Linseed Oil (I don't use Boiled Linseed Oil because of the toxic chemicals added), and 1/3 Turpentine. I heat up the wood first in the sun on in the car if it's cooler out and heat up the mixture too. I use this on all my axe handles as well and it looks amazing. This is the old Swedish recipe and what the Vikings used on all their ships.
Im about to try this on my surplus rifle! Love this video, what a great way !
How did it go?
Thank you for the awesome video! I hadn't thought of using linseed oil to refinish my 91/30 but I see it's the way to go from your video.
I've been happy with linseed oil for many years, and it's easy to apply. Thanks for watching.
You've just inspired me to do the same to my Mosin. I have my oven cleaner & linseed oil, and I'm about to get cracking. I hope it ends up looking as good as yours :)
Simon Cross Good luck with your project.
Bit late now. Started stripping and refinishing M1 rifles at Long Beach Marine Barracks. Have used Easy Off several times. Found that 2 or 3 coats of Linseed is a good base but for a better finish, use 3 or 4 hand rubbed coats of Tung Oil afterwards. It is a better and more durable finish. The linseed penetrates and refreshes the wood after the harsh Easy Off and age. Use OOOO steel wool between coats (wiping with a damp rag) then wax the whole rifle for better protection (all of the visible parts and areas). I enjoy cleaning up my Mosins as well. Thanks.
Sir,so strip,clean,linseed oil,Then tung oil as well? Then red mahogany 225 for my rifle. Another fella said he liked the wax finish better also. Thank you,Robert
Great job! Now I am inspired to tackle my rifles.
Thanks for posting this. I have been looking for an easier way to refinish my Mosin and SKS and bringing the look back to a some what Blonde look. You video really helps!
Thanks for your support. I believe it is easy to do, and results are great. Good luck on your projects.
Trace..., learned this trick many years ago when surplus rifles were a lot more common, and diverse. I have not seen others on YT use this method, so I felt the need to share it.
Just got my new Mosin in and have decided to refinish the stock, gonna give this method a try, your rifle came out beautiful;
I'd like to see yours when you are done The Texian Libertarian .Thanks for watching, Jon.
plenty of videos showing HOW to clean the metal parts of a mosin, so few showing how to deal with the wood parts, thanks for making this video "jon with no h" or "john"
Richard Au Thanks for the kudo's, glad you approve. Thanks for adding to the discussion too. Jon
Thanks for the video! Your riffle turned out great! I hope to do this process within the next few months and I'll let you know how it turns out. Thanks.
Good luck on your stock ***** It seems it works on most, but not all rifles. It certainly is worth a try, before you break out the sandpaper and get aggressive.
Great vid! Your stock turned out really nice! Very informative with minimal amount of work. Thanks for sharing...
Thanks ErlefromVa I'm pleased with the results. I have had others comment that it has worked well for them too.
I just finished mine pretty much using your steps. But I used Citiristrip instead of oven cleaner. It came out great!
Jriv193 I have heard of other folks using similar products to good effect. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Great job, love the wood grain on that stock. I have to refinish 2 of mine and the 3rd I'm customizing.
gonzalezfirearms I am pleased with how it came out, your results may vary , lol. Good luck on your projects.
Jon with no h shootology channel thanks! I just got done sanding it and prepping it for painting tomorrow. Can't wait!
To each his own. I too, live by the KISS theory. A really nice looking nugget you have there now.
J Sweatt Thanks, i like it too.
Great video. Surprised me with oven cleaner. Beautiful job on the finish.
I use wife's old panty hose to spread and rub the oil. A man at the furniture shop (refinish) suggested it. Works great and does not leave any threads.
Looking forward to see your range time
That is a great tip Walter B Thanks for adding to the discussion, Jon
Hmmm. Can't walk in and out of target with just panty hose. maybe ill grab a mountain dew and a can of axe to look inconspicuous. thanks for the tip
I do, I buy new ones for her.
I used Cheese wrap on mine...it worked perfectly. You can but it really cheap at Walmart.
todd brooks that is awesome
This is a pretty ingeneous method. I wish I'd known about it a couple weeks ago. I did it the hard way. Mine looked like at some point someone had just slapped a coat of shellac over grease, dirt and everything already there. I had to apply a LOT of elbow grease. Then used tung oil instead of linseed, because it's what I prefer. You might also want to try Birchwood Casey's new Gun Stock Wax for a final finish. They've reformulated the wax and its results on top of a nicely oiled, rubbed & cured finish add an amazing deep but not overly glossy shine. Make sure to get the new formula.
I bought one from Big 5 and was cleaning the cosmoline off it and had the stock in some hot boiled water for 2 minutes...it not only took the cosmo off but the varnish as well...lol...it looked awesome so I went over it with pine tar and tung oil
I really like your method. I like the natural wood look as well. I’m gonna to refinish mine. Thanks!
