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refinishing a stock with oil/solvent stains

bambihunter
Is it possible to refinish a stock where it has marks from where the gun oil stained it? Some are barely noticeable but still there but it also appears there is one that might have soaked clear through the wood. I'm not after a show piece here, but just gonna take out some scratches out of an old muzzleloader here and clean it up again for its "second life" after getting a barrel for it from a GB member (thanks bill!).
This gun never was properly protected, it just had some kind of stain put on it and never poly'd or anything.
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10 comments

Date Votes
  • countershaft
    If it were me , I'd use a good stain-varnish remover and take it down to bare wood . Sand the whole thing , espically the stained areas. , then re-finish how ever you want it !Matte or gloss or oil finish
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  • jsergovic
    A "poultice", a dry mixture applied to the wood, might draw out the oil.
    A similar method is used to restore stone.

    I'm not sure of the exact formula for wood, but in theory, the oil should be drawn to a less dense matter, just as air flows from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure.
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  • Contender Man
    Agree w/ the sanding and use of removers. However, I have heard that there is a bleaching/leeching agent that wood workers use to draw stains out of furniture. If you have a couple cabinet makers in your area or better yet a shop that specializes in custom woodwork supplies go have a chat w/ em.

    Lastly there are the professional stripping operations. Wood goes into a vat of "god only knows what" and when it comes out it's pretty much cleaned. Friend of mine's wife put the wrong stuff on part of the teak handrailing on his boat ... he took the stained sections to a pro operation and they cured 'em. But you may not have anyone near you that does that.



    If you only have time to do two things so-so, or one thing well ... do the one thing!
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  • Bert H.
    Give it an overnight bath in a tub of Acetone... any oil or grease that has penetrated the wood will be gone.

    Bert H.

    Real Men use a SINGLE-SHOT!
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  • gotstolefrom
    BertH hit the nail on the head. The main ingredient in many commercial strippers is acetone. And if you want to get the oil out of a place where it is perfectly happy to be... your gonna have to use a pretty potent approach. Don't be surprized, but , sometimes furniture looks REALLY different after you strip it. And some things just cannot be reversed. I vat dipped an end table that had some 'lamp oil' rings on it. Two separate soaks did not remove all the evidence, but I was able to re-finish with oil to an even coloring.
    Acetone is also a primary ingredient in most nail polish removers, but 'buffered' somewhat. You may be able to draw enough oil out of the 'end grain' without a full dip.

    If we do not hang together we will certainly hang separately.
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  • orca44mag
    Rookie question here: will acetone raise the grain at all?
    Thanks...
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  • Bert H.
    quote:Originally posted by orca44mag
    Rookie question here: will acetone raise the grain at all?
    Thanks...


    No.

    Bert H.

    Real Men use a SINGLE-SHOT!
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  • Pinhead
    I have refinished several old military rifle stocks that were at first glance tent peg material. I usually start with a good surface cleaning using SIMPLE GREEN(WORKS GREAT ON METAL PARTS TOO) brushing with a fiber kitchen brush. After a couple of cleanings with this I go to either the acetone or to BROWNELLS WHITING from the Brownell Gunsmith catalog: which is a powder to mixed with TCE. This forms a paste that is brushed onto the stock and then allowed to dry. Brush the dry paste off after it appears to not be absorbing oil from the stock. You would be surprised at the difference this makes--brings out the deeper grease and oils(you might want to repeat it more than once depending on how light you want your stock.) NOW YOUR READY TO START SANDING. Just don't get into a big hurry and rush the cleaning process. How good the finish turns out will depend on how good you cleaned. By the way, if you use Truoil for a finish, any slight amount of oil left in the stock will leech thru the finish and can be simpley wiped away with a soft cloth without any damage to the finish.Hope this helps. I hope this helps.
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  • 260
    i agree with PINHEAD 100%. he knows what hes talking about. i would use a heat gun carefully to heat up the wood to draw the oil to the top
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  • MIKE WISKEY
    PINHEAD HAS IT NAILED, TO MAKE A 'TANK' FOR SOAKING THE STOCK FIRST FIND A CARDBOARD BOX THE STOCK WILL FIT IN, CUT THE TOP OFF (LONG SIDE) AND LAY AN UNOPENED GARBAGE BAG (LARGE INDUSTRIAL) IN IT, LAY THE STOCK ON TOP OF THE G. BAG THIS WILL FORM THE BAG AROUND THE STOCK, POUR ABOUT 1 PINT OF ACETONE OR LAQUER THINNER IN AND FOLD THE REST OF THE BAG OVER THE STOCK TO SOAK FOR A DAY OR SO.
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