doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com removing Oil stains from Wood

It worked great for cleaning things up. I had an issue with mine, it seems the stock and forearm we`re not from the same blank so I got two different colors.

Burch

I have a round titanium tank (true) which I used to put on an off the shelf hot pad, in which I would boil (about 120 degrees) a stock in tricloroethelyn (spelling?) for about 15 - 20 minutes.

Very environmentally unfriendly, I'm afraid. You have to do it outside and be sure not to breath the fumes (extremely caustic).

That stuff is a non-flameable dry cleaners cleaning solvent. You used to be able to buy it off the shelf at hardware stores, but it hasn't been available that way for years.


The heat helps bring the oil to the surface which is immediately leached off. It helps get oil out of the interior of the wood, not just the top surfaces.

I have boiled water and mixed with dawn dishwashing detergent, then place the butt stock and forearm in this mix for 5 to 10 minutes at a time. Take out and scrubbed with a nylon brush. This process did clean most of the surface oil and dirt from the stock areas as well as the checkered areas. The heat and water also raised any dents. However, the area around the grip that usually had a heavier concentration of oil and dirt did not clean up as well. So what I was looking for is a process that would pull the stuff that seems to be deep in the the wood.

I've had mixed results getting all the stains from oil, and, whatever, out of old gunstock wood. One particular stock defied every method attempted, and I finally gave up and bought a different stock. In the end, that was the only way left to go, and it was the best option.
Some stains, are just that.
Best,
Ted

I have had good success with Lacquer Thinner in a spray bottle, spray it on the effected area until you have a strong drip and run off going. Let it drip dry and repeat several more times until the thinner is running out is clear. Most of the cases I have encountered have just been the head of the stock being saturated with oil, so I have not had a need to soak the whole stock. Not to say these sort of cases don't exist, just that I have not had the opportunity to work with one. As several others have mentioned, do wait for the thinner to fully evaporate before attempting finishing. I usually wait at least 8 hours, probably overkill but I prefer to play it safe. Just my two cents...

I'm looking to refinish the stock and fore end of an older (about 40 years, no collector value) shotgun. Do you recommend this method as a good way to strip the old finish and stain?

Lldub, Trichlorethelyne was probably the greatest thing for removing grease, dirt, oil, from metal parts, etc.. Also was used as a dry fly floatant. Also very bad for your health.
If you still use this stuff please use the appropriate respirator, or send it to me.

If there is bedding compound on the wood, will the acetone hurt it?

After all this soaking what happens to the wood in terms of dimensions? Does it swell enough and stay swelled enough when dry to be proud of the metal? If so, a light sanding won't change the wood/metal fit.

OTOH, if it returns to it's original dimensions sanding might bring it below the metal's line, or is sanding generally not needed? Does an acetone/alcohol soak raise whiskers?

The alcohol may raise whiskers and will swell the stock more because it attracts water and usually has some in it to begin with.

My experience, which is limited to 3 or 4 stocks is that they return to original size. I would not work on the stock until you are satisfied it is done shrinking. I have found that I had to soak three days and in one case I had to do it twice to get all the oil out.

Be careful about previous repairs since the glue will be dissolved. I don't know if epoxy is affected but most other glues are affected by the acetone, alcohol and the inevitable water (even in small amounts) in the acetone and alcohol.