[milprileb]

My rifle is brown but I know / certain its been stained and some oil finish on it. It looks dry though.
Question 1: recommended color and finish to bring it near original color / finish. I would like to bring
it close for historical purposes.

My rifle has a trigger pull that is horrible.

Question 2: recommended actions to ease this situation.

This rifle is a mismatch bolt with defaced Mum. Its in fine condition otherwise.

It will never be original but I think I can improve it to come close to being acceptable in outward appearance to
a original T99 rifle.

Thank you in advance.

 

[03man]

There is not much you can do to recover the finish; one just can't "unstain" the light colored Arisaka wood and don't use any sand paper.

Start with a good cleaning of the bolt and trigger mechanism; then lube and try the trigger again.

 

[milprileb]

How about BLO for a finish ?

 

[mike radford]

Finishes vary with manufacter and series. You can usually find a varnish that will come close to original in color, but it will take some effort.

On the trigger, what Don says is a good place to start. If it is still too rough for taste, a very light and careful polishing of the contact points should help.

 

[Dean]

I use Formby's Furniture Refinisher to strip off the old finish. Work a small area with a 0000 steel wool pad dipped in the refinisher. Wipe clean with paper towel.

After you strip off the old finish, use Minwax Red Mahogany stain. Apply with a brush or rag. Follow directions. After the stain has dried about 24 hours, seal with semi-gloss spray laquer. Don't use any oil-based finish, as it will take off the stain.

Since the original finish has been removed, I don't think you can make it any worse. In most cases, better.

Dean (the other one)

 

[03man]

Very few Arisakas would have had a stain color as red as "Red Mahogany".

Look in the barrel channel or the mag well for an indication of the original color.

 

[Dean]

Actually, the Red Mahogany stain is not "red" when it is applied to that particular wood. And most of the time matches the original color in the barrel channel.

Dean (the other one)

 

[03man]

I've used it too, and it is pretty darn red, redder than most original stocks; except some of those produced by TK. If you put it over some other stain, and the wood is not in its natural state of "white", it probaly isn't too bad.

I've always had to mix stains to get close; but then we are beating a dead horse. All he needs to do is look inside the stock and see what was there.

 

[milprileb]

Fine points by all and many thanks.
Pulling off stocks and will see where I have to go regarding color matching.

I did not erase the original finish on these weapons so the best I can do as
the current owner is attempt to make them appear correct in stock color but
frankly that is as wrong or right as leaving them looking as they are now.

They are not right, original or proper as collector examples but that is where they are.

 

[Dean]

Not to beat the dead horse again, but Oh Three Man is right (again). That Minwax Red Mahogany can turn out too red on certain woods. I'm trying to restore a TJK series 37 that Bubba decided looked better with those chatter-marks sanded out, and a dark walnut finish. (The pictures on the auction site didn't show the stock "modification")
The Red Mahogany made the stock too dark.
Minwax has a new color, called "Gunstock", of all things. It's more of the orange/brown color found on Japanese stocks. After stripping the stock, I applied the new color, and it's pretty close to the original color. Enough so, that I'll finish it with a couple of coats of satin laquer, and leave it alone.

Dean (the other one)

 

[WillRuss]

My rifle has a trigger pull that is horrible.

I had a similar issue with the T99 I just rebuilt for my grandfather. I agree that a good cleaning is the first step, including removing and examining the trigger group. You may find that you're rubbing some rough surfaces together.

1. Just remove the barreled action and tap out the single pin holding the trigger group onto the receiver. Remove any general dirt and corrosion with oil and steel wool or some similar process which won't remove the bluing.
   
2. Note where the top of the trigger rubs against the bottom of the receiver. Polish that area (about the size of a grain of rice) AND the matching area on top of the trigger to a mirror finish then lightly re-oil them to preven corrosion. (Dremel makes a polishing wheel that's about the consistency of a pencil eraser which is great for polishing small areas without removing metal.)
   
3. Remove and disassemble the bolt. Look at the area where the sear (on the top rear of the trigger) rubs against the firing pin release. Those mating surfaces should also be polished to a mirror finish then re-oiled. I like to use the "fine" side of one of those four-sided multi-colored emory boards that my wife always has handy. I lay the board with the polishing side up on the edge of a table and rub the part against it. Remember that the edges of these two surfaces must remain flat and sharp to maintain a smooth and crisp trigger break. Do NOT use power tools to smooth these surfaces.

After some targeted polishing, my grandfather's T99 has a smooth takeup, and a crisp 6lb "glass rod" break like Tojo intended.