I'm in the process of refinishing a rifle stock. I've cleaned the old finish off with Zip Strip. However, I see oil in the wood just above the pistol grip. This is most likely years of accumulation off the receiver when the gun was oiled and left to stand up in a corner or a gun cabinet. The stock is from 1930. How can I draw this oil out of the stock? I plan to do a tung oil finish. If I don't get this old oil out will it hurt the new finish? Thanks.

Get some diatomeaceous earth (DE) and mix it with some mineral spirits and wipe the mixture on the stock in the oil soaked area. It will draw the oil out and then you repeat until is complete.

Wow Chic, thanks for the quick response. Do you like the tung oil finish for a stock? If not what? Thanks again.

I was trying to get black oil out of a old walnut swede stock and used diatamatious earth, and also set the stock infront of a quarts heater, it liquified the oil and it bubbled out some more of the oil. Used some laquer thinner or acetone to wipe out the heated oil that bubbled out.

quote:

Originally posted by Customstox:
Get some diatomeaceous earth (DE) and mix it with some mineral spirits and wipe the mixture on the stock in the oil soaked area. It will draw the oil out and then you repeat until is complete.

Does this method work for old milsurp stocks sopped in primordial gun ooze ie: cosmoline?

Thanks
ZM

quote:

Originally posted by Zeke:
Does this method work for old milsurp stocks sopped in primordial gun ooze ie: cosmoline?

Yes. I'm degreasing a cosmo soaked Mauser right now using this method. There's enough of that shit in this stock to start a small oil company.

My normal cosmoline removal method is a cheap black plastic gun case and cat litter. But this method takes a long time and only works in the summer.

Thanks
ZM

Hi: There's an easy way & happens to be also most effective: I've gotten oil out of some military stocks that were about as bad as creosote soaked
telephone bases...anyway enough BS...
Buy a spray can of ordinary strength "Easy Off"
oven cleaner. Spray where you want the oil removed. Let it foam up for a minute or so...rinse under hot water, wipe same time with a wet towel, then dry towel. let dry, preferably overnight.
It will leach all the oil out...how do you think it gets all the baked oven grease in the ovens?
On oily stocks its even easier to do. Won't hurt the wood...you may want to sand lightly the surface when dry. I've done some impossible seeming oil stocks that way...an old gunsmith's method. I do my jobs in the laundry room sink, wear rubber gloves & don't breath the junk. Other than those precautions, it is a great method. If weather warm enough, you can do it outside...then when reasonably done, rinse once under hot water, & towel off the wood.
Once you've tried this way, you won't go back to any other method. I had one real, real oil soaked military stock...a baddie. I did this method one day, let it dry & did it again the next day. It was the only time I had to do it twice, and the stock got deoiled very nicely.
Best Regards, Tom
ps. I wouldn't use tung oil. I used to, but not now. The easiest & best product I found was one Brownell's sells called "Gun Saver". Use the "satin" finish one if wanting a natural oil finished look. The top pros use this product...its easy & does a great protective job.

Oven cleaner damages the wood. Its Caustic and breaks down the wood fibers. Realy! Be careful if you use it and dont let it set very long, hose it off.

I wouldnt use it on a nice stock.

quote:

Originally posted by Customstox:
Get some diatomeaceous earth (DE) and mix it with some mineral spirits and wipe the mixture on the stock in the oil soaked area. It will draw the oil out and then you repeat until is complete.

What proportions do you use for the mix?

I have a well travelled No4 MkI that leaks primordial gun ooze at room temperature. I'd like to get it refinished and ready for summer.


ZM

GSP7: Reply re. oven cleaner...I've never had any wood damage using oven cleaner...but I always rinse it quickly, then sand the stock before finishing, so maybe the sanded surface rids the damage..but I have some really nice finished stocks & can't see any damage of any kind from the oven cleaner. All I can say is that it has always worked for me without any problems.
Best Regards, Tom

Tom, JBelk posted about Oven cleaner awhile back. Oven Cleaner is Cuastic that breaks down orgainics. Wood is organic.
I have used oven cleaner on old military stocks. And thought it was great stuff. I did notice that it realy eats the oil out but also noticed I had to sand away damaged wood that was kinda like powder flaking off . Most noticeable around metal to wood fit areas like the rear tang or around bottom metal/wood fit .
Just trying to pass on good imfo.

GSP7: Thanks for tip...it is caustic, I know (that's why I wear gloves)...but probably because I sanded down the stocks afterwards there wasn't any
noticeable damage. Wood is fiber & of course, susceptible to damage...but I repeat in my experience I have had no damage so I use this method...if I had noticeable damage, I'd stop.
The excess oil soak was worse than after leaching it out with oven cleaner. I don't think if you got damage, it would be much & if so, probably easily sanded out on the surface. I can only speak from my experience which has been good using this method. Someone else may have different results, but mine was just fine.
Tom

I have used oven cleaner on some really bad milsurp stocks and it worked pretty well. One caution, some stocks/wood will take on a greenish tint when degreased with oven cleaner.