I'm finishing up a couple of katrina guns, a sharps and a spencer and have pretty much finished them up except the wood on the spencer. It picked some, but not alot of brackish water. I'm leaning towards an acetone/alchohol bath....any other thoughts? So far no abrasives have been used in the clean up and I'm very happy with the results. I'm thinking the old acetone soak, then a soak in linseed oil. Any input appreciated.
Steve

Why not a dry bulb slow heat bath . I assume removal of water or moisture is the objective .

Acetone will remove water alcohol attracts it ?.

So what's the reasoning behind the two bath solution ?.

Remove stains on wood after drying , then oil bath except linseed would not be my choice . I prefer modified tung oils urethanes those types which penetrate and solidify inside the wood . Makes it stronger surface wise as well as more moisture resistant .
Good Luck . ...

Maybe a light coat of varnish to seal the wood where it contacts metal? I assume you are alluding to a "salt wood" situation where the wood was soaked in brackish water, with salt left in the wood as it dried. I doubt that you will get salt out of wood entirely - successive soakings in water will slowly dilute it out, but more will likely leach out from deep in the wood, and the more / longer you soak it the more likely something will happen i.e. splits or checks.

Good luck,
Todd

Luckily these guns did not sit under water, they were hanging on a wall. Very little brackish water soaked the wood. I'll use the water to remove the little salt that contacted the wood. The fact that the stoicks were oil soaked really helped them out and they took on very little water.
Steve