Shellac Rifle Stock

[NJS]

My cousin completed a TOW kit and finished the stock with tung oil. He was about to be deployed overseas and wanted a little more of a gloss finish on the stock. So, a local “professional” convinced him to leave the rifle with him and he would get a high gloss finish on it. So, long story short we think he coated the stock with shellac and it’s been 3 years and the stock is still tacky feeling, like the shellac never dried. My question is, do any of you have any suggestions on the easiest way to remove the shellac? Thanks in advance for all of your help!

[Cossack]

Spray-on chemical paint stripper from the hardware store, like Klean Strip EZ Stripper or Citristrip, should take it right off.  Nasty stuff. I've used it on communist rifle stocks that had shellac finish.

Obviously you're looking at a full refinish anyway.

I'm a bit surprised it's still tacky feeling though. That doesn't sound like shellac to me.

[P.Bigham]

I would try wiping the stock with denatured alcohol to thin the shellac. I don’t know what he used but that would thin or cut the shellac.  If cut correctly it should of dried quickly. Others may know more. 

[Goo]

Have you tried putting it in the sunshine?    Japan drier is supposed to help harden a clear finish like shellac and varnish.

[bob in the woods]

Shellac has a shelf life. The commercial premixed stuff doesn't dry as well once it gets older.  Was  the shellac dewaxed ?  I haven't ever seen shellac that would still be tacky after that long a time, however.  Perhaps it is some kind of oil based finish that never fully cured in which case sunlight might help.
If shellac was applied, an application of denatured alcohol should remove it without too much harm to the under finish.  It may take a few applications and some rubbing. The alcohol may actually help the finish to dry [ spiriting off a french polished finish as an example ]

[Scota4570]

Alcohol dissolves it.  The only rub is finding any right now due to covid hysteria.  If you score use the alcohol and paper towels to rub off as much as shellac you can.  Leave the rest in the grain as a filler.  Put new finish over.   I did one gun a long time ago with shellac.  It was sticky too.  Shellac is used as a first coat sealer in other wood working disciplines.  I now use deft sanding sealer as a first seal and fill layers. 

[Cossack]

I agree with the others - try denatured alcohol (shellac thinner) first. You might be able to save the finish underneath after all. I forgot about finding any due to the COVID.

If that doesn't work, I'd probably call this a mystery finish. If he's still around, you might call the "pro" and ask what he used, then go from there. If it remains a mystery, I'd be awfully tempted to just hit it with the nasty spray stripper (get all the metal off of it that you can 1st). I've never tried it on really nice wood, but it didn't seem to hurt the old military walnut, birch, and coachwood stocks I've stripped, many of which had been subjected to rattle-can paint jobs over their original oil or shellac finishes before I got them cheap. It pulled the rattle-can off as well as the original finish.

[Elnathan]

Hardware/home improvement/big box stores are considered "essential" and have been open in most places, I think, so I can't imagine that it would be all that difficult to get anything you need from one of them. Just be prepared to wait in line for quite awhile if your state is still in "lockdown" - at the place I work at we were getting twice our normal traffic with a reduced workforce and quite a bit of extra cleaning and precautions that had to be observed. Good for our bottom line, but really hard on everyone involved.

[alacran]

I bought a can of denatured alcohol last week. I don't like the stuff I rather use Isopropyl alcohol. Every place I've gone to, Wall Mart, Home Depot, Lowes, had plenty of denatured on hand. Luckily two days ago I was able to buy a couple of quarts of 91% Isopropyl at Wall Mart, first time they have had any in two months. Ace Hardware has carried Isopropyl all along, but in only 1 gallon cans. At $25.00.
Paid only $5.00 for 2 qts at Wall Mart.

[David Price]

NJS
If you can't find any denatured alcohol and you happen have a bottle of Gin Or Vodka try that.  I have used that at times when I needed the denatured alcohol as a shellac thinner, and didn't want to take the time to go and get some.  If it doesn't work you can drink the rest of the bottle and you won't care.  JUST A JOKE.

My other thought is maybe  it was just straight linseed oil  which will harden to a point of being sticky over a long period of time.  If that is the case try wiping it with pure turpentine.  If that doesn't work try a damp cloth with Lacquer thinner and gently wipe it until the sticky part is gone.  If you rub it too hard or too long it will also take off the under finish.  If any of these applications work let it dry outside for a couple of days and then apply your regular gun stock finish.

David Price

[WadePatton]

NJS
If you can't find any denatured alcohol and you happen have a bottle of Gin Or Vodka try that.  ...

Why not just get the grain alcohol when at the liquor store.  One of the brand names is "Everclear"  it's ~180 proof/90%  "fully-natured" alcohol.  It's less toxic than the hardware store stuff, and twice the strength of most gins and vodkas.

Denatured alcohol is simply grain alcohol plus poisons so we don't drink it and it can be sold at places without liquor licenses.   

They never shut down the likker stores 'round here. Distilling your own is still prohibited.

Agreed that old shellac won't cure out like fresh shellac.  Never had to fix any.  But also an undried oil finish is tacky as well.  UV is what I'd try first, then alcohol.  Did you ask the finisher what he used or express the problem to him? 

[Hungry Horse]

 The problem may not be completely the shellac. Tung  oil never really dries, Under magnification it is All microscopic wrinkles. It doesn’t always play well with other finishes. I’m a believer in high quality paint stripper, since most of the times when I wanted to remove a finish completely I eventually ended up get stripper involved, so now I just cut out the middleman and go straight to the stripper.

  Hungry Horse