Cleaned up the finish on the Parker fore end and of course I discovered a split not evident with old finish in place. Always a good practice to look closely as I would have missed this without removing the fore end iron and the finish.

How it appears that there is some oil in the wood given the dark coloration remaining. Before closing the split I would like to remove the oil as much as possible without discoloring the wood. Any and all advice welcome.

Wood with old finish removed


Split to be closed with some oil in wood