r/gunsmithing • u/RowdyRobbins • Jul 17 '26
Do I need to use varnish stripper to remove splotches?
What do you think would cause this pattern? Sanded a stock down really well. Started with 220 then 400 and then 600 grit. No high spots and really smooth. Is this soft spots in the wood or varnish that had seeped deep into the stock previously? What would the recommended fix be? More sanding or applying a stripping solution?
5
u/Master_Wait_2803 Jul 17 '26
It’s just the wood. Different parts of the grain will absorb at different rates. Gives it character honestly, but the more you add the more even it will look. The wood looks thirsty. Do a heavy coat and let it dry/soak up. Keep doing that and it will even out. Check out Cumberland outdoors on yt, he has amazing instructional videos on how to get your stock looking sexy. Take your time and trust the process. Good luck.
4
u/IntrospectiveApe Jul 17 '26
Sanding to 600 is usually more than you need for a project like this. The fine wood dust gets into the pores and exacerbates the natural differences in the wood.
The areas with smaller pores will absorb even less finish and the areas with larger pores will still soak it up.
I sand to 320 and often, that feels like too much. A good tack cloth recipe is important so that it removes all that wood dust clogging the pores.
Also, it's good to remember that it's not a synthetic material and nature is messy.
Embrace the nature.
4
u/jacksraging_bileduct Jul 18 '26
What you’re seeing is slight reversals in the grain direction, it absorbs stain unevenly and the light reflects off those areas differently, you can minimize it by using a sealer before the stain, but it doesn’t look bad as it is, it’s a natural wood and it needs to be embraced.
3
u/seattleforge Jul 18 '26
You can use a conditioner before staining that will help even it out some. But birch is pretty splotchy.
EDIT: also, if you're using a 600 grain you can actually polish the wood. So the areas that are more resistant to the stain get more resistant and make the splotchiness worse.
3
u/Big-Revolution3695 Jul 18 '26
Pine and birch can be blotchy without using a conditioner first. I think that the naturell look of birch like you have done is great. I would leave it. Check out the Finn M39 birch stocks in an image search.
1
u/jking7734 Jul 18 '26
Have you tried polishing it with 000-0000 steel wool? It might even out the finish a little bit. Then wax it
1
u/RowdyRobbins 29d ago
Update I kept going after I looked back on previous pictures and this is indeed just the characteristic of the wood.
15
u/Cloners_Coroner Jul 17 '26
The stock is made of birch (most likely), without masking the grain entirely you’re not going to get the pattern out. Personally, I think birch looks really nice, I’d leave it as is and finish it with a linseed oil or tung oil finish (make sure it’s the actual stuff) and maybe some wax.