Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: Antibubba on September 12, 2009, 06:05:35 PM
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I have a Yugo SKS that I'm finally getting around to working on, and I have most the cosmoline out (I think). I recently learned the stocks are most likely Beech, but could also be teak. Is there an easy way to tell the difference? The pictures I've found online weren't any help.
While at Home Depot I found Tung Oil, which surplusrifle.com recommends. I also found teak oil, which has protective properties. Ideas?
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There seems to be two different types of wood on yugo SKS and Mauser rifles. One is a yellow color with little grain the other is reddish in color.
I always assumed the yellow wood is beech.
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IIRC beech has a faint, wavey grain, and is also very tightly grained (i.e. no additional porosity at the grain lines compared to the rest of the wood). Color ranges from very light tan (almost white) to slightly yellow.
Teak is a strong, fairly straight grained and with a relatively open grain. Color is often a ruddy brown.
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Teak is usually a golden to light brown with straight, open grain. It's naturally oily and has been traditionally used in things which are exposed to the elements and need to last a long time. Because of it's color and natural oils, it looks pretty nice, too. I built a bookshelf with it. It's not cheap.
I've never really messed with raw beech, but it's a fairly common wood for gunstocks, probably due to it's hardness, durability and availability. It doesn't have the long straight stripey look of teak, but it has a tight grain. What I've seen varies from super-plain to simple maple-y looking patterns. Most beech stocks seem to get finished pretty dark, probably because there is little in the wood to show off.
As far as oil finishes, I guess it depends on what you want to achieve. I've used Tung Oil (pure tung oil) on guitar necks and can tell you that it will leave a nice satin finish that wears well for it's intended purpose. I would have no problem with it on an SKS stock. Like any other oil finish, it's not going to wear or protect like an all-weather urethane, but it's usually sufficient. Tung oil won't darken the color of the wood much, either. Boiled linseed oil is probably more common for gunstocks, but I don't know that there's any advantage to using it. I think most teak oil is actually tung or linseed oil with some extra stuff put in to help protect your teak from the elements. I have only used it on some teak boat parts that I didn't handle much after refinishing.
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Don't forget a simple BLO (Boiled Linseed Oil) finish.
I've done a few beech rifle stocks (Swedish Mauser, NoIMkIII* SMLE, AG-42B Ljungman) with it, and the results were absolutely gorgeous.
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmauser98.com%2Fljungmanbench.jpg&hash=86bb8b3c10f1e268aa7cb21c338a1382808982a2)
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I'm pretty sure that my unissued SKS is beech:
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv635%2Fbrimic%2Fyugo59-66.jpg&hash=ee4033b0bd2a8e5ca21ae35c612a0963bb7d38ae)
Here's a M48 which I think is beech as well, but I'm not certain. The wood has a greasy sort of waxy feel to it.
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv635%2Fbrimic%2FDSC00216.jpg&hash=5a3cd13e0951dc7c5749d2b62d12ac82f5c9c61a)
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I have to agree with GEW98, BLO does make a great looking finish, though this one is walnut. :cool:
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv635%2Fbrimic%2FDSC00073a.jpg&hash=996e87ff19a6976a4bcca2b06ebcde7e945f7ae2)
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A Swedish Mauser in walnut! Where is the "lust" smiley?
I'll try to get a picture posted, though I'll probably have to send it to Gewehr to post.
However, I'm starting to lean away from beech.
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The Yugos never put teak on their rifles. I believe the two types are beech and elm, elm being the darker.
www.sksboards.com
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A Swedish Mauser in walnut! Where is the "lust" smiley?
Most, if not all of the ones made in 1898-1899 have walnut stocks.
Here's my other 1899 swede with a Walnut stock, though the stock looks a lot less striking:
(https://armedpolitesociety.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fv635%2Fbrimic%2FPicture012.jpg&hash=d0a8ced71e242537ef3e3426682a2b69270c8458)
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I've a link for the pics now:
http://www.thehighroad.us/showthread.php?p=5172556#post5172556
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Teak is also a very dense wood and very heavy. Now if like lugging around a concrete block....
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Teak was used for some Simonovs destined for Africa. It doesn't look like beech though, does it?
It does seem a bit heavy...
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It doesn't look like beech. It looks pretty teaky, especially in pic 2.