Next project

[Dick Hosmer]

That's damn nice work - at least from this angle. But, when a completely different piece of wood is put in, even if you get the color and major grain right, it is sometimes possible to view it from a different angle and the patch will visually 'pop' out at you.

[Parashooter]

Yes, matching refraction is tough, especially with oiled walnut - and there's no easy way to predict the best angle for the patch.

[ww321q]

Thanks Parashooter Rick B showed me some of his repairs. I tried Gorilla glue and liked it better than epoxy. It's not for everything but worked so well on 2 repairs I did that you probably wouldn't even notice them until I pointed them out.

[Mark Daiute]

I have an 1898 Carbine that has the same color as the subject rifle of this thread.

[ww321q]

Why is yours so dark?

[Mark Daiute]

Why is yours so dark?

I haven't a clue, but it looks like it came from Springfield like that. Maybe it was salt air? It spent a lot of time in the North Shore of Mass. Well, not in the shore but on the land in Beverly Mass or nearby.

[madsenshooter]

I've found walnut stain on some stocks, mostly Italian walnut that needed darkened. BLO darkens with exposure to sunshine. And, in some cases, the rifles were stored in cosmoline so long they absorbed most of it, which darkens them. Makes them weigh heavier too, the stock my parkerized 92/96 now resides in is very dark, and weighs maybe a half pound to a pound more than another example I have. It absorbed so much cosmoline that the 1895 cartouche is now an outtie!

[psteinmayer]

My 1898 that was used in WW1 has a quite dark stock too! I always wondered why it was so dark as compared to others I've seen. I always assumed it was due to it's age.

[ww321q]

Picked up the rifle today. Looks just like the photos posted on GB. Getting ready to clean the bore and slug it. Gauged it really quick with a 308 round and it drops in almost to the case neck so it's a little loose at the muzzle. I figured I would have to cast bullets to match the worn bore. Barrel finish on the outside is pretty good really. I just need to knock off a little surface rust and a good cleaning and oiling on all the metal. I'm not sure about the wood. As some mentioned theirs being dark also, mine seems to be dark under the finish also so it's not just stained that dark. That is going to make matching new wood repairs to the old wood real fun. Still need to find a front band assembly at a reasonable price. I'm really happy with this purchase though. JW

[ww321q]

Still working on the extremely fouled barrel. Cleaned the stock and although it's still very dark I can see the grain now! LOL