Removing Oil Stains

[jack1653]

Here you are Guys,

For those of you that have done stock refinishing, I have a question for you. What have you found to be the most effective way of removing oil stains from the stock? I have removed the stock from the rifle and have removed the old finish down to the original wood. The area of the tang inlets on both top and bottom show a darkening of the walnut due to over or excessive oiling of the metal. I do not like sanding the wood for fear of distortortion of the wood where it meets the metal or for fear of rounding the sharp edges. I am not sure sanding would remove these stains anyway.

I have heard of a couple of old time remedies but can't get enough information on the processess to feel comfortable in attempting the process. One is to emerge the stained area into a bucket of "pool chalk", which I think is calcium carbonate, for several days and it will draw the oil from the wood. The other method is to use "something" on the surface and place the wood under a heat lamp to draw the oil from the wood. I don't know what the "something" is and would like to know if someone can tell me more about these processess. If there is another method, I would like to hear about your experiences.

Thanks guys.

Regards,

jack1653

[rem81auto]

Borrowed from another sight I frequent:

I use a hair dryer to facilitate oil removal. The heat causes the oil to come right to the surface rather quickly, and I wipe continually with a rag soaked with alcohol.

More drastic methods are out there if you case is extreme.

[imfuncity]

I've also heard an old timer talk about using Rem81Auto's idea with alcohol. Some of the more extreme, dabbing with degreasers, Clorox, etc. - little selected areas, with or without heat, watching for it to come back to the color you want.

[jack1653]

Have you heard of using peroxide? I was advised not to use chlorox because it would change the color of the walnut to a white-looking color. I will try the alcohol and heat tomorrow. I know the alcohol will not change the color of the wood. I have used alcohol in the past to remove film from the wood before applying the finish and have never had any trouble.

I would also comment on removing dents from the wood. I had heard for many years about using a damp cloth over the dent and applying a hot iron on the dent and it would raise it back to the original level. I want to tell you that I took an old beat up model 81 and raised 7 deep dents back to a smooth surface. You can't tell where the dents were. I was truly impressed at how well this works. I used one of my instant heat soldering irons instead of the wifes steam iron and it worked great and it was easier to control the heat on the dent. Beside, I didn't want a hot iron on my back-side had the wife caught me using her clothes iron.

Keep those suggestions coming.

jack1653

[imfuncity]

"Have you heard of using peroxide?" Good call, that was another one - wet and dab like doing your hair. Let us know how they work AND don't forget before and after pictures - we are not going to be listening to any of this "when my friend gets me the pictures" stuff either!

Indeed, the engine degreaser, oven cleaner, and Clorox were extreme measures. I was never present during any of there use but it seems there was some mention of using coloring with the new finish after the extreme measures.

[81police]

we are not going to be listening to any of this "when my friend gets me the pictures" stuff either!

haha good one Mitch!

[jack1653]

All y'all can kiss my grits about them thar pictures.

I will send Mitch some pictures that he can post tomorrow. Unfortunately, they will be the after pictures for the dent removal but I should have some good stain before pictures and then I'll try a couple different trchniques that have been provided to see which one works best.

I just as well ask now for what you guys think is the best most natural looking finish for the average model 81. I am not going back to that dark hard glossy finish that was on the original stock. I don't want the stock to look as light as it will if I don't add some color to the finish. My gunsmith suggest the boiled linseed oil with a very light stain to "pull" the color of the grain. Forty years ago I used the hand rubbed Birchwood Oil finish and after 15-16 coats I would use 0000 steel wool and a crumpled paper sack to give the finish a soft satin look.

C'mon now and don't be shy about those opinions.

jack1653

[imfuncity]

All y'all can kiss my grits about them thar pictures.

Strange sounding IL talk, is there a Southern IL?

Over the last month or so, there have been 2 or 3 guys on the forum mentioning finishes that they have done and what they were going to do - not sure where those posts are but you might want to look them up as a place to start. All I've got is heresay, no experience at it - YET.

[45guy]

I usually use the oven, heat at a low temp until it bleeds, and wipe off. How to tackle the issue depends on how badly saturated it is. BTW, that isn't me in the photo...

