Update
Well this project got underway today.
First, some helpful information I was able to find. Check this out:
http://www.gunsnet.net/Linx310/furnitureremoval.htm
Although my rifle is not a SAR series, these general instructions for furniture removal worked beautifully. YMMV.
I returned the nail set and picked up about $20 worth of supplies at Lowe's. I worked there for a while and had a pretty good idea about what it was I wanted to do, but I talked to my old friend David in paint, caught up a little, BSed about the 1903A3 I want to have some day and his 1903A3 (his is really cool) etc.
Anyway after getting some professional input, I took my general purpose sanding sponge and some 240 grit sandpaper and went to work.
Once I got the furniture off, I was able to see it was basically a midgrade quality plywood that had been molded into furniture and poorly finished with some kind of cheap sealant or varnish. The sealant the Romanians used had soaked into the wood pretty deep and neither one of us thought it could be baked out like cosmoline.
The sealant is really gooped in nicely on the ends on the insides of the furniture where you can't see it when it's on the rifle. It's a black color with a messy finish. Basically it's half assed and I could do a better job myself.
Still it is fitted to this particular rifle, and the wood seems serviceable even if it's not particularly posh.
So I took my sanding block and used its roughest edges on the ends of the stock and guards to really scrape off as much of it is as possible, and spent about an hour sanding the furniture. I started with about 100 grit on the bad spots, then used the 180 grit side of the block, and then finished with the 240 grit.
The butt stock presented a couple of challenges. First it was the most uneven and pitted surface. That is not surprising as it is the biggest piece of wood. Second, removing the swivel and its mount proved challenging.
Basically I just sanded the devil out of it. I didn't completely remove two of the worst spots but I sure tried. It should be noticeably smoother to the touch now. As for the sling swivel, I had to put the stock in a vise and get the screws to turn the first 360 degrees using a precision screwdriver and a pair of Channel lock pliers. I am glad I did too because underneath was a black, uneven spot that needed to be sanded.
I got all of the furniture to the point it felt dry to the touch instead of moist, and a a little boot smoother. I finished them all off at one with the finer paper to try to get a uniform texture.
I had debated sealing it or staining it, but while I was in the store David pointed up my options and a big problem was that to stain it, I had to buy a gallon of stain and that was a waste of money. He said the stain could make the wood look nicer if I was willing to do my part, but quickly pointed out that if all I wanted was to make the furniture more functional and unlikely to rot, an exterior paint was a much easier and cheaper option.
That's sort of what I had in mind anyway as the wood grain pattern on this thing is not really all that attractive. I picked up a can of flat black, but my sister informed me that black furniture on the gun would look terrible. I thought about it and realized I agree with her, strangely enough. She suggested I paint it gunmetal gray, so I went with Storm Gray, the darker of the two gray hues they offered.
What David suggested to me that made sense when I thought about it was to apply first a thinner coat of the paint with a little bit of mineral spirits, to try to get this relatively low quality wood to "suck it up", and then to paint it a second time once this first coat dried. He warned it would take a little bit of a careful hand, but I spent a summer working with a painter and I am practiced in that regard.
The initial coat has been applied and drying for about an hour. It looks like it may turn out looking like smooth, gray synthetic furniture. I can live with that just fine.
While the gun is apart and the furniture is drying, I looked at the internals and whatnot and everything is in good order, but I've been having some fits with the magazines. I took a look at the magazine well and it was obvious where it had been widened. It was a file job albeit a neat one.
After looking at it under the light for a while I realized there was nothing inherently wrong with the magazine catch or the well, the problem was that the magazines themselves were just slightly too big for the gun and ill fitted.
File in hand, I was delighted to discover that less than 2 minutes worth of work turns an ill fitted steel magazine into a tightly fitting magazine which slides in and out easily and locks in tight.
In other news, I decided to try a Barska brand red dot sight for giggles. I will try it on this AK first, although I bought it for my 10/22.
Egads, this is turning into a project gun.
Second coat goes on tomorrow.