cleaning up greasy wood...101

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Quote:

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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:

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

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.

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.

hi, just joined to give the easiest way to clean m1 garand or carbine stocks. your dishwasher! works great, gets hot but does not soak in the water. will also raise dent. use the same amount of soap and remove rack for room. grain will raise so sand and finish.

A conservator at a museum cleans wooden gun stocks using a 50-50 mix of raw linseed oil and turpentine. It is applied to a small section at a time and a heat lamp is used to sweat the impurities to the surface. Soft lint free rags are used to apply and remove the linseed oil turpentine mixture. The metal parts are cleaned with olive oil and a soft tooth brush and then a neutral PH wax is applied to all metal parts.

Rather than water, dipping in water or the dishwasher EXTREME, why not use a product made for removing the surface coating on the wood that also re-oils the wood and doesn't cause the wood to warp.

Minwax® Antique Furniture Refinisher

Minwax® Antique Furniture Refinisher removes oil finishes, including shellac, lacquer and some early forms of varnish. Minwax® Antique Furniture Refinisher contains natural wood oils that penetrate and condition wood. Minwax® Antique Furniture Refinisher does not remove paint or polyurethane.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...finisher-1.jpg

I would NEVER think of putting a book shelf, a coffee table or a antique in the bathtub and putting water on it and damaging and warping the wood.

WHY would anyone want to abuse their gunstocks?

American and British gun stocks were hot dipped in raw linseed oil and periodical redipped by the armourers.

The stock below was mistakenly labled cosmoline soaked, when in fact what you see is how far the raw linseed oil penetrated the wood.

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...4/cosmo2-1.jpg

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo.../cosmo2a-1.jpg

The stocks were dipped in raw linseed oil to protect them from the elements and you people want to drown them in water and also strip the oil from the wood.

You people need to rethink your approach to "restoring" antique firearms.

A simple hair dryer will degrease wood along with turpentine which is a natural evaporative wood oil.

Did I ever show you how to clean the carbon off your head and valves? :rolleyes:

https://www.milsurps.com/images/impo...sher_307-1.jpg

I put car parts in the dish washer one time after I cleaned them I forgot to remove them...the wife came home and discovered them in there and I got in big trouble plus the dish washer smelled like used oil for ever after that.

Is that a Toyota 2.2L head?

Ever hear of a vapour phase degreaser? Don't know if these are still used in industry or not. They are a deep tank, solvent in the bottom. The solvent is heated, its vapour rises. In the wall of the tank are cooling coils, the vapour condenses, runs back down. You put the objects to be degreased in the vapour layer, the solvent condenses on them, flushes away oil, grease, etc. This drips down into the boiling solvent sump. The objects are constantly flooded with clean solvent, condensing on them. I used one of these in a plating shop to degrease parts prior to finishing. A friend with an electric motor shop had one. He ran old stocks through it. Battered, oil soaked, blackened stocks went in, battered, clean light coloured new looking stocks came out. Don't know if environmental concerns have resulted in these things going the way of the dinosaur.

I dont know but what ever happened to a bit of good old elbow grease, everyones trying to find the quick way out these days. Fine steel wool a bit of heat (leave the stock in the sun for a while or replicate in a "warm" not hot oven) and some white spirit seems to lift most dirt and grime out of those old timbers. Or over time keep rubbing BLO or a light variaty of oil into your timber will gradually over time lift the gunk. It wont happen over night but it will happen.
Fergs

My best results have been with a product called "citra solve" purchased from Lee Vally here in Canada. I just finished stripping an M 1 stock and it turned out awesome with less effort than I imagined. I used super fine steel wool soaked with citra solve and just rubbed away and it really loosened the old oil. Once softened I used a utility knife blade and gently scraped the wood to get out all the dings and scratches. It is a very easy product on the hands and is natural.
To get the oil out of a crack that was in the stock so the glue I used to repair it would stick I made wedges out of old .303 cartridges sqwashed in the vise and spread the crack. then I used a dentist's pick to "rough up" the crack inside and brushed it clean with accetone and blew it out with air, worked like a hot damn! To glue the crack I used Lee Valley G-2002 cabinet makers glue mixed with a small quantity of walnut belt sander dust. This glue is awesome and has "gap filling" capabilities. I clamped it up, let it dry overnight and was amazed at how easy it all was. I have no reluctance to do some other wood I have in my safe knowing how easy it all was.

i just used spray on citrus strip on a carcano stock. Photos in the General discussion thread. Two treatments and it looked much better.

Stand it up in the bathtub, spray on liberally, let sit for 20 minutes, scrub with a brush and rinse off and repeat.

Nothing wrong with elbow grease but doing it this way allows me to get the BLO finish on it I want without worrying about getting the old goo and dirt out, it's already done.

The stock was a bit tacky to touch before treatment and dry and clean after.