Clean a Wood Stock

[EddieM]

car wax NO.

Check out Toms 1/3 wax. Many like it, but it leaves the stock looking too new & fresh for my taste. Products
Toms 1/3 Mix - YouTube
A thought, I would get some 1/3 wax and a jar of Kotton Klenser wood feeder and try it on an old board and see what you like best.


I use Kotton Klensers wood feeder at the Antique store and on gun stocks to maintain a dull finish that re-oils dry wood. Not on oak. The 1/3 wax works on stocks with a thick finish and produces a nice shine to the wood. OK on oak. Just depends on what you want. Also see the CMP M1 link in the second link about wood conditioning M1 stocks:
Wood Cleaning Article - Civilian Marksmanship Program

Most say that I´m a newbie with stocks. Nice videos I just saw it and the oil scrub too, thanks again.
Cheers

---------- Post added at 03:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:49 PM ----------

You should not have a shiny finish on a M1 carbine, so you do not want to use wax. Just stay with the RLO for the correct finish and wipe it down with RLO once or twice a year to keep it hydrated and correct in appearance.

Yeah I agree, thank you again Singer
Cheers

[Riter]

I use a cotton fibre rag dampened (not soaking wet) with distilled water. Do no harm. You don't want to wet the wood and it's basically elbow grease. Afterward protect the wood (both inletted areas and exterior) with Renaissance Wax.

[ssgross]

see page 8 for preserving original finish and patina.
http://www.nramuseum.org/media/10073...20wicklund.pdf

Also, renaissance wax s also used to preserve antique furniture in other museums, and works great on old stocks. - instructions come with it.

[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