Removing paint from Albanian stock?

[daytonlawvol]

Picked up my first Albanian, all matching numbers BUT some moron spray-painted the stock.  I want to remove the spray paint without removing the wood finish if possible....any advice?  If I do disturb some of the finish, what wood finish would replicate the Albanian stock color?

[ramblin84]

If spray painted then it's enamel (oil-based) which means some latex strippers won't work.  I don't see how you get it off without disturbing the base finish. A common recommendation is Citri-strip, it will work.

[firstchoiceak47]

  The previous owner may have already sanded down the stock to "prep" it for spray painting. Pick a less conspicuous spot and test (small area) a couple of removal methods first. Unfortunately, the deed may have already been done. Is the SN still crisp and visible on the stock?

  The original finish on most of the Alby stocks that I see was a half-hearted thin application of varnish that is usually flaking or wrinkled somewhere presently. The Albanians aren't known for their great stock finishes. Nice wood, they just didn't use a lot of effort to put a good finish on them.

  You could get lucky and the paint comes off without much effort. I had a Chinese hand guard that was spray painted green and I took my time and most of it came off by scratching with my thumbnail and then the edge of a credit card. No loss of original finish and it was a good looking specimen. No idea why it was painted.

  Good luck! Take some before and after pics and post them up!

firstchoiceak47