[DWalt]

Where to begin - There about as many opinions on stock finishes as there are stock finishers. Using one of the commercial "Boiled" (which is not actually boiled) linseed oil finishes (such as Tru-Oil) is preferred by many. But it is just a little too glossy for my tastes, and is not that durable or waterproof. Some people like the newer synthetic coatings (and there are many types, such as polyurethane), and there are some available (even in spray cans) that look and wear pretty good.

My personal preference is Tung oil - the real tung oil. There are some finishes on the market that call themselves Tung oil finishes, but many don't contain any Tung oil at all. I thin the Tung oil a little with mineral spirits before application. I would do the same with boiled linseed oil. Whatever you use, it Is generally best to plan on applying at least 4 or 5 thin coats with fine steel wool treatments between cured coats. Don't attempt getting by with one heavy coat.

Regardless of the finish used, you won't get good results unless the wood is prepared properly. There are also many opinions on how to do that, but it means mainly removing all of the original oil finish (I use Acetone for that), raising or filling dents and scratches and sanding and filling the wood very smoothly to remove any raised grain whiskers. It's a lot of work to do it right. Is just like bluing, where what you do to polish and clean the metal will make a world of difference in the quality of final appearance. Avoid heavy sanding, as when the wood is sanded away, it can't be replaced.

There are a lot of websites that cover fine wood finishing methods (mostly regarding furniture) in great detail and they all have their pros and cons. But a good furniture finish will also be a good stock finish. All involve considerable effort. You might want to look at some.

[jack1653]

Thanks to everyone for providing good ideas and suggestions. I am still in the preparation stage and it is going pretty good. I just finished one of the suggestions regarding the hair dryer and I want to tell you it really works. I was amazed at the amount of oil that was wiped off from just applying heat. It takes a little time and I may burn the wife's hair dryer up given how many I want to do. The wood is coming back to it's original color. I am sure I will have to do another heat application because it is still a little darker than it should be. What surprised me with this process is how far up the oil had migrated into the stock.

I sent Mitch some before pictures for him to post and I will send the after pictures in the next few days. The pictures do show the after for dent removal and I want to tell everyone that the hot water cloth and soldering iron works! More later.

jack1653

[45guy]

I think the worst stock I ever did was my buddies Chi-com SKS in highschool. My father drove the tanker for a local fuel distributor... That stock hung in a tank of 87 octane for a couple days. Definately not for a good piece of Walnut, but worked great for the SKS.

[imfuncity]

45guy,
No fair - You are hereby given 1 official cheat sticker regarding the picture.

87 octane, so would Jack have to use the hi-grade stuff for his quality walnut?

[45guy]

It's not a total cheat Mitch... It WAS my stove at one point, and that IS the guy that stole my CETME. Yep I think you need to run premium with those european imports.

[81police]

87 octane, so would Jack have to use the hi-grade stuff for his quality walnut?

I think Jack would probably have to use jet fuel for his babies

[ctgodog]

Jack,

I talked to an old gunsmith at the gun show this weekend, and he told me that to remove grease and oil from a stock, use Arm & Hammer heavy duty degreaser that you can get at the local market. Put a few tablespoons in a couple gallons of water, and boil the stock in this solution for 30-45 minutes. Depending on how bad the stains are, you may have to do this 2 or 3 times. Let the stock dry, and the grease and oil is gone. He said it works great, and he has used that method for years.

Clint

[imfuncity]

Jack's pictures and report of SUCCESS!!
"I want to tell you the heat gun works. These stocks went from black at the receiver end to what you see. I ended up buying a Porter Cable heat gun that has a variable setting for the heat. It is just a matter of heating and wiping until the oil stops coming out. I could hardly believe the end results. I was able to draw oil out of the stock up to 3 inches from the end. It is amazing how much oil the stock had absorbed."

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[jack1653]

Thank You imfuncity for posting the pictures.

The next step is to apply the Tung oil and hope for a good finish. The wood is smooth as glass and looks pretty good to start the finishing. I have one issue with the forearm in that half of the forearm has beautiful grain matching the stock and the other half has no grain and is very light in color, almost blond in appearance. I have seen this before in walnut and there isn't much I can do about it. I am afraid to apply a stain to the forearm for fear of making the good half too dark. The tung oil does not have enough pigment in it to darken the light area. It has been 40 years since I have refinished any gun stock so it should be interesting.

jack1653

[ctgodog]

Very nice..... I think that I would prefer the heat method over the boiling with the degreaser solution. Seems like it would be a little safer, and less of a chance of screwing up the stock with the solution. I will have to give that heat method a try with my Gramp's 30 REM stock, as there is a lot of oil stain around the attachment end.

