How to clean wood furniture?

[Charlie303]

I've acquired a set of L1A1 wood, hopefully to clad my ACR L1A1. It came off a BSA de-act (the previous owner wanted plastic in keeping with the age and role of his Land Rover), I cannot see any marks to indicate where it was made apart from BM 58 and the broad arrow on the inside of the butt plate.

It doesn't look as if its been cleaned for some time, the inside is coated with black grease and the outside literally oozes oil. Despite the dings etc (history) I'm hopeful that with the right method and some TLC it will clean up OK and grace the outside of my rifle.

So, before I put it in the dishwasher (I have actually heard of this recommended as a method to clean wood work but (a) my wife might not approve and (b) I might not like the results!), do the experts on the forum have any suggestions to clean off the oil/grease/muck and bring out the best in the wood?





Many thanks!

Information

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[Series3Scott]

With my Lee Enfields I take a simple heat gun and lots of paper towel. Pass the heat gun over a portion of the wood and when it heats up the oil and grease literally ooze and bubble out of the wood. Mop it up with paper towel and keep going with the heat until nothing comes out. You'll be amazed at how much crap the wood holds. Once you boil all of that out then you can move on to #0000 steel wool and boiled linseed oil. Good luck!

[browningautorifle]

Don't put it in the dishwasher...

[nzl1a1collector]

The Handguards and pistol grip are from an Indian 1A1 SL rifle, they aren't British. The Butt on the other hand is British

[tankhunter]

The Hand guards and pistol grip are from an Indian 1A1 SL rifle, they aren't British. The Butt on the other hand is British

You MAY encounter a difficulty, attempting to fit the Indian Furniture. To a British Rifle! They are slightly over size in all dimensions! DON'T! Whatever you do, put Small Arms furniture in a dishwasher!!! The wood will swell and split in places! Clean the gunk off with Kerosene, Make off the woodwork correctly & use BOILED (NOT Unboiled) linseed oil to replenish the wood.

[Charlie303]

Thanks chaps.
The handguards certainly are a bit rattly - but wouldn't they be tight if oversize? Anyway, I fitted them to my old spec de-act and decided they wouldn't do for the live firer. I'll clean them up as you suggest, but please believe me when I say that I really had no intention of putting them in the dishwasher!

[Charlie303]

I've cleaned up the woodwork and revealed some markings:

Small broad arrows on the inside of the metal insulators at the front of the handguards, 58 stamped on the wood in the usual place on the front/outside of the LH handguard.

On the pistol grip;

3C
D

stamped in the wood on the RHS

nzl1a1collector identifies the handguards and pistol grip as Indian, so I'll have to keep looking as I would prefer British wood on a British rifle. But please can he explain the differences? Tankhunter says Indian HGs are oversize for Brit rifles, yet the (Indian?) ones I have fit fine to my BSA, if a bit loose at the back.

Help appreciated, thanks.

[tankhunter]

No Charlie, I said Indian Furniture is OVERSIZED. Not JUST the handguards. I have an Old Spec Indian variant that is at present, fitted with plastic. It looks AWFUL with all the gaps around the butt Etc! If You handle an Indian Variant against a UK example. You WILL feel the difference as well as observe it. I would like to acquire a set of Indian furniture to restore it back to what it SHOULD be! It is entirely POSSIBLE, that the furniture set you have, MIGHT be a mixture of wood components. Or actually NOT from an Indian Rifle? As an aside, the front sling swivel on an Indian version is a flat metal stamping. TOTALLY different from all other SLR/FN round section wire sling loops!...

[Charlie303]

Hi Tankhunter,

Thanks for your clarifications.

I am very cautious about disagreeing with what nzl1a1collector said about the handguards being Indian, but apart from being a bit loose at the back (through wear and age?) they are exactly the same dimensions as the plastic, and fit perfectly to both my 1958 BSA L1A1s (an old spec de-act and a ACR straight pull).

They, and the pistol grip have the same screw threads as the plastic, so I’m wondering whether they might indeed be British – and what makes nzl1a1collector certain that they’re Indian?

Regards,

Charlie

[villiers]

Once you´ve got it clean with no gunk left on it, and removed some of the dings with a wet cloth and a hot iron (I´ve found that larger dings won´t come out), I use a cloth with linseed oil and pumice dust to give the surface a sheen and then polish with linseed oil (but don´t let layers of it dry on the wood, as that´ll just be another layer of gunk to clean off again).