Originally Posted By: Kutter


It's good to have other work to do while an armfull of old wood is hanging around the shop or garage being de-oiled.
That way you have a tendency to leave them hang longer, forget about them, let the stuff work and not concentrate on them as much hoping for quick results.
...All this ranks very poorly as a spectator sport.


This is the best advice there is when it comes to de-oiling gun stocks. It took decades for that oil to seep deep into most oiled wood. The idea that you will get it out in a few days is simply dreaming. Trying to speed up the process with the repeated and prolonged use of harsh organic solvents causes even more damage to the cellulose and lignin structure of the wood.

In reality, it is probably impossible to remove all oil without severely damaging a stock in the process. As Kutter says, put it aside for awhile after de-oiling, and more will usually come back to the surface. Osmosis seeks equalibrium, and any remaining oil deep with the wood will naturally migrate to the clean and dry surface structure. The idea is to get out most of it to prevent the wood from getting punky oil-rot, save any solvent soaks for last to get a good clean surface, quickly steam out dents, repair any cracks, and then lightly sand/de-whisker/refinish before any remaining oil can come back to the top and interfere with your finish.


A true sign of mental illness is any gun owner who would vote for an Anti-Gunner like Joe Biden.