How to clean a dirty wooden stock

p5200

New member
I just purchased a new, old stock Tikka t3 Deluxe in 270 Win. at a LGS and by looking at it it has been handled quite a bit cause it has that dark dingy look they get when handled a lot. Anyone know what I can use to remove the darkness and bring back the grain pattern/ shine? Thanks for all advice! :)
 

603Country

New member
I guess the first thing I'd try is Mineral Spirits. I'm a woodworker, so I have a lot of it close at hand. That'll get any grease or oils off the wood, and it won't remove any finish, it won't stain, and it dries rather quickly. That's a good first start, but past that maybe others have suggestions.
 

Dave P

New member
I vote for mineral spirits also, and 0000 steel wool.

A hot sunny day can bring old oils to the surface.

Who is going to recommend the dishwasher method???? :mad:
 

Rifleman1776

New member
Soap and water. Not dripping wet, just a wet cloth. It is what antique restorers use. When dry apply appropriate protectant.
 

Scorch

New member
Mineral spirits works well, as does Scotts Liquid Gold furniture polish.

And keep steel wool away from anything walnut. Unless you like freckles, that is.
 

p5200

New member
Will mineral spirits be alright to use on an oil finished stock? I noticed I failed to mention that fact sorry! I used a little Ballistol and it seemed to help a little but, it's still awful dark and not much shine. I do realize though, that an oil finish doesn't have the gloss of a hard finish. Thanks for all the advice so far keep it coming. :)
 

JT-AR-MG42

New member
I don't know what Ballistol is. Never tried mineral spirits.
Acetone has worked in the past for me to pull out the dirt and oil.

I wear latex gloves, use the rough shop cotton clothes, and do the work in the garage only.

Rags only if you are going to be just applying a new linseed oil finish.

After having used steel wool before, I would vote no on it again unless you intended to sand the stock prior to the new finish going on.

JT
 

603Country

New member
Mineral Spirits will remove Linseed Oil, but won't remove it rapidly or remove any that's down in the wood. And any BLO (boiled linseed oil) that gets removed can be put right back. Try a good wipedown with the mineral spirits, let the stock dry, and then take a few drops of BLO on your hands and rub it on the stock. See how that looks. It should give you a nice satiny shine. If that doesn't look anything like you want, and is still too dark, then maybe you want to consider refinishing it. The dark color on a lot of old stocks will be where the hands were on it, and is likely due to penetration of various oils (gun oil on the shooter's hands, for instance) that darkened the wood. I don't know if those oils will come out to your satisfaction.

As for the acetone, yes that should dissolve any oils and greases, and will do it much faster than mineral spirits, which might make it the better choice for removing deep down grime. Good luck, but if you decide to refinish, let us know. We have suggestions and details for you on that.
 

nanewt02

New member
From what I've seen my girlfriend use, yes, if you look on the back it should say acetone in a percentage , it's probably 90 percent, it woe work, just not sure if its odd color would do anything to the stock, I'd feel more comfortable buying acetone at the hardware store
 

ClydeFrog

Moderator
+1 for Ballistol...

A big +1 for Ballistol. ;)
It's handy around the shed or in the home. In the late 1990s, I cleaned my cousins old run down Remington 1100 shotgun with a big can of Ballistol. The 12ga looked like it was in the US civil war but came out looking like a champ!

Ballistol is non toxic & CFC free too. Check www.brownells.com a great resource for any firearm owner.

ClydeFrog
 
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