cleaning up greasy wood...101

[chuckindenver]

iv seen a few posts lately on how to strip wood finish, or remove grease dirt and grime from military stocks.
today is stock day in my shop, so heres what i do.
i have an old blue tank that someone used for paint or something, so it cant be used for bluing anymore, i put a couple gallons of water, and ad Brownells 909 cleaner, just a couple coffee cups will do.
heat it to a boil, and set the stocks in, let them sit in the soup for about 15 mins, and then turn them over,
set a 10 more mins, and remove them, rinse them off, and clean with a SOS pad, let dry in the shade or inside the house for a day,
and they are in the white.
for heavy grease, i add a bit of degreaser available at any auto parts store.
this mix can be reused a few times, before its dumped.
simple green is a good degreaser and can be poured down the drain when done.
if the stock is cracked it will show, and is now easy to repair. sand stain and finish.

[M.A. Fox]

Chuck

I would be interested in knowing how you repair the crack in the second stock, or can it be repaired back to a shooter.

[chuckindenver]

sure it can. ill use acraglass gel. dye to match stain, and its done.
it would be better if the stock was broke in 2 parts, rather then work the epoxy in the crack. i might drill holes in the crack to help the epoxy flow.
i doubt the rifle will be shot, but it sure could be.
i had a Marlin guide gun that was broke in 2 by the airlines, i glued it back together, and you couldnt hardly see the repair. later that year, a horse rolled over on the same rifle, broke the stock again, however, my repair was just fine.
we replaced the stock the second time with a composit replacement.
if your hard on em, use the right equipment.

[M.A. Fox]

Thanks for the information. I have a stock that I can try that on. Not as bad but something new to try.

[chuckindenver]

if its cracked in the wrist area..
i drill small holes in the crack, and make some small wedges and open the crack so that you can work the epoxy inside the crack with a flexible edge.
them, pull the wedges,
i then use clear wide tape, and tape around the stock, tightly.,
let sit over nite, then remove the tape, the epoxy wont stick to the tape, dont know why, but it works, the tap will force the epoxy inside the crack as well, and keep it from oozing out.

[louthepou]

I've repaired a few stocks with West Epoxy - when it's prepared with no "thickener", it flows in cracks reasonably well.

Thanks for the tips Chuck!

Lou

[Sudaev]

Will that stuff have any effect on a stock cartouche, do you think?

[chuckindenver]

no, actually it will raise them up, if they will stand out more. as long as you dont sand over them

[Youngblood]

Everyone, be aware that water-bath cleaning will induce some wood components to warp ... so consider carefully before using this method on difficult-to-replace wood.

I have 2 Nº4 forearms that now sport a noticable twist.

Using water-bath stock cleaning I have never experienced any "fading" issues with deeply/well-struck cartouches. Lightly-stuck markings can raise, though.

[chuckindenver]

as i posted.
dont let them set in the bath for more then 15 mins. to avoid warping.
unless you have a warped stock that you want to staighten.
then if your going to clamp it in a wood vise, then let it set for 20 mins or more.

[Youngblood]

My 2 Nº4 forearms were in the water much less than 15 minutes. I hand-scrubbed them (as I have done with many, assorted stock-wood components) in a hotwater bath (w/ either Simple Green or Dawn), rinsed, toweled them as dry as possible and then left them out to slowly & thoroughly air dry. They were in water less than 10 minutes.

One I tried to straighten (untwist) with a counter-torque load while keeping the wood damp overnight ... didn't work.

... so consider carefully before using this method on difficult-to-replace wood.

That said, I have cleaned, probably, ~30 stocks in a hotwater bath and only experienced issues with those 2 pieces.

[chuckindenver]

i use Brownells 909. and have a blue tank set asside just for this.
you are correct. its a gamble at best when restoring a rifle..
i notice that the type of wood may be an issue with some rifles.
Winter Beach is a wood i wouldnt strip in the hotbath.. im nit versed on Brit rifles, but id bet the wood used isnt walnut, and likely another hardwood.
98% of the restorations i do are US military arms, and walnut is the most common wood used with them.
i know that wood like Cherry, Mahogany, and Pine will warp very easy..so caution must be used with them.

[Youngblood]

I have always used a white wallpaper tray in the bathtub for stock scrub-a-dub.

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y285/Jungesblut/Stuff/WallpaperTray.jpg

Since they are made of PETE and impervious to mineral spirits, they are also handy for soaking/cleaning greasy/oily/nasty barreled actions.

[Jim Tarleton]

If you don't want to water bath a stock, glycerin will remove almost any oil or grease from a stock. Glycerin is the active ingredient in handcleaners. I use the one in the orange container - Goop?:dunno:

Rinse it with MEK once finished it it will look like new wood.:super:

Jim:cool:

[stockerphil]

we put cracked parts in lacquer thinner instead of water. You can also use acetone but your airflow had better be stronger. before gluing, it helps to heat the cracked area by putting a light bulb real close. when you put the fiberglass epoxy on you will actually see it wick down into the crack. Apply more and flex the crack to work it down in. Some small holes can help as chuckindenver points out. We do that too. Another help with epoxy is to put acetone in the mix. Acetone cans list that it is an epoxy thinner, so it flows easier. A epoxy chemist first told me about this. He says the thined epoxy also wicks into the wood pores better giving a stronger bond.

In wrist breaks we often add steel pins after the epoxy dries. Drill a hole that crosses the break, a little bigger than the steel pin, mix epoxy with heavy fiber content, coat the pin, pour epoxy in the hole, work the pin into it. Most times we find a way to drill so it won't be seen. Sometimes you may drill in from the outside and plug the hole with another piece of wood. If there is checkering the hole can be into the checkering field and after recutting it is almost invisible.

Sometimes we mill into the stock, in an area under the metal and insert a wood or plywood stiffener

[rondog]

I've had very good luck with Dawn Power Dissolver and some brushes in the bathtub. I just don't have any extra heated bluing tanks laying around. Use good Playtex gloves though, and scrub the stock afterwards with hot, soapy water and rinse well. Just doesn't penetrate very deep, and oil will continue to bleed out.

And I read about a guy that uses compressed air to gently blow the glue deeper into the cracks. Sounds like a winner.

Also read about a guy that took some diatomaceous earth, mixed it with acetone into a paste, and packed it all around a stock to get the oil, grease and cosmoline out. I have a greasy Mosin stock that I'm going to try it on. I've got the DE and acetone, just about have a tank finished to put it in. You could just use heavy sheet plastic in a cardboard form to put the stock and paste in.

What he said happens is, the acetone penetrates the wood and dissolves the oil/grease/cosmo and it flows out into the paste. As the acetone evaporates, the highly absorbent DE soaks up the oil. DE is basically ground up microscopic fossils of sea critters, and is used for cleaning oily floors and I guess it's a good insect killer too. Very absorbent, so they say. I bought a 30lb. bag from Graingers.

[armabill]

I had a stock that was covered with lacquer or varnish which was starting to crack and peel. You could scrap it off with your finger nail.

I used scotch brite lightly, wiping it off with a dry cloth. It retained all of it's origin finish without damaging the wood.

Worked out real well for me.