Attachment 27825

This beech front handguard for a Lee-Enfield No1 MkIII was generously donated to me to help with a restoration. It is in very good shape, but upon stripping and cleaning it in preparation for refinishing, I uncovered a number of little black spots covering the surface. None of them are very large, nor is the handguard unsightly to my eyes, but the rest of the wood on my rifle does not have the same 'features', hence, hard to match. Here's a pic of the handguard next to the rest of the stock set, to show you want I mean:

Attachment 27826

I am given to understand that these spots are caused by little bumps and dings that have allowed cosmolineicon to penetrate the wood, which then turned that spot black for reasons that seem unclear to me-- I was under the impression that cosmoline penetrates the wood in any event; were this the culprit almost all milsurp stocks would be pitch black in their entirety. I have tried a number of recipes gleaned from internet searches, including bleach, oaxalic acid, mineral spirits, wood soap, and baking in the oven as high as I dared. The result of all these antics was a small reduction in the size and appearance of the spots, but not to my satisfaction. Hence, I humbly turn to the refinishing and gunsmithing gurus and ask: What are these little bastards, and how the hell do I get rid of them?
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