Clint

[81police]

those results are amazing. Jack do you have any before pictures of the stocks?

[jack1653]

That is my fault for not being more explicit in what I sent. The before pictures were sent earlier and I think there were 9 or ten before I removed the oil. The last set I sent were the after pictures and they are posted correctly. I have sent the first 12 before pictures to 81police for posting. He can pick and choose which ones to post.

This picture thing drives me more nuts than I already am. I am going to make myself a promise to learn the "photobucket" process in the next couple of days or I will use the Picasa link which seems to work, but it requires the reader to navigate to the link.

Bear with me guys, I will get it straight one of these days. By the way, I called on the Hog pictures and my good buddy had forgat to get them developed. He has promised to get them when he returns from Las Vegas. I am not going to hold my breath on this one!

jack1653

[81police]

Here's the first one of Jack's pics, what a transition.

[45guy]

With that much figure, I'd darken it up a tad. It really won't alter the appearance that much, but it will show the contrast alot more.

[Sarge756]

I appreciate the heatgun idea .I usually use the hot Florida sun and it works pretty good .In addition I make a paste (pancake batter thick) with "Whiting" and denatured alchohol and spread it over the stained area .Let it dry and you will see the oil drawn into the white powder.Repeat until the discoloration stops.
For finish I sand in beginning with 220 or 320 wetdry paper about 2inches square on a backing block like thick leather with a 50/50 mixture of "Waterlox" and mineral spirits. Waterlox original sealer and finish is the one you want available at Woodcrafters and online about $30 a quart. Sand with grain a small area at a time using generous amounts of the mixture.For first two passes (About a half hour or so on a buttstock use the same grit.Allow to dry between passes.For the third and forth go to 400 and use straight Waterlox.The dough(sanding residue will have filled the grain and any damage you couldn`t steam away. If you want real shiny go to 600 or 800 grit. For satin rub it out with fine steel wool and wax with a good paste wax like Johnsons.
Advantages are it gives a real handrubbed finish like Linseed oil or tung but drys much faster. Waterlox is tung oil,linseed oil,gum esters and phenolic dryers .They`ve been around since 1910 so must know what they are doing. I`ve found it gives a very durable weather resitant finish that is easy to repair when a ding occurs.
For stains to blend in a light area that you mentioned I use the powdered water soluable stains (available at Woodcrafters)and mix them with alchohol.You can apply the stain after the second or third pass with the finish and it will penetrate through the finish.A light touch with the 400 wet dry and Waterlox after the stain drys well and you can blend it in.

[imfuncity]

Love the techie/specific stuff - I'm making notes. Thanks guys.

[sighthound]

Here is a method of removing oil stains from a stock.
Use a blueing tank with heat source, fill partly with water, add a cup of cleaning agent tri sodium phosphate, heat to just under boiling point, lay in stock with brick on top to keep submerged, leave about 10 minutes, remove and wipe off, go over with fine steel wool, allow to dry in sun turning to expose all sides. This method has worked well on heavily saturated military stocks. Good luck, Jerry

[DWalt]

I have done essentially the same thing with water and TSP, but in a bathtub without the hot water. I first wipe down the stock with mineral spirits or acetone to get off most of the crud then I just let it sit there submerged for a couple of days. I refinished wood from a vintage Winchester 94, a vintage Winchester 97, a Swedish 96 Mauser, a Kropatschek, an M1 Garand, and a really nasty 7mm Brazilian Mauser starting this way, worked out pretty much OK. The Winchester 94 stock turned out especially well, but it wasn't damages as much as the others.

One tip about filling fairly minor stock dents, gouges, and scars. While you are sanding the stock, save the sanding dust. You can mix it with Super Glue and use it as a paste to fill in the defects. I also heard of using carpenter's wood glue instead of Super Glue, but the Super Glue sets up quickly. You have to work fast, but it does give an excellent color match.