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Your advice sought on cleaning a vintage shotgun stock. There is plenty of advice out there on the internet on cleaning wood stocks - too many to know which to trust and cosmoline or oil soaked wood are not
issues here. There are many voices on this Forum that I highly respect and I am seeking knowledgable suggestions. I have a H&H hammer gun circa 1880 that is beautifully stocked, but the stock finish is dull. I suppose it is the accumulation of 140+ years of grime and oil. The metal is in great shape and I plan to use an ultrasonic cleaner to address the dullness on those surfaces as has been discussed previously on this Forum. I think that the appearance of the stock will be helped with a gentle cleaning, but I am not sure what to use. I am not interested in a "restoration", but I just think that there is some beautiful stuff waiting to be revealed. I appreciate your thoughts. Thanks in advance.

wbm

The standard Victorian furniture cleaner/restorer wont do any harm and it works well. It is 1 part vinegar, 1 part raw linseed oil, 1 part turpentine. Shake the bottle well and use a soft cloth but do not over saturate the cloth.

Antonio I have used both "White" Vinegar and brown "Malt" Vinegar they each work well, though they do give me the craving for that very Brit dish Fish & Chips with Mushy peas.

To clean any wood surface with no damage to the finish use 100% mineral spirits.

Here is a link to a gentleman, noremf, that was a professional wood restorer. Unfortunately, he passed a couple years ago, put he left a wealth of information on wood restoration.

Wood cleaning.
Art