Hi Folks,
I finally got around to epoxying the V-Blocks into the factory supplied inlets for them. I was worried about getting them into the proper positions without the epoxy running into the various holes and parts of the rifle. I got a lot of good information about doing this job from YouTube tutorials. Thank you YouTube.
The Boyd's stock was supposed to be walnut. The original stock had almost no visible grain or figuring. The most obvious were just barely noticeable near the end of the forearm and at the bottom of the pistol grip. The factory finish probably was hiding most of the features and flaws of the walnut stump or branch wood. So, I decided to remove the factory finish to see what was really there.
Again I went to YouTube and reviewed how other folks have re-finished their wooden stocks. I used a water base paint stripper called “Lift Off” to soften up the factory’s final coat. I sanded the stock with 320 grit paper down to the surface of the wood. I used several applications of “Krud Kutter” to remove the soaked in stain. I flushed the "Krud Kutter" with lots of hot water. I let the stock had dried a few days. I applied three coats of “Tru-Oil” over a few more days. The "Tru-Oil" was very glossy. I tried to give the stock a satin finish by lightly rubbing it with very fine steel wool.
Now… the underlying walnut grain and figuring are much more visible. Below is the link to a few photographs of the re-finished stock. Most of the close-up shots are slightly over exposed. This made the stock’s basic color a little lighter than it would normally appear. The photo of the complete stock is more typical of its basic color.
LINK to photographs:
https://goo.gl/photos/gY6oQ2jUQHyjWd6x9
Thanks for all the suggestions,
Ron