1903 a3 Stock is oozing oil

Hi guys,

I bought a very nice (in my opinion) 1903 a3 last year. It looks to be all original, but I'm no expert. The only issue I have with it is that the stock oozes oil... excessively. I have to wipe it down every time I pull it out of the safe. I've heard that over oiling can have this affect, but from what I've seen this is generally located around the tang etc. This rifle seeps oil from the hand guard, grip, receiver area, just about everywhere. Does anyone have a remedy? Or should I just keep wiping? I don't really mind that my hands smell like oil every time I handle her, but I more concerned that this could result in a problem with the stock down the road.

thanks in advance,

Paul

Have you stripped it out of the stock and given it a wipe under the action, one person here sat the stock on black plastic in a sealed box with a glass lid and left it in the sun to cook the oil out but I would think that would be in the extreme you would have to keep a close eye on it I reckon. you could just leave the stripped stock lent against a wall in the hot sun.

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Originally Posted by Kingfisher

stock oozes oil... excessively.

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Everyone has their own method for removing oil and cosmoline, I guess there is really no right way but here is my way that I developed after trial and error, right or wrong it works for me. Strip the rifle down to the stock pack the stock channels, pockets and cutouts with cotton balls and then tightly wrap the stock in a thick layer of gauze. Both can be had from the .99cent store for well, 99 cents or you can get military surplus battle dressings (gauze and wound packing) cheap from GI Joes Surplus in El Cajon, CA, you would have to call them and ask for it. You then need to find a way to heat the stock up to 125 ~ 130 degrees. I have a box I built that I can hang the stocks in that is heated up with a ceramic heat emitter, you can get these on Amazon. (Before I built my heat cabinet I once put the wrapped stock in my trunk on hot a day) once the stock has heated up the cosmoline will draw out of the stock and be absorbed into the cotton balls and gauze. After about two hours you can unwrap the stock and while still warm wipe off the excess oil/cosmoline. You may need to do this one to two more times depending on how much oil/cosmoline was on/in the stock. After the final heating wipe off the excess then, depending on the rifle finish use one of the following methods. If you the rifle has a varnished finish like the Mosin Nagant put some original GOOP creme make sure you get the one without pumice or you will scratch your stock (GOOP Original Goop ). Place the GOOP on a rag and wipe down the stock. The GOOP will not damage the varnish finish. For stocks with an oil base, you can use a rag just moist, not soaking wet, with Odorless Mineral Spirits you can get this at wally world or any hardware store, wipe down the stock until the rag is clean.

Once you have the Mosin Nagant type varnished stocks cleaned wipe the stocks down with some Gunny Paste. For oil based stock, rub RAW Linseed Oil into the wood. The trick is NOT to wipe gobs of these stuff on the stock at one time. You put a small drop on and rub it in with your hand or a piece of undyed leather, then another drop until you have covered the whole stock, you may have to wait a day and then reapply. For those who are impatient, you can do the same process with Bolid Linseed Oil (BLO) which drys faster.

I'm no expert though, and there are way smarter and experienced people on this forum so read everyone's advice before jumping in with both feet.

You can find a friendly and businesslike furniture stripping and refinishing company...and bring the completely stripped wood to them. Leave no metal as it may turn dark around stock pins and such. They use liquid methods to remove all oil and varnish, paint, and any other coatings or stains. It's steam, toluene, acetone, other harsh chemicals you don't want to deal with...

You'll get a return of a completely as-it-was-when-it-started piece of walnut. Government stampings will be clean and clearly visible many dents will be popped out as well. This may cost you a bit but once you establish a relationship with them, it'll be fine. Make sure you stress just the strip, not sanding or refinishing...look at their tables and such that are on display first... Check your phone book for locals...

I asked a furniture stripper in St. Louis about this once. They said they actually do a decent amount of this kind of work and it would cost $75 for a rifle stock.
After stripping “VFW White” off of a 1917 once, I can tell you $75 would be worth it haha.

We did all kinds too and it was always worth it. If the stock is glued, you can get all the junk off and it's perfect. Then repair. We stripped a Martini .450 once and the wood was black, after two separate strips it was like new walnut again...imagine how nice that 150 yr old walnut was? Stop with the home cooked remedies...

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

after two separate strips it was like new walnut again...imagine how nice that 150 yr old walnut was? Stop with the home cooked remedies...

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Why would he have to strip the rifle if all he needed was to get the excess oil out?

Got a dip tank big enough to hold the stock? Take all the metal off and drop the whole stock in a tub of mineral spirits and leave it for 24 hours.
"...They use liquid methods..." Yep. It's called Varsol here. Mineral spirits, Stateside. However, furniture refinishing guys usually use slightly more harsh chemicals to strip wood as they don't want to wait 24 hours. They're also stripping varnish etc. not just oil.
In any case, before you do anything, have a close look at the wood around the tang. If it's mushy, nothing will help. Oil does that.

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Originally Posted by usabaker

Why would he have to strip the rifle

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You're handing a stock to a worker to strip, he doesn't want a rifle. Also you want the whole thing done together. It comes out even, inside and out.

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Originally Posted by Sunray

"...They use liquid methods..." Yep. It's called Varsol here. Mineral spirits, Stateside.

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You don't know what you're talking about...it's not varsol.

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Originally Posted by Sunray

furniture refinishing guys usually use slightly more harsh chemicals

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Yes they do, that's what I said...

"...You don't know what you're talking about...it's not Varsol..." Been doing this forty 40 years. Varsol is the Canadian brand name of same thing as what our Southern cousins call mineral spirits.

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Originally Posted by Sunray

Varsol is the Canadian brand name of same thing as what our Southern cousins call mineral spirits.

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Yes, so have I. Let's stop measuring dicks... We're not talking about Varsol or volatile mineral spirits. These chemicals are the ones I mentioned above specifically and more.

Doesn't matter. I doubt he will go that route. Most don't.

Thanks Sunray. A close look at the wood indicates no soft spots, so far so good. But that's my concern; if I do nothing, will the embedded oil have an adverse affect on the stock? I like the idea of returning the wood to it's issue condition, however, I'm a little reluctant to have someone use steam, toluene etc on the wood. Could that cause cracks and such?

I would like to thank everyone for their advise, even if I did appear to ruffle some feathers. I will certainly look into the professional refinishing, however I was a little concerned about the use of steam, acetone, and other volatile s on an 80 year old piece of history. But I'm sure I will get assurance from the wood re-finishing guy. Like I said in my original post, I don't mind wiping off the oil, or that my hands smell like gun oil, I was more worried about the adverse affects of the oil on the wood. This is a great site, with a wealth of experience. I am glad I found it. One quick lesson that I learned though, don't navigate off the quick reply page, else you will loose all you have typed... guess you guys know that.

sincerely,

Paul

I have an 03a3 that seeps also. It's never been enough to bother me enough to do anything about it. I have however cleaned about two dozen stocks that were soaked in cosmoline. My preferred method is in the sun on the dashboard of my truck. Drawback is this only really works mid spring to mid fall which about 3/4's of the year. Never put it in a garbage bag, just put some heavy papers under it and pointed the truck in the direction of the sun. Two or three days with periodic wiping down pretty much gets it all out. When it stops seeping, I give it a wash with citristrip and rinse in the shower with very hot water. Water drys out in about two hours and it's ready for new boiled linseed oil. Never had a crack or warping of any kind. The worst problem I have had involved soft woods that get a little "fuzzy" when done. Light steel wool takes care of that. Walnut like on an 03a3 comes out very nice. No fuzzy.