Clean a Wood Stock

[Patrick Chadwick]

EddieM, the fundamental question is: What do you want to do with the rifle?

- Clean it?
- Preserve it?
- Use it?

At the moment you have received a mixture of responses that are not all compatible with all the options listed above. For instance, the link to the museum site, with its repeated recommendation of Renaissance Wax, is not very helpful if you actually want to use the rifle. The museum notes hint discreetly that wax is not ideal for a gun that is to be used. I would put it more bluntly - avoid wax on anything that is to be handled!

Why? Because wax is super as a preservative. It fills and seals the pores of the wood. And is highly resistant to chemicals. Which also means that once you have waxed a surface that‘s it! Fine - if you never handle the waxed surface - but grubby wax is just about impossible to clean and you will never get it out of the pores again.

And if you study the various contributions on these forums about stock treatment - as I hope you will before doing anything irreversible - you will learn that the vast majority of military stocks were treated with a linseed oil based finish. Finish is not quite the right term, as the major feature of linseed oil is that it soaks into the pores and grain of the wood.

That‘s enough for the moment, and as always, that‘s just my opinion. I don‘t want to re-invent the wheel, so to speak. Just read the numerous posts on this topic before doing anything irreversible - like applying any kind of wax/laquer/varnish/snake oil.

Go carefully!
Patrick

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