doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Oil soaked forearm removal

Brad Bachelder once told me the acetone will only get the surface oil out and a couple of years later the oil deeper in will come to the surface meaning a " redo " and a unhappy customer. He heated the suspended wood over some hazardous chemical in a enclosed cabinet. He's gone now and I don't ever remember if he said what he used.

I have been using a 3 day acetone for at least 8 years, maybe longer and sometimes I have done it twice to the same stock when it did not come out oil free. I have never had the oil come back to the surface.

I would be concerned using ammonia unless there were some experience. Short soaks will only get the surface oil and dirt. To get deeper, you need to soak. I am not sure what that would do to the wood fibers. Might be worse than acetone.

I do know someone who does beautiful wood work who says the cheap oven cleaner at the dollar stores sprayed on the stock will work well. I assume it will only do surface oil and dirt. He also uses a simple green soak and says it works better than acetone.

YMMV

How do you manage to oil soak a forearm? There's not enough metal in there to over-oil...Geo

Aerosol cans, Geo.

To those of us who know how to properly care for a gun it is an anathema, I know, but I've seen it done many, many times after a dove shoot. I just roll my eyes.

SRH

Geo. Newbern,

There are many gun owners who do not know how to oil and properly store a good shotgun, over oiling and turning a shotgun barrel down is just as bad as over oiling and storing with the barrels up. Although I would rather replace Fore-Stock on a good shotgun, than a butt stock any day.

Many people take little time to clean and properly oil their weapons, some do not know any better, many just do not give a darn, about how long their weapon lasts.

RGD/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Oven cleaner was mentioned as a product to use on oiled wood. It contains sodium hydroxide, also known as lye. Lye works the same as ammonia (ammonium hydroxide) because it will also saponify oils or fats and convert them to a water soluble soap.

Of course this must also be diluted and rinsed very well. Sodium hydroxide is used as part of the process to turn wood to pulp for paper making. Chemicals of any kind should be the last resort AFTER getting out all of the oil you can using heat and absorbent materials. Acetone, lacquer thinner, ammonia, lye, etc. can and will cause damage to the structure of wood if used incorrectly and for prolonged soaks. Even heat can be a problem if done incorrectly. I've told the story about splitting the forend of a Flues Ithaca while heating it in a microwave oven and wrapped in toilet tissue. Worked great until I got it too hot. It ain't glass or metal... it's wood... wood which may already have structural damage from decades of oil soaking. So we need to avoid cures that may weaken or eventually kill the patient.

Ah yes, the old after hunt WD-40 delight...Geo

Keith,

Very good analysis, and advise. The object however is to clean, oil and store the guns correctly so no oil damage ever occurs. Ofcourse if you are purchasing a used gun that is already oil damaged, and the rest of the gun is in prime shape then restoration work must be accomplished. In many cases inexperienced owners who do their own work end up doing more damage than they do good. If you are an experienced wood worker that is a completely different situation.

When I fall and damage one of my good gun stocks I get advise from a professional, my brother is a wood expert (Industrial Forester) who works purchasing wood at the HQ Bldg for Joe Hardy at 84 Lumber. After getting his advise many times I can solve my own problem, if not I get a professional to historically restore the stocks for me. I want my guns to last many life times and be passed down thru the family in pristine shape.

RGD/Dave
L.C. Smith Man

Many of my fine double guns have been passed down to me in pristine condition, thru the generations. I want to make sure the tradition continues.

There�s little I can add to the ammonia method that Keith and others have covered. However, in my friends case he used 1/2 gallon of household ammonia with 2 cups of water added. He soaks his stocks for an hour with periodic scrubbing with a nylon brush. He does not let the wood dry completely, rather he then soaks the stock in laquer thinner for a day to avoid cracks in the wood. This method truly seems to get the deep oil out of the wood. I have tried different methods, including wrapping the stock in brown paper and putting in a 150 degree oven for a couple hours. Results are only so-so. Ammonia and water goes one better. Be very careful of the fumes and only do this out of doors

eeb, try using whiting or kitty litter along with much longer low heat. It may have taken decades for oil to soak deep into the wood, and it takes a long time to bring much of it back to the surface. I've heard of people building a solar oven but find that a vehicle parked in the sun in the summer will easily reach 160 degrees, and you can do it for a week or more for only the cost of the absorbent material.