spot repair of scratches - in thick clearcoat

[bajabill]

I have an older Rem 870 (circa early 80s) that has a deep scratch in the high luster clearcoat finish.  How is the best way to repair this.  I sanded the area progressively up to about a 600 wetsand and the scratch is pretty well blended.  But, I do not match the luster of the untouched areas.  I dont know what the finish is to be confident of matching it.

[slimjlm]

Refinishing the entire stock would be best, but you can use a Wipe-On polyurethane (like minwax from wally-world) to get it real close.  Test it in a hidden spot to make sure it doesn't attack the factory finish or otherwise damage it!!  Apply it thin with a lint free rag to the damaged spot, let dry thoroughly then smooth with fine paper, do this until it is perfectly smooth, but not glossy.  For the final smooth / polish you need to get fingernail polishing boards, the ones that are sold in singles with foam centers (mine happen to be 6.75" x 0.75" from wally too). You probably only need 'Conditioning' and 'Shine' ones, but remember all the other grits for future projects.  Then go over the area with the condition first then the shine and it should Gloss up pretty well. 

[gunnut69]

The traditional way is to build the finish back and polish with Brownells '555' grit polsihes and finer until even. I have repaired many of these and found a much easier way. I use the rub-on-poly from Wallyworld but apply it until the spot has been completely filled rubbing with '0000' steel wool between coats. When the finish looks as if it's level I give the whole stock a buffing woth the steel fur enough to blend it entirely. Don't try to remove finish. The purpose of the wool is just to provide the next coat a bit of 'tooth' to help it bond to the surface of prior coats. The blending rub out should produce a fairly even satin finished stock. Then apply a light coat, as light as possible. This will be treated as the shine coat on an automobile. Handle the stock carefully as possibler and allow to dry in a clean area. I use a room in the house that is free of use for several hours. This will produce an extreme shine and require a huge amount less handwork to get there. It's a bit of a pain but way less than the other means.

[tcbnick]

Not to get to far off subject, but I've found that "Clear Plastic Cleaner & Polish" ( I just happen to use Meguiars Plastx that I use on my Harley windshields) works great for shining up those thick stock finishes like on my Weatherbys

[bajabill]

thanks, I will give the rub on poly a try