I got a good deal on a fine FN Mauser stocked in a pretty Bishop Mannlicher walnut stock. It had some finish wear but no nicks and ugly white spacers on the grip cap and recoil pad which I removed. It needed a refinish anyway but I was shocked to find the finish had softened in a gun case and was textured like the fabric in the case. This happened because the cased gun was stored in a room that may have reached 100 degrees F.

I refinished with Tru Oil and it looked great. Made the mistake of thinking that whatever finish that was originally on the gun was now sealed and wouldn't soften like the old finish, but it happened again. Wasn't that big of a deal to wet sand and refinish the damaged parts and it looks great again.

What kind of finish in use in the late 50's or sixties would soften at these temps? The original finish was possibly applied at Bishop who may have done all of the stock work on this rifle. Does this sound like boiled linseed oil finish and would this be a finish Bishop was likely to use then. Do you know the temp range of stability of Tru Oil finish before it will soften?

I know, never store guns in a gun case!

Probably shellac.

Doesn't matter; strip it all off and apply a modern finish that contains dryers and hardeners. Tru oil is fine; of course there are others. Do not be mislead by the old "masters" formulas containing linseed oil, etc. They provide little protection for the stock.

Those old Belgium / French lacquer finishes drive me nuts. Damned, cheese eating, surrender monkeys !

Sometimes there is a reaction between the finish and the foam in an older or cheap case. I don't know why this happens. Perhaps it is from the foam off-gassing. I've seen the finishes of Remington and Colt rifles destroyed by foam. I never put a wood rifle directly against foam. I always use a gunsock or a thin, soft case inside the hard case.

I never put bubble wrap or plastic against wood either. There's little worse than unwrapping a prized rifle to find the finish covered in little circles. I always wrap wooden stocked guns and rifles in wrapping paper first.

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Grenadier

I have seen that too Grenadier. I have the answer to the mystery as well.

A customer had a problem where the foam in a Pelican case, (a $400 Pelican case) freaked out and attacked his gun. Being a nice guy, I called Pelican and asked them: "what gives buddies?" They just laughed and said: "it's your problem pal! The oil or solvents the guy is using on his gun has had an unexpected and negative reaction to the foam in the case. We guaranty the case against just about everything BUT, shark bite, bear attack and children under four. AND CHEMICAL SPILLS!"

Foam deteriorates on it's own; look under the dash of any car over a few years old and you will see a mess of crispy, brittle foam.

Yes ! plastics and rubber deteriorate on there own.
My F-150 is doing that right now !Polyurethane has been doing that since the fifties . Heat , radiation and just age does it . Much of stuff from China does it ! It may be fine for years then suddenly it goes !!
Turns to powder , gets sticky, smells terrible or other problems .
I can't tell you more ,not being a plastics engineer , I'm just a victim !!

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It may be fine for years then suddenly it goes !! Mad
Turns to powder , gets sticky, smells terrible or other problems .

Hell, that's a lot like what's happening to me; am I made out of foam?

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Hell, that's a lot like what's happening to me; am I made out of foam?

That is just too funny

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Does this sound like boiled linseed oil finish and would this be a finish Bishop was likely to use then.

I know, never store guns in a gun case!

It sounds like a high oil percentage finish, there are a lot of those around some commercial some home brews.
Strip and clean the stock and refinish. TruOil should be fine.
good luck
BB

John, " growing old isn't for sissys "

Mete, correction its "Growing old AIN'T for sissies"

Damn, you guys are scaring me, never had any of that happen to a gun of mine and I been shipping guns in bubble wrap and foam cases all my life...and now I find out it can effect my good looks and charm, scary stuff!