doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Old Stock how do you clean it?

I have a Parker DH stock that needs to be cleaned before I add some oil or French Polish to it. What do you guys use to clean ther grime out of the stock. I don't want to sand it, I want to keep the patina that is there just clean it. Thanks Eric

Murphys oil soap, paste variety is best.

I use Murphy's Oil Soap with warm water and a soft toothbrush or nail brush. Go slow and work at it carefully. I dry witha hair dryer set on low heat.

If it needs it, I will follow with a clean cloth with a little turps on it. Any additional work / agents depends on what you're trying to remove, and from where.

You may have to use heat and a cloth with acetone (multiple passes) to get oil out of the head of the stock. If you are going to use real French polish, be aware that this is a shellac and alcohol mixture applies with pads and special technique. Do not do this if the original finish is not French polish. Use a tung oil mixture for your oil finish.

Eric,

I think the Murphy's advice is generally bad (!).

I tried it on a hammer G from 1883 that had the usual dark, oily stock and it removed the grime pretty well - but it also removed whatever finish there may have been, too. If I were a country boy I would now descrice it as "bare-ass wood".

I am sure I could re-apply a finish of oil or shellac or whatever but there won't be any patina from the old days left.

My advice...if you must tangle with it... try whatever you are going to do on some other gun that you don't care about first. Or better yet just sell me that 8 (?) and you won't have to worry about it!

Greg

I have cleaned quite a few old grimey guns I use windex on the checkering -- apply it with a tooth brush -- really cleans years of sweat & dirt quite easly without removing the old finish. For the rest of the stock I spray the windex on cloth or shop towel & rub it down, then dry with another towel. After drying I apply a coat of stock wax. For stock wax, I like carnauba auto wax - water proof,uv protected. ---Great stuff
Cheers.

The original finish was shellac, knowing methonal disolves shellac try that first with some 4 O steel wool. Then refinish with french polish. If you really want to be picky use button lac
bill

I had heard about Murphys soap and likie Greg had heard that it takes the finish off and sometimes raises the grain. I don't want to refinish the whole stock and I was thinking of using turp and OOOO steel wool for the stock and turp and a toothbrush for the checkering followed up using a rag to wipe down the stock. I may try the Windex on a small area and see what happens with that, never heard of that method.

Bill, what is button Lac?
Greg,nope on the 8 ga !

Eis, you should know that windex contains ammonia which is a good cleaner but will also turn tannic woods black. If your stock has any bare wood unprotected by old finish you could end up with a dark spot. I like the turps/mineral spirits route, they will loosen most undesirable stuff but won't do harm to wood or dry finish. I would also stay away from water and water based cleaning unless the original finish has no breaks in it.

Id also stay away from the steel wool and use the soft tooth brush....

Thanks Hansli, I never thought about the ammoinia, so scratch that idea, the gun does have some bare spots so that would turn it black. Guess I'll stick to turps but a toothbrush seems small to clean a whole stock, what about a course rag? Eric