I'm cleaning up an '03 Springfield. I used whiting from Brownell's to suck all the old oil & cosmoline out of the stock (worked pretty well, putting it out in my car all day where it gets nice and hot). Now all the little open grain cells on the surface are full of whiting. How do I get it clean enough to start putting the new oil on?

Wash with acetone or other good solvent and scrub with a soft brush. Work from one end to the other.

Or...just send all your stuff to me...I'll take care of it...YEAH that's right...send it to me...

from here, you can go get a can of cirti-strip and the "deactivator", a 1" square cheap scrub brush and HEAVY rubber gloves... unless you like "fight club" scars all over your hands

follow the directions on the can, which go something like this

1: liberally coat the stock with the striper (always a good plan, heh)
2: wait 20 mins
3: wipe it down with paper towels
4: repeat 1-3
5: wash off with cool water
6: apply deactivator
7: sand to taste
8: oil

I did this last with an m14 stock, out of one of those barrels of oils soaked stocks. 45 mins later, I had a clean, bare stock, all the oil and finish gone.

try it.

jeffe

Is there a better way to get the stripper off without using water? I know alot of people go to great lengths to get/keep H20 out of the wood.

If you have a good air compressor and a gun for it you can blow the stripper off, but I wouldn't suggest it. It's extremely messy and you get the stripper all over everything. Just wash it down with water, then put the stock in a nice dry place for a couple of days and you'll be fine.