How to Fix No4 MkII mistake

[capt14k]

I sold my No4 MkII that I took out of the wrap but never removed the grease to a younger collector and it seems he used Acetone to remove the grease. The results are not good. Question is what was the original finish and how to get it back close to it. It's a 1954 and shouldn't have a blonde stock but now it has no finish stock. He is a good kid that made a mistake. .

Before still covered in grease




After Acetone Cleaning

Information

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[browningautorifle]

Looks like the stain has gone. If it's beech handguards then it's hard to stain. You need to thin the stain to make it go in. Front looks like it has the fish scale of beech...

[capt14k]

I think it is Beech at least the forestock is. Not sure what other woods were used. What was the original finish, because there is none left. Said he used Acetone and after everything was removed wiped a coat of regular linseed oil not boiled but it doesn't look like that did much. Now I wish I removed the grease from it. That butt stock would have looked beautiful with the dark finish.

[Patrick Chadwick]

The good news: It's fixable.

Over here in Mauserland I would get a bottle of Scherell's gunstock oil.
I have no connection with the shop linked below, the link is just exemplary - to save me the bother of writing out a lot of description.
The English form of writing with an 's makes me think that there ought to be a source in the UK or US.

Schaftl Schaftol hell

Scherell's is a very fine linseed-oil based product. Finer than Tru-Oil. And it comes in various degree of stain.

I HAVE been there, and I HAVE done that, so if you want to recover something like the original finish, please follow these instructions.

Get hold of some Scherell's gunstock oil in the darkest shade available (very dark). Or, of course, an equivalent product. Maybe Brownells has something similar?
Get a small bottle of NATURAL TERPENTINE.

Yes, I am shouting, deliberately. DO NOT USE ANYTHING ELSE EXCEPT NATURAL TERPENTINE. No paint thinner, oven cleaner or any of the other dubious substances that you may have seen recommended elsewhere!

You also need some pieces of old linen or cotton rags, kitchen towelling - and an open window!

And do NOT smoke or have any fire source in the vicinity!

1) Open the window!

2) Cover the surface you are going to work on with a double-layer of paper kitchen towelling. Because of the possibility of staining, wear old clothes.

3) Rub down the stock with a rag well-wetted in natural turpentine. All over - not just outside, but also inside, in the barrel channel, receiver cut-out etc.
In other words, get as near as you reasonably can to dunking the whole stock in turpentine.

The turpentine will thin out the linseed oil that was already applied, and the soaking of ALL surfaces helps the gunstock oil to penatrate into the pores of the wood.

4) When the stock wood has taken up the turpentine - visible as a darker shading of the wood - start to apply the Scherell's with another rag. You must do this before the turpentine dries out. So, if, while you are working, some areas go dry (the wood becomes lighter in color) simply rub on a bit more turpentine before continuing with the Scherell's.

Start with an inconspicuous surface, such as the barrel channel, so that you can gauge whether the staining will be dark enough - or even too dark. The gunstock oil must be applied almost dropwise on the rag - NOT poured onto the wood, which would produce a patch of excessive staining.

Try to work lightly and evenly, not patchily.

5) When you have worked over the entire surface, wipe off any excess oil with a dry rag. There must be no drips or accumulations of oil in the corners.

6) Now comes the hard part ... leave it alone until the next day!

7) Next day, the wood will have dried out to be somewhat lighter than when it was wetted with turpentine. Apply another oiling, again working lightly and evenly, spending more time where the wood seems lighter, and less time wherer it is darker. During this second application you will find that very little oil goes a very long way.

8) If you have the necessary self-control, leave it for a week (OK, at least a few days!).

9) This time, do not apply any oil, just rub down all over with a clean, dry rag. The surface should now be developing a definite sheen.

Repeat steps 7-9 until you are satisfied that the stock has achieved a good coloring and a smooth, almost glossy surface.

If you wish, you can achieve a glossier surface faster by using Tru-Oil, but as soon as you do so, you will not be able to deepen the staining any more. By comparison with Scherell's, Tru-oil has a sealing effect.


It works, try it!

[capt14k]

Is this Scherell's the equivalent to the original finish or will it make it look like the original finish? Or Did the Brits actually dip their stocks in boiling boiled linseed oil like people claim Germans and Finns did?

Thank you very much for the detailed instructions.

[capt14k]

The butt looks like Walnut to me from here...

If they used Walnut I would say it definitely is Walnut. It has that blue hue now that it is stripped, and that beautiful grain came through so nicely before it was stripped.

[browningautorifle]

It was common enough to have both woods involved but stained to match. The stain is now a mystery, with Peter Laidler and a couple others here that might know. I just know I can't match the colors...

[capt14k]

I found an interesting link that confirms what I always believed. That most of the products sold are not the oils they claim to be but are instead a mix of chemicals.

Scherell's Schaftol - RimfireCentral.com Forums

[Patrick Chadwick]

Is this Scherell's the equivalent to the original finish or will it make it look like the original finish?

It seems to be highly refined linseed oil + a staining agent (I don't have the recipe). Look on the Lee Enfield forum, and you will find plenty of info on the original linseed oil based treatment. If I remember correctly, this involved dunking the stocks in baths of hot linseed oil - not something that is practival for the home user.

It will do the job. IMHO it is both equivalent to (i.e. has the same effect) and will look like the original finish. I would guess that something similar is available from companies like Brownells.

BTW, the color on originals varies greatly, from blond beech to dark walnut, so don't start thinking in terms of color charts and Pantone numbers!

And don't forget, once you have put on the basic layer, go very, very gently with the oil. It is tempting to cut short the waiting time between applications, but too much oil + too fast = a sticky mess. Linseed oil basically hardens off by exposure to air, so it takes time.

[browningautorifle]

highly refined linseed oil + a staining agent

That's the part that I can't match...like the old time furniture stains.