Stock cleaning?

[sgreen3]

I just got a mauser, and the stock is kind of dingy and a little bit sticky feel to it. what would be a good way to clean it up an make it not sticky any more. Thanks

 

[eldirector]

Pledge? Worked on my Marlin.

If it is the varnish coming off, then you might need something more aggressive.

 

[sgreen3]

Ill try some pledge, I dont know if its the varnish or not. just has sort of a sticky feel to it

 

[Andre46996]

Don't use pledge!!!!

You still have cosmoline in the wood!!

I like steaming mine it works great, go to you tube and search Cosmoline removal stocks and you'll get plenty of info.

 

[sgreen3]

Don't use pledge!!!!

You still have cosmoline in the wood!!

I like steaming mine it works great, go to you tube and search Cosmoline removal stocks and you'll get plenty of info.

Oh ok, will do thanks!

 

[WhitleyStu]

Johnson's Paste Wax. I use it on all my wood stocks and furniture. It cleans and leaves a thin wax coating.

 

[sloughfoot]

Spray on oven cleaner. (Easy Off?) The caustic kind. Hot water and steel wool. Repeat as necessary. The oils can run pretty deep in the wood. Remove all metal first.

Do it outside or in the garage and catch the drippings in something.

This is a tried and true method for getting old military stocks ready for a new finish.

 

[Kveldulf]

Ballistol. It works on anything and everything, including wooden stocks. After you're done using it on stocks, use it on your leather holsters and squeaky door hinges.

 

[sgreen3]

Spray on oven cleaner. (Easy Off?) The caustic kind. Hot water and steel wool. Repeat as necessary. The oils can run pretty deep in the wood. Remove all metal first.

Do it outside or in the garage and catch the drippings in something.

This is a tried and true method for getting old military stocks ready for a new finish.

Ive seen a few things on this, I think this will be the way to go. Now if I could just get a day off with decent weather,lol

 

[Dog1]

Dishwasher....then stain it with whatever you want.

Run on the regular cycle. When you are done, re-run the dishwasher empty, to clean in out.

 

[Deadly Z Driver]

Ive seen a few things on this, I think this will be the way to go. Now if I could just get a day off with decent weather,lol

Are you going to refinish or just trying to make it not sticky? You might want to do as stated above first for cosmoline removal because if you do the other options you'll be re-staining it, unless that's the plan!

 

[red_zr24x4]

Put it inside a black trash bag, hang in the sun. You might have to do it a couple of times depending on how bad it is

 

[fireball168]

Here's the right tool for the job.

BROWNELLS : OLD FASHIONED WHITING - World's Largest Supplier of Firearm Accessories, Gun Parts and Gunsmithing Tools - BROWNELLS

 

[tenring]

I tried the Whiting once, never again. What a mess. Now use odorless oven cleaner, let it set for a few minutes, use a Sotchbrite pad to scrub, rinse with hot water, wipe down with cotton rag, use a hair drier to finish, set it up for a day or so, see if it needs it again, then start with pure Tung Oil rubbing it in, wipe down, let it set for several days, do second coat, then finish with special paste consisting of 1 part Pure Tung Oil, 1 part bees wax, 1 part Odorless Mineral Spirits, rubbing in on with finger tips, wiping off excess, let it sit for a few days, do it again, and so on and so on until you're happy with results. YMMV

 

[johntheplinker]

Spray on oven cleaner. (Easy Off?) The caustic kind. Hot water and steel wool. Repeat as necessary. The oils can run pretty deep in the wood. Remove all metal first.

Do it outside or in the garage and catch the drippings in something.

This is a tried and true method for getting old military stocks ready for a new finish.

NO!!!!! The oven cleaner penetrates deep into the wood and is almost impossible to completely remove. It will damage the wood fibers and can cause the wood to take a greenish hue.
The absolute best, nondamaging way of removing cosmolene from a stock is dry heat. Lots of ways of accomplishing this, oven on low, heat gun, wrap the stock in a black trash bag and leave on a car dash, etc...Slow, but it works and doesn't damage the wood.
What I do on mine is use a rag lightly dampened with mineral spirits to remove the surface crud, then wrap it in paper towels or newspaper then place that in a black trashbag and leave it lay in the sun. Replace the paper when needed. Then in a couple of days I've got a cosmo free stock with original finish and character!

 

[tenring]

Fulton Armory FAQ: How should I refinish my M1 Garand Stock?

 

[johntheplinker]

That's fine if you want to do it, but having worked in wood industry for many years, I guarantee the last thing you want to put on wood is lye. Yeah, it might be fast and easy, but then I have to wonder if that is part of the reason so many stocks end up getting replaced. There are other methods of completely stripping wood that are less damaging to it, and are almost as fast and easy.

 

[ol' poke]

+1 for using the Easy-Off oven cleaner.

My CMP Garand was caked in cosmoline. I scraped off as mush as I could, then sprayed and hosed down the stocks with EZ-Off. After a few coats, I let it dry completely and finished with a dozen coats of hand-rubbed boiled linseed oil. Beautiful!

ol' poke

 

[fireball168]

If you are considering using oven cleaner - go try this.

Look at the wood fibers at 5-10x magnification, you can buy a loupe at Radio Shack if nothing else.

Give it a good dose of oven cleaner, let it sit for a couple of hours and wipe it off.

Inspect the fibers, then again after a few days.

Repeat as necessary, you'll get the point.



If you don't care about the longevity/integrity of the stock, or just need a quick fix - pour on the oven cleaner.

 

[Griffeycom]

I use Murphy's Oil Soap, then I heat the stock under a shop lamp, the soap removes the top layer pretty well and the heat gets the rest from the inside out. Then I use 100% Pure Tung Oil.