Jon-The Jon with no h Refinish Technique - with the EZ Off Oven Cleaner - nice!!
great video. i never thought of easy off. i'm not restoring a mosin-nagant, i'm working on an old marlin rifle stock, but as usual, i'm looking for the easiest way to get rid of the old finish. i'm gonna give your process a whirl. thanks. and as always:
semper fi, carry on!!
Thanks for your input John Hattabaugh I hope your Marlin comes out well.
that looks' great I will be redueing my 91/30 1935 stock it is black and red, so it is a restain job for sure a great post Brother we love our mosins'.
Turned out great! Nice job
Glad you like it!
Looks great. Going to try this on my Steyr M95...thanks!
Great vid man, never thought of using oven cleaner, last one I refinished I sprayed with carb cleaner.
I can see carb cleaner working, hope you give this a try and let us know how it compares Bob Boberson
The red color in factory Mosin Nagant stocks comes from the fact that its usually a shellac finish. The Tula rifles have the most red color.
Looks great. I never would have thought of easy off.
looks great I might try this on my type 53 to make it not so ugly
Looks great. There is a recipe on the CMP forum for "Gunny paste", its a mixture of BLO, bees wax and turpentine. Just rub it in and looks like original military.
Well done video, Jon. Thanks for sharing your process. I'm sure that took some time, so I appreciate it.
Sean O'Connor Thanks for your input. The whole project took a couple days between processes, but the total time working on it was not more than a couple hours.
Generally the Russian rifles had shellac finishes...no need for using caustic easy-off, when you can easily strip the stock with plain ole' denatured alcohol. I think using DA is way easier.
Sounds like a great mix. I may try that one too. Thanks for adding to the discussion.
thanks for the video,are stock came out really nice,,,also a nail brush works real good on oven cleaner to
+John Normile a brush is a great idea. Thanks for adding to the discussion.
stock looks nice.
I found after you use your stripper and it is ready to be removed. rubbing it with dry wood shavings really makes quick work of it.
That is a great tip, never considered anything like that. Thanks for adding to the discussion.
ive got 35 coats of boiled linseed oil one of my stocks and to does darken it up over time.
Nice job!
Great video. I might do this to my mosin nagant
Laj
Very nice looking rifle you get there, I use Easy-off too...
Tommy Stone That's great, EO works like a charm on oily wood.
Jon with no h shootology channel
yep EO pulls all the cosmoline out of the wood and then I put a coat of Minwax red chestnut onto it...
i am a purist but i am fine with this change of the stock finish since the original is infamous for peeling off. just don't do any of those bubba tacticool crap, it's part of my country's history.
Glad you approve, my desire was to improve the finish, but not sand off markings or profile of stock.
Jon with no h
Fuck your country
@@allanragnarson7898 you ain't gotta be a prick, go back to your closet
Allan Ragnarson Someones a salty fuck.
Welcome to September 1st, 2020. Before this year, I would never have taken my Mosin and wrecked it's historical value intrinsically. But with people going off their nut, it's one of my "battle" rifle so I'm refinishing it and updating the rear sight to a micro click peep. Good luck, Patriots.
I can understand where you are coming from but we also live in a era. Where they no longer make these firearms and they just keep rising and rising in price. Preservation is steadily being replaced with restoration to preserve the rifle entirely. For example I had just recently purchased a Turkish Mauser for Christmas. And the condition of the rifle was not in horrible shape but the worst part about it. Was the stock so I sanded the finish off completely and used BLO for the finish. I didn't do anything to the rifle that was not necessary stock cuts, drill and taps for scope mounts etc. In terms of what this gentleman is doing with his M44 truthfully there is nothing wrong with it.
Thanks, I did this to my 91/30 and it looks amazing now. I used less coats of oil as you but that is just a personal preference. But use gloves people! The easy off killed like 2 layers off skin on my hands and I was peeling off skin for a week!
OSU Bucks421 Gloves is a great idea, EO has some pretty potent chemicals.
+Jon with no h I used to use a lot of industrial oven cleaner when I had to clean a bunch of those grease filters/traps they hang above deep fryers in restaurants. Pay heed to Jon's warning; don't breath that stuff in - it will result in a coughing fit an I'm guessing its not good for your lungs in the long run either.
Just a quick tip for you; Don't use a rag to apply the linseed oil. Instead pour it on your bare hand and rub it in, using a fair amount of friction. The heat will help it soak in, then apply additional coats for a nice semi gloss finish. This is how we used to maintain the finish on M14 stocks in the service.
That's good info loboohio I used a glove to make cleanup easier, but I can see your method has been widely used for years. Thanks for adding to the discussion, Jon.
I want my stock to smell like clove but oil. Would it be ok to give the stock 5 coats of clove oil?
