Ok, everyone, hold onto your hats. We're not talking about a Milsurp, here, so I'm going to go a bit off the beaten path just for the view!

First off will be to remove any finish on the stock. Here I'd recommend a heavy-bodied stripper like the Kleanstrip HD remover. It's in a spray can and it'll cut through pretty much everything especially after two or even a third application. Hang the stock over a barrel and spray it, let it sit, then remove the crud according to the can. After all that, let it sit overnight to make sure it's clean and dry.

Now the issue is going to be to get the stock light enough for you to be able to apply a light-colored stain. IF the stock is walnut or any other dark wood, you'll be pretty much out of luck unless you're prepared to bleach it heavily. Understand that bleaching the wood won't affect anything except the outermost layer of lumber. The pigments there will be removed but if you even scratch the surface with your thumbnail, you'll discover original color below. I'm just saying that so you understand the layer you'll be working with. So, if you have to bleach a dark wood stock, you can use the Kleanstrip bleaching system. It's inert and, while it will require multiple coats over days, it's predictable. You once again hang the stock, mix the two liquids, and brush on heavily. Let it sit. You WON'T SEE ANY DIFFERENCE until the stock is DRY, overnight. That's important. This is NOT a fast process but will work. Since you're not really concerned about originality in any way, you can also use Oxyalic Acid, another wood bleaching material. It's MUCH more aggressive but will kill the pigment more quickly. Mix up a batch of crystals in water, hang the stock, and brush on. Again, two coats will be required and you'll have to leave it to dry completely before you see the difference.

Finally, color. Don't waste your time at Lowes or Home Depot or any local "paint shop" for that matter. None of them will have anything close to what you're looking for. Rather, concentrate on the dyes. These colorants are required to do the job you're looking to do. The dyes are translucent and will leave the wood totally unobscured but will bring color in, especially in the "girly" colors. Pinks or other colors in that family are not ones normally offered to the retail public so you'll have to work to find them. However, you can find RIT dyes in pinks as they are used for cloth. http://www.ritdye.com/Color+Chart.4.lasso I would strongly recommend that you use denatured alcohol to dissolve the dyes in, however. Normally they are mixed with water but that will raise the grain. DA, however, won't. So, after cleaning and bleaching you can sand very very lightly to kill the standing hairs and then color up.

Finally, for a finish, I'd stongly recommend that you use a spray lacquer. You have to seal in the color and put on a protective finish. Here the home centers will be able to help you. They do sell spray lacquer. Hang the stock, shoot the colored stock with two coats. Let 'em dry, sand just the finish gently with 220 and then shoot a third. That should render a very durable finish, especially for this project.

Hope that helps. If you run into any issues, email me directly and I'll be happy to answer a specific question if I can.

Ok, back to your seats, everyone. Nothing to see here! Move along!

Rome