I need advice on wood stock deep cleaning

[sparky45]

I have a new to me 1937 Winchester Model 62 that needs the wood "refreshed". Lots of dings and gouges that I'd prefer to keep but also the finish overall needs cleaned. What cleaner or preserver would be best to use that won't remove the "patina" but get rid of the years of soiling. Receiver and barrel has that "brown" look and I'll want to clean it up but not re-blue.
Suggestions as how to proceed?

[tangolima]

I assume you do want to remove the original finish. 2 methods I have used with good result.

Orange peel oil. It is pretty good and mild solvent. But it is pricey.

Denatured alcohol. It is my go-to method except for shellac. It dissolves shellac. And if you have the dubious pleasure to live in California, it is now banned for reasons that only work in lunatics' mind.

I believe mineral spirit will work too.

-TL

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[reddog81]

What do you mean by it needs cleaned? Do you want to keep the current finish on the wood? A damp rag will clean off any crud without hurting the current finish. If you want to remove the finish on the wood and then refinish it without touching the knicks and dings there are at least a dozen different options. It all depends on how you want the finish product to look. You’ll have to give a better description of the current condition and much better description of what you want the finished product to look like in order to get good advice.

I’ve used Tung oil for similar projects and it works well. You can get a variety of different finished looks depending on how much prep work you do, how many coats you apply, prep in between coats and you can leave as is without a topcoat, or put on a topcoat if you want a more finished look. There are similar gun specific products that can be used or other more generic wood products that could work also.

For the receiver and barrel any CLP product will clean and preserve the current state of the metal. Or could use anything from mineral spirits and motor oil if you don’t have any specific gun products on hand.

[Wayne Smith]

Mineral spirits is my go to solvent for jobs like this. Orange Oil will work but isn't always available. Tung oil is a finish and not a solvent or cleaner.

[reddog81]

Tung oil is a finish and not a solvent or cleaner.

I know. That's why I mentioned a damp rag will clean the wood. He also said he wants the wood to be "refreshed" whatever that means.

[farmbif]

Murphy oil soap and Scots liquid gold are a couple things I use on old ugly guns. I had a winchester stock that was covered in mold once. I cleaned it with lysol disinfectant spray then used the Scots liquid gold

[Wayne Smith]

I know. That's why I mentioned a damp rag will clean the wood. He also said he wants the wood to be "refreshed" whatever that means.

I always steam out the dents and then clean and refinish with Tung Oil myself.

[sparky45]

Thanks for all the replys; I forgot to mention that the butt stock also has the "traditional" discoloration from the receiver back to about 3 inches. I read somewhere that Acetone would help remove some of the oil staining if left in the stuff for a period of time without any harm to the wood. True?

[Dio]

Acetone is fairly harsh. I would avoid it if you want to keep the original finish.
Denatured alcohol would be my first choice...try some of whatever you choose on a small area and wait a while....maybe try a spot under the but stock if applicable

[farmbif]

acetone has the ability to dissolve many types of paint and finishes. it also has the ability to make a gooey mess if just wiped on certain clear coat finishes.
a gun stock is sometimes referred to furniture and a good quality furniture cleaner/polish I've found works real well as a starting point. if you never tried Murphy oil soap on wood finishes or leather it is also a great proven cleaner that will not do any harm. I use it right out of the bottle onto a rag and then use a clean rag after

[sparky45]

The finish on this gunstock, if there is a finish, must be a rubbed on oil finish of some kind; i.e. Tung oil ect. The oil staining I'm talking about is from decades of oiling the action of the gun and setting it butt stock down in a gun rack, ect. The oil is soaked into the wrist of the stock.
Here's a pic of the darkened wrist of the stock.

302506

[Alstep]

I'd keep that patina just like it is. Just wipe it down with a clean rag and some Ballistoil and you're good to go. That old rifle has lots of character. Shoot it and enjoy.

[tangolima]

The finish on this gunstock, if there is a finish, must be a rubbed on oil finish of some kind; i.e. Tung oil ect. The oil staining I'm talking about is from decades of oiling the action of the gun and setting it butt stock down in a gun rack, ect. The oil is soaked into the wrist of the stock.
Here's a pic of the darkened wrist of the stock.

302506Now that's different game all together. Most likely you will have to strip the original finish and refinish because of that. It is good thing to do as non-polymerizing oil (gun oil etc) weakens wood fibers.

Heat drives oil out. The key is to catch that oil and take it away immediately. Old newspaper, paper towels in contact with the wood does that. Non-clump cat litter works great. Wrap the wood in absorbents and place it on car dash under hot summer sun. Change out the absorbents daily, till attitude improves.

Solvent leeches out the oil. Nothing beats the nasty acetone (I hate that $hit). Submerge the section of wood in soda can of said solvent, and leave it till attitude improves. You need to rig up sealing structure to minimize evaporation. And Pete's sake avoid breathing in the flume, or it will you who improves attitude first.

-TL

P.S. I probably would leave it alone as suggested by the others. It is the subjective side of my brain whispering. It looks cool and I'm lazy. I will do it when the wood can't hold anymore.

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[Hannibal]

I'd keep that patina just like it is. Just wipe it down with a clean rag and some Ballistoil and you're good to go. That old rifle has lots of character. Shoot it and enjoy.

I second this. If you want a rifle with an even finish I'd suggest buying something newer and leaving this one as-is. It's expected to look like that.

[sparky45]

Interesting; my brother lives East of KCMO; but not in Hannibal. I'll look the stock over real close before I make any changes. Initally I think I'll use a bit of Old English Scratch Cover and rub it out real well.

[JimB..]

I’ve seen some that are a mess, but yours looks good. I would wipe it down and call it good.

[Farmall-130]

I have always used TSP (trisodium phosphate) to clean oil, grease & crud from stocks. TSP is a alkaline solution, not friendly with some metals. Damp sponge the surface, toothbrush cavities, wear nitrile gloves & eye protection, wipe off crud with paper towels. When done wipe down with clean water. Three CMP M1 stocks I’ve done cleaned up well without stripping the finish. Character marks & deep coloration remained.

[Wayne Smith]

You are right, that is oil and as mentioned it does destroy the wood over time. I would pull the stock and check for the integrity of the wood first. Once you know you have solid wood and not a crumbled mess inside then we can talk about surface treatments. One step at a time.

[shortlegs]

I have a stock that has oil in like yours. I have soaked it in mineral spirits first, oil came back. Second time in acetone overnight, oil came back. Third time I soaked in for a week in acetone, looked great for a few days and oil came back. As said above , you have to use heat. Brownells has whiting that will soak up the oil as it comes out when you heat the wood with a heat gun. I havent tried that yet but it is on my to do list.

[old_colt]

I would recommend just wiping it down with linseed oil.