Beautiful job
Thanks shelley dupont for your kudos. Jon.
Barbarossa..pine tar was a new one for me. Saw first video just weeks ago by Logcabinlooms. I like it, because it's old school. May give it a try some day. Thanks for adding to the discussion.
Great job looks great!
Thanks docwilkey , I'm pleased with the results too. Thanks for watching.
can you wipe the easy off off with a rag or anything else? or would you recommend just a plastic scraper
Is there any other finishing oils out there that can make the wood dark again.. I've used oven cleaner on multiple rifles and man I just feel bad for the finish afterwords... the rifle is awesome with linseed but looking for another variant. Let me know. Thank you in advance!
I have a question for you what year is your m44 carbine I have one of the trial variants from 1943 and one more question do you happen to know how to get cosmoline out of a mosin nagant oil/solvent bottle because can not get the stuff to come out of the bottle
Thanks revolver8shot, I like the lighter color stock too.
Beautiful job! Thumbs up!~John (mine has an H lol)
Informative video, I am glad I came across it. It did however leave out one important detail that left me asking; how long do you let it sit/soak with the Easy Off before you scrape?
10-15 seconds is usually all it takes. If you wait too long the oven cleaner will start to evaporate and the shellac will resolidify
@@jonwithnoh7 I finished mine, and I am thrilled with the results! Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
great job big change
should i use Tru oil or linseed? i have both.
Great mckwilly, I'd like to see how it turns out.
I suppose EO will work on any wood gun stock? Like my 1970 Rem 870? Thanks, J
the linseed oil will eventually turn red too. That's why the US switched to Tung Oil for their rifles. There are good articles on this on the CMP Forums and on Garand Gear.
Good info you have added, if my stock turns a bit more red, so be it , not a bother to me. Thanks for adding to the discussion.
What did you use to clean the wood after sanding? Mineral spirits? I am looking for a way to refinish a K98 RC stock to get off all that shelac but want to preserve the waffenampts so sanding would be avoided in these areas. Thanks.
I wiped it down with a clean rag only , no chemicals. I sanded very little, only enough to get off fuzz raised by water. you might get by with no sanding. Good luck , Jon
How long did you leave the easy off on for? And how many times did you use it?
So, I'm in the middle of this right now got the stock set aside drying at the moment. Gotta say thank you for this video it really made it simple. hoping for a response about this, I'm try to choose between tung oil and boiled linseed oil which would you recommend?
+captindude I would use whatever you have on hand. I have used both. I like smell of linseed oil, and it is more old school.
wouldn't that work also on cleaning the cosmline out of the bolt?
Good job. I used furniture stripper rubbed with ,fine steel wool. Came off completely after 2 applications. Then I mixed linseed oil with turpentine 50/50. Put on about 3 coats. Make sure you let it dry well which may take a few days.
poochie49 sounds like a great alternative method. Thanks for adding to the discussion.
Nice job. Looks a lot better. I wonder if it does anything to the historical or resale value?
It’s quite the job to get the preservative off my 91/30 stock. I’m using hair dryer, and it’s a tedious process.
i have the 91/30 was just out shooting it today i would love to get the carbine hopeful soon
The shorter carbine just felt better to me than the full size rifle. Good luck
thats what my gun store had at the time but have seen them at a gun show for around 350
Thanks. Starting the process sometime soon. I'll let you know how it turns out.
I'd be interested how it come out David Bilinski Thanks for adding to the discussion. Jon.
It looks beautiful
is that how you remove cosmoline? or do you remove cosmoline first then do that? Jon with no h shootology channel
I like the color. Great job.
Just wondering if this changes the resale value since it changes it's original battle used look.
Is this a laminent stock?
I'm just a little curious as to how it dries. I use linseed oil for painting. It increases the drying time and helps keep the different colors mixed.
I added a new coat each day for 3 days Carlton Lauderman and it seemed to cure fine in that time. It does not feel sticky, and smells great too.
Thanks WP... glad to know you find it helpful.
The finish on my 91/30 is orange shellac ... most likely, so was yours. If you take it off with denatured alcohol, the grain doesn't raise. Wet a cloth, wipe it off, Keep using a clean surface for each wipe and continue until no more finish comes off. It is perfectly acceptable to simply rinse the cloth in fresh alcohol, refold it and continue working.
Shellac dries very fast and doesn't soak in very much at all. Sand only to smooth over scratches and remove dirt, being careful not to remove or lighten the stamped markings.
If you intention is to actually 'restore' a MN, re-finish with heavy cut orange shellac applied with a decent synthetic brush ... but move fast so as to leave brush marks deliberately. Slop it on ... in the run up to WWII, the guys in the factories were spitting these out as fast as they could. This is reflected in 1) the rough finish on the inside of the stock and 2) the crappy finish that was applied.
