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I have a Jungle Carbine I bought back in the mid 80s. It's always been oil soaked. It is so bad that when you leave it out in the sun the stock gets wet from the oil leaching from the wood. What's the best way to remove this oil and what steps to bring the stock back to somewhat original condition?
Mike
My opinion, you've already discovered the best way to get it out. Put it in the sun. What I like to do is to accelerate this process by putting towels, etc on the dashboard of my vehicle, pointing the vehicle in the direction of the sun and putting the stock on the dashboard. The oil will pour out of it. Downside is your car smells like cosmoline for a while so not recommended if a shared vehicle with a spouse.
Alternative methods in that jungle carbine stocks are small is you can put it in the oven and warm it that way. Do not heat the stove up so much it will burn or scorch it however. Again, entire house will smell like cosmoline.
After it stops seeping, usually after a few days on the dashboard or several hours in the oven, you can treat it a couple of times with spray on citristrip which will draw out the remaining surface oil and give it a more uniform color. Follow the instructions on the product, let it dry and then coat it with boiled linseed oil.
Use the car method but wrap the stock in paper towels, place in a black garbage bag, and place on the front or rear ledge by the windshield. Remove it daily and wipe down with mineral spirits and start the process all over. Dump the paper towels and renew but use the same plastic bag. Have patience and continue as long as it seeps.
You can also put a drop light in a large box. Put in you stock, turn on the light and wipe of the oil every few hours.
The responses above are all good. Take it one step further...
Put the stock into a trash bag full of cheap kitty litter (plain clay stuff, not the scent control kind).
As the stock heats up from either a heat source of your choosing, or the sun, the kitty litter absorbs all the oil that leaks out of the stock.
It's less messy to deal with than paper towels, and doesn't present the same level of fire hazzard. When the stock is dried out, apply boiled linseed oil as suggested above.
Snipe
I think you're nuts if you leave a forend like this in direct sunlight for extended periods, and in the oven... If you use these "methods" you will soon be posting a new thread entitled "How can I unwarp my forend" and the answer there will be that sadly, you can't.
Easy-Off oven cleaner is the best thing I've found for oil soaked wood.
Don't leave it on too long or it will dry the wood out too much.
Lots of attention on this one. Lots of rinsing and drying...Quote:
Originally Posted by Vincent
strip the gun, prepare a tub of steaming hot water and dump in oxi-clean scrub the wood with a firm brush. let it dry out for a day then put it in the oven on warm, all the oil will be removed and the wood will turn to it's original color. here is mine i did and reoiled.https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...IMG_3195-1.jpg
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https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...IMG_3191-1.jpg
Nice results.
It's always a surprise to see the beauty of the wood underneath all that cosmoline. It's worth the time and effort that it takes.