Endless oil from stock cleaning...?

[Bindi2]

That oil is what keeps the wood young.

[Brian Dick]

Try grocery store grade clear ammonia from the Dollar Store and a Scotchbrite pad, rinse, let dry and treat with raw linseed oil, not boiled. Works like a charm, cleans the old crud off without damaging anything, redistributes whats left of the original RLO finish and all you have to do is add more until you get the desired finish. BLO doesn't darken with age. The reddish tint you see on most military wood is from the RLO as it ages.

[Bindi2]

The Malayan No5s are a good indicator of much rubbing with linseed oil sending blondes black with a high shine. The only reddish tint I have is on my Lithgows and that is not from linseed oil.

[Brian Dick]

The reddish tint on rifles stocked in coachwood and Queensland maple is from the combination of raw linseed and creosote. I think the original finish right up through SLR production was a 50/50 mix. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Bindi2]

The reddish tint on rifles stocked in coachwood and Queensland maple is from the combination of raw linseed and creosote. I think the original finish right up through SLR production was a 50/50 mix. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Correct. Creosote gives the colour. Having seen and held new furniture that has not been in the creosote /mixture tank it is quite yellow. linseed oil only treatment with much polishing darkens it slowly. Cleaning Q M furniture the dings stay dark.

[Father Ted]

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

So classic. I am a woodworker by trade and I do believe the only way to remove all if that oil is to completely render the stock useless after doing exactly what you have already been doing. There is a big difference between removing oil from an area that has to be repaired than removing oil from entire stock, especially a dipped one. I've heard of some people having success with heavy detergents in a large dishwasher ... I would only soak wood if I was trying to introduce warp into it though. Good luck.

[RobD]

Logandiana
I want to spring to your defence, some of the replies you've had are unfriendly, and this is not a forum which has an unfriendly reputation.
Here's what I think about your stock:
First, I agree that good quality tung oil (also known as Danish Oil) gives a good stock finish, not too shiny and certainly not like a varnish. It soaks in and polymerises, juts like good linseed oil does, but at least it hardens reliably. In my experience it is superior to many modern "linseed oil" preparations which refuse to harden and leave a sticky mess indefinitely. I have ruined several finished with "linseed oil" from DIY shops over the years, and had to strip it off and start again.
Second, you are legitimately trying to de-grease a stock, but as you have discovered, you can't do it in cases where non-hardening oil has soaked in over 50+ years. The oil you are getting out is probably not linseed oil, and probably not even oil intended for a stock finish. It is likely a non-drying oil e.g. motor oil which was wiped on generously every few weeks in an armoury in India etc. to keep the metal from rusting. Anyone who has handled rifles from India will be familiar with the dull oily feel the wood has acquired and which it cannot seem to shake off...
My suggestion would be to accept the result you have, stain the woodwork to match the darkest piece you have, and apply a tung oil finish or top-quality linseed oil from an artists suppliers. Hopefully it hasn't warped.

FWIW, once your oil has polymerised, my preference for a final finish on a nice stock with a good patina is to treat it like antique furniture and use a beeswax-based furniture polish. This is especially good for 19th-Century rifles, it maybe completely unsuitable for WW2 or later woodwork, and probably hopeless on your stock - but you never know...

Rob

[Badger]

Thread Closed....

Regards,
Doug