Endless oil from stock cleaning...?

[logandiana]

A while back I came across an awesome deal on a No4 barreled action. Since then I have been slowly collecting parts here and there to make a working firearm. For the wood stock I looked at a few pieces here and there but I eventually settled on a new matched beech set from springfield sporters. I chose beech with the idea that I could refinish it and recreate a ‘blonde’ look, like some of the others I’ve seen on this site and others. I must say that refinishing this stock is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I have searched all over this site and many others and tried just about every method that I have come across and I still haven’t got this thing cleaned yet. The stock arrived smooth and scratch and ding free, but looking like a medium brown cup of coffee. I am assuming this is BLO that the stocks were dipped in, but my goodness how much of this stuff is going to come out? I have been at it almost nonstop for almost 2 months. Is there some other secret trick I haven’t figured out yet? I first sprayed the surface down with a biodegradable grease cutter cleaner. Then again, then again. I tried the same again with mineral spirits, then again. I wrapped it in paper towels soaked in mineral spirits and put in a black trash bag on the dash of my car in the hot Texas sun. I did the same thing with acetone. I’ve tried whiting several times. I’ve even boiled the stock. The whiting removed quite a bit. The boiling removed a bunch. I think I am almost there with the hand guards and the forestock. If I run a rag with acetone over these it comes off clean. The buttstock is the real killer. I can still just wipe the surface with a paper towel soaked in spirits and still comes off amber colored. I keep thinking I am close to being done, but more oil keeps coming out. I tried a new method that I had read about yesterday. I found a shallow glass dish with a sealable lid and submerged the entire buttstock in acetone. Over the next few hours I added acetone to make up for absorbtion and evaporation. This evening after work I see that lots more oil has come to the surface in several spots on the buttstock, and the acetone looks like watered down tea. Now that the butt is saturated in acetone I am back to whiting. I know eventually I should be able to get all the oil out, but man this is taking forever. Once I get the stock clean dry and sanded I plan to finish with a tung oil.

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[Bindi2]

Why are you destroying the perfect.

[villiers]

I think you might have ruined it. What is the end result or ideal that you are aiming at?

[Peter Laidler]

I think you are simply giving us a lecture on how to destroy a set of rifle woodwork.

[WarPig1976]

Not buying it.. If he did everything he claims the set would've been a Gray, dried out, cracked piece of firewood early on in his attempts. Tung oil.? you mean the wiping varnish sold at home improvement stores that isn't remotely correct,, cute touch...

I smell a troll boys....

[Roger Payne]

Troll.....? Possibly, although looking back over logandiana's previous postings they've all been fairly unremarkable & No4 related. However, I'm bound to echo the sentiments of the guys above. I can appreciate wanting to end up with a nice looking 'blonde' No4 but it is better to try to source a set of wood that is naturally that colour in the first place. The extensive & prolonged use of very searching methods like this always runs the risk of ruining the wood through warpage, splitting etc. If the forend is now degreased I would suggest to logandiana that before he expends any more effort on this project that he offers up the forend to the barrelled action (if he hasn't already done so) to check for fit, as it could well be unserviceable anyway.

ATB.

[CINDERS]

Seeing as you boiled it was it hard boiled or soft sorry dude I agree with Peter you have probably ruined a good stock but its your dough besides if it gets cold in your parts you could always use it for kindling, tongue oil is that what your talking about trying to be a smoothie, me I am as prickly as ever go find somewhere else to waste your time.
And leave the forum alone for those that may have genuine reasons for asking the knowledge base on this site. God forbid if you load your own ammo! My cases were dull so I soaked them in sulphuric acid............!

Cannot help myself why don't you paint the stock canary yellow and finish the job!

[Bindi2]

It may start life as a blonde but with use and maintenance it goes dirty blonde then brown anyway. How do I know this that's what happened to my work rifle a No5. might also add that is what happened to my wifes colouring as well. My 2 blonde No4 Mk2s don't get handled much so they stay blonde. linseed oil darkens the furniture with age and use.

[muffett.2008]

The stocks were usually colour matched with stain, so if it was stained then oil bathed, the stain would be deep and nearly impossible to remove.

[logandiana]

I knew posting this that I would get replies like leave it alone, or keep it original, or that I ruined my stock, but GEEZ! I thought this was supposed to be a help forum.

So let’s rewind a bit and I'll ask this a different way. If you had a brand new beech stock set that was so full of oil that it looked like walnut. How would you go about getting the oil out?

I am looking for theoretical answers here, not your personal preferences on how you would just keep everything original. I am not looking for advice on how to keep everything the same as every other Enfield on any given rack in any given arsenal. If I wanted the look of an all original battle hardened rifle then I would just turn my body slightly to the left and pick up the matching numbers No 4 Mk1/2 that I already own. I am choosing to go this route, because I want something a bit different.

Warpig- I am no troll, and no the stock is not dried out and cracked, nor has it warped. No I am not talking about the tung oil varnish sold at home depot, I am talking about the pure type that you get from specialty woodworking stores.

Roger- I have been trying to source a clean unused set of blonde wood for a while, but they always seem to include a $1000 rifle action attached to them.

Bindi- It seems like the finishing method would dictate how the coloring changes over the years, no? I have a solid beechwood butcher block table in my kitchen that was originally finished in 100% tung oil and it has seen daily use over the past 35 years, it’s still pretty much the same color as when we started. I know linseed oil will darken over time though.

Muffet- I am not trying to remove stain. I am trying to remove the oil from the stock.