[mm33926988]

What would be the best way to fill in some scratches on the butt stock of a USRAC model 70 that I was told has a polyurethane finish? I've tried steaming the scratches, but they won't raise up. I need to fill the scratches and blend in with the factory finish on the stock. I appreciate your suggestions.

 

[Helix]

Depends on how deep the scratch is. If no color was lost and it is just the clear coat that was scratched you could add more polyurethane and use a fine grit steel wool and mineral spirits to buff it out after it hardens. if you lost stain you should use a set of stain pens to match the color before resealing it. I would not expect steam to lift a scratch in a poly coating since this coating is pretty waterproof. if you have a deep dent you could use a slow fill lacquer to fill the dent. you do this by dripping slow fill lacquer on just the dent leaving it in a high sort of a bubble and then waiting several days for it to harden. then use a very small sanding block (1" sq), fine grit sand paper and mineral spirits to make the hardend drop of lacquer match the level of the surrounding material but do not sand the surrounding material. then recoat it with polyurethane and buff with fine grit steel wool and mineral spirits. I used to do this to dinged table tops when I worked in a high end furniture shop when I was in college and if the color match was good you could not see the repair.

 

[mm33926988]

Thank you for the replies. I need to decide on what will work best and I am open to any other suggestions as well.

 

[zb338]

I had a Springfield which I finished with Poly'. I didn't
want the shine so after I did the Poly' I finished over
that with GB Linspeed oil. All it took was a little of the
GB rubbed over the Poly'. If I scratched the stock a
little I just took a tiny bit of Linspeed and smoothed
it in with my finger.

Zeke

 

[mm33926988]

I need to clarify that the scratches are 1 or 2 mm deep into the wood so that they appear lighter than the stained finish on the stock. I'd like to fill in the scratches and match the color of the stock and then try to feather or blend into the poly finish. The scratches, unfortunately, are not just in the clear polyurethane. Thanks for your suggestions, much appreciated.
MM

 

[Helix]

For color matching: look for mohawk stain felt tip pens. start about 2-3 shades lighter than you think at first glance. apply very sparingly and wait until dry. if still to light you can wipe it off with mineral spirits and try again. once you have the color matched then you can build the scratch back up with lacquer as I indicated above. You might even be able to find some videos on line of furniture repair tecniques if you have never seen this done before.

 

[ackley man]

We found a weird quick fix that we only used once on a Weatherby poly finish. Nail salons use a product that is acrylic. It is a two part product - liquid & powder. The problem is that for the mix to become reactive it must be subjected to an ultraviolet light source. The real plus is that it flows out level and will usually fill perfectly with little or no blending. As Helix stated, if you have lost color you will need to replace it first. If you can find a nail salon that will be willing to let you do the repair at their shop you will probably be pleased with the outcome. Another way to fill in the gouge is to flow in some sanding sealer to get it level then top coat it. Birchwood Casey's sanding sealer is relatively thick and works well. You just have to be patient as depending on the depth of the gouge it may take multiple applications with extended drying time. The one thing that I would recommend you stay away from is trying to use a burn-in stick as there is always some shrinkage and your repair may look perfect for only a few days until the repair shrinks even if you use burn-in balm. Good luck.

 

[Helix]

I would not recomend burning in the repair either. you are almost assured to melt the surrounding poly coating and cause more damage trying to fix it than the scratch itself. burn in irons take a lot of practice to master and you don't want to practice on a firearm.

 

[mm33926988]

Thanks again for the advice. Another guy suggested to me filling in the scratches with superglue and then blend in the area with some poly. I am just concerned that the color of the scratches won't match the rest of the stock.
MM

 

[mm33926988]

By the way, I hope I am correct that the USRAC made model 70 stocks were finished with a "satin" polyurethane.

 

[mtmrolla]

Brownells has a very fine rubbing compound that is ideal for that purpose..give it a try