Shellac dries almost immediately and is field repairable, if desired. A brush, a box of the cheapest grade of shellac and a jar of alcohol are all the technology needed to apply it. Since it air dries in minutes, it was preferable to a more durable, but slower to apply and slower drying, oil or varnish finish.You could take anybody from behind a plow, hand him a brush and in 15 minutes completely train him.
It looks to me like you made a lot of work for yourself ... and those who follow your instructions.
Read the directions on the linseed oil next time. Working in a warm location SOAK the wood with the oil (thinned 50/50 with turpentine), reapplying wherever the wood absorbs all of it for about 15 minutes, then wipe off the excess and allow it to dry. If the wood is warm and the oil is warm, the pores of the wood will be more open and allow the oil to soak in deeper. Deeper is better. Same deal subsequent layers ... apply generously, wait till most of it has soaked in, wipe again with a wrung out rag just to pick up the excess and give it an even wet sheen. Dry again. Oil takes a long time to dry and build layers because each fresh application partially dissolves the previous application. But, in time and with care, you'll end up with a water resistant finish that moves with the wood (won't crack) and can be repaired simply by wiping with an oil-dampened rag over the damaged spot.
No ... I'm not a troll. I'm a hobby woodworker who takes great pride in putting a nice finish on a nice piece of work.
Thanks for adding to the discussion.
As a woodworker, what would you recomend for me to put a "grey" finish on it? like a light/medium grey on the wood, I think that would look awesome.
I've heard that using BLO will cause the stock to sweat when shot or on a hot day. Is this true? Is raw linseed oil a better option, or is there something to put over the BLO that will prevent it from sweating out?
kyle john I have not seen those issues with BLO, but I have seen them with cosmoline soaked stocks under those circumstances. As long as BLO is absorbed into wood, and not over applied, it has worked well for me.
Ok sounds great. Thank you for the quick response!
kyle john
Good luck with any method you do use.
Did you seal this with anything after the linseed applications?
No David Bilinski just used the linseed oil.
Nice method....why not remove the butt plate and the barrel band keepers etc..?..only takes a minute or 2. But aside from my negative remarks, i'll be using this method!
Yeah, I did this to my stock and its not looking good so far. I think my stock was crap to start because yours has a really nice color after sanding. I did 3 runs of easy off. Rinsed a few times. Sanded with a course grade then 320 and it is still pretty splotchy. Not sure what I may have done wrong. Too much easy off?
I know this is old, but I figured I may be able to help others who stumble across this.
IIRC Mosins predominately had Arctic Birch wood stocks. Birch tends to take stains and finishes rather inconsistently. I've never tried it, however I have heard good things about using a wood stain conditioner, which helps the wood take stains and finishes more evenly.
Try rinsing it with a mild soap like Dawn dish soap. It is possible that you aren't getting all of the stripper off. Give it a few days to ensure the water has entirely evaporated..
Your stock could also have some cosmoline left in it which is interfering with the finishing oil.
Ultimately you could just have some punky/rotten spots on your stock.
May I ask what grit Sandpaper did you use ?
Stuntinn pitbike A very fine sand paper (400 or 600 grit) was used, and very sparingly. Good luck
Ok thnks ill be attempting to do this today thx for the quick response !
gapster..., this may not be for the purist Mosin collector, but it's not like I chopped off the barrel and stock and sporterized it, in a Bubba way. The heat method is long and tedious, and never gets all the cosmoline out, in my experience. Good luck buddy. Wanna see the end result on your rifle.
Thanks chevy6299, that is a great idea to add linseed oil, periodically.
Just got me a Mosin. Gonna try this when I get the tax money in. Thanks for this, cause right now, after cleaning off the gunk, the wood's original finish is peeling off. :/ Not pretty at all, but this makes it look pretty dang good.
Your rifle sounds a lot like my mosin as it came. Hope it turns out great, good luck , Jon
thanks alot, this will be very helpful for me. how long did you wait till you started scraping?
You can begin scraping within a half minute or so. If you wait too long, the solution will dry out, and have to be reapplied. Good luck.
Once you soak the stock in easy off, wouldn't it be easier to just rinse the old finish off? Or would that damage it somehow? The scraping method seems really inefficient and tedious.
I believe you could do it that way Dr. MJOLNIR , but the scraping part was easier for me, than doing this over a sink.
Since you were outside I just assumed that you would have a hose readily available. I guess I was wrong. Thanks anyway.
Dr. MJOLNIR
I can see your point. A good scrub brush, and a hose may work in removing the finish, with the Eazy-off. Thanks for adding to the discussion, Jon
Dr. MJOLNIR if you try it this way I'd be interested to hear the results since I'll be doing mine soon.
did you try to sweat out the cosmoline first or just let the easy off do that?
No heat used, all just Easy-off. Good luck.
Surprised the BLO worked out as well as it did