How To Clean A Wood Gun Stock

01-10-2011, 01:31 AM

deadin US Veteran Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ocean Shores, WA, USA Posts: 5,498 Likes: 187 Liked 4,566 Times in 1,584 Posts

Cleaning an old rifle stock??? I just picked up an old Springfield trapdoor and want to clean (not refinish!) about a 125 years of crud off the stock. I was thinking a mild soap and water solution with a soft scrub brush followed by a linseed oil wipe down or two. Any better ways to do this???? __________________ Dean SWCA #680 SWHF #446

01-10-2011, 02:29 AM

Ron H. US Veteran Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,524 Likes: 33 Liked 246 Times in 117 Posts

Sir, I'd be leery of soap and water on such a long, skinny stock. Seems like it would be easy to inadvertently warp or crack it. Was it me, I'd slather it with boiled linseed oil, scrub vigorously with a rag, and then wipe off the excess with a clean rag. It may take a few treatments, but this is the gentlest method I know. If the stock's really nasty, you might try using one of those 3M green scrubby pads instead of a rag. Just don't scrub quite as hard. Oh, and don't use a kitchen pad with soap infused in it. One thing to be aware of with boiled linseed oil (and many other stock oil finishes) is rag disposal. Rags soaked with boiled linseed oil have been known to spontaneously combust if just thrown straight into the trash. Hang them outside someplace where they can get a lot of air around them until they dry completely. This may take a couple days. Then they're safe to throw away. Hope this helps, and Semper Fi. Ron H. __________________ Wishin' don't make it so.

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01-10-2011, 10:21 AM

deadin US Veteran Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ocean Shores, WA, USA Posts: 5,498 Likes: 187 Liked 4,566 Times in 1,584 Posts

Thanks Ron!! I also might try my old standby.... Hoppes #9 and 0000 steel wool. Quote: Hang them outside someplace where they can get a lot of air around them until they dry completely. This may take a couple days. Around here it might take until Spring... (You have to be here to understand. See my location.) __________________ Dean SWCA #680 SWHF #446

01-10-2011, 10:31 AM

US Veteran Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: middle Ga. Posts: 2,526 Likes: 211 Liked 607 Times in 299 Posts

Linseed oil will darken over time, tung oil doesn't, and both were used at different times for military stock finish.

01-10-2011, 11:23 AM

reddogge Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Finksburg, MD Posts: 1,209 Likes: 445 Liked 900 Times in 379 Posts

Be very careful with an old military stock. If you take too much crud off you will destroy the patina, the old linseed oil in the stock that oxidizes and gives it that dark reddish brown color we all know and love. I vote for a cleaning with linseed oil wipe down as mentioned. Boiled linseed oil would have been appropriate for that era rifle. Tung wasn't used until sometime in WW2. Last edited by reddogge; 01-10-2011 at 11:25 AM.

01-10-2011, 11:26 AM

Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 8,003 Likes: 3,178 Liked 4,823 Times in 2,058 Posts

Quote: want to clean (not refinish!) about a 125 years of crud off the stock Don't! You clean all 125yrs of crud off and the value goes in the toilet, not to mentiion it will look ridiculous..... Easy does it, and less cleaning is better. __________________ Science plus Art

01-10-2011, 11:38 AM

deadin US Veteran Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ocean Shores, WA, USA Posts: 5,498 Likes: 187 Liked 4,566 Times in 1,