Stock Cleaning Help Needed

[Thin Man]

I have just acquired a Low Wall that has years of dried oil and grunge caked on the bottom edge of the stock from the lower tang to the buttplate. Has anyone had experience in removing this type of corruption without causing damage to the original stock finish? All replies and suggestions appreciated. Thanks!

Thin Man

[West Creek]

Well that sounds alot like the crud I used to get off my dad's old marlin 56. Mostly hand grease caked with dirt. I'd clean it off every couple of years. That old 22 I just used some murphy's oil soap and water.

Being you are cleaning a little higher caliber gun - wood might be perdy under that crud as well. This is what I would do. Use a mixture of Murphy's, lemmon oil and mineral spirits and bees wax I think. The exact recipe slips my mind but I read about it in one of my wood magazines. It comes from a guy who restores and cleans up old wood working tools. Very gentle on the wood but will clean up the crud built up.

Goto Wood Magazine.com OR Taunten Press Fine wood Magazine .com etc and look for an article or goto their message boards. I still have the article but it's boxed up in prepration for a move and I'm busy building my new gunroom support facility. Might be a spell before I can get the info but I'll keep an eye out for it and get back to ya if I find it - mean while head to those wood workign places and look and ask around. The article was about restoring old wood working tools.

[44man]

Sometimes just some linseed oil and a brush will clean up the crud too.

[Hip's Ax]

I've had great luck with Formby's Lemon Oil Treatment in similar situations. Takes the old gunk off and leaves the original finish intact.

[C1PNR]

Several years ago a friend of mine was gifted a 700 Remington .270 that had spent many years in a closet. He gave it to me to "clean up" so he could shoot it.

There was a LOT of caked on grime and some light rust, but no pitting. I used several small pads of 0000 steel wool and light gun oil to remove the rust. Then used the same combination on the stock, as the factory finish was intact.

LIGHT rubbing with the steel wool and oil took the dried out grime off and revealed a very nicely figured piece of wood. The finish was undamaged. YMMV:coffee:

[13Echo]

I recently cleaned the stock on an 1868 Springfield using a method recommended by Hosmer on the Trapdoor site. Equal parts of turpentine and boiled linseed oil with some rotten stone or 4f pumice on a clean, lint free rag. Lightly rub and frequently change spots on the rag to remove the grime without damaging the original finish. The turpentine helps dissolve the grime, the pumice or rotten stone provides a very fine, soft, abrasive action and the linseed oil helps restore the finish. After cleaning finish up with some thin, handrubbed coats of boiled linseed oil. The Springfield cleaned up nicely without damaging the cartouches or making the stock look like someone tried to refinish it.

Jerry Liles

[50 Caliber]

I just refinished an old M1 garand and used, after a good sanding, 8 coats linspeed oil lightly buffed with oooo steel wool between coats and 6 coats of clear polyurethane sprayed on with an airbrush.......gorgeouse.
I would recomend refinishing my self, cant hurt the value that much and will only make it look loads better.

[stocker]

For cleaning without damage to the finish I have very good results using "Joes" mechanics hand cleaner. Smear it on, let it set a spell and work it off with a damp white Scotch brite pad. Repeat if necessary and rub in a thin coat of good commercial stock finish like Tru Oil, not raw tung or boiled linseed oil.

[KCSO]

If you don't mind raising the grain a little Easy Off oven cleaner sprayed on and steel wooled off will really get the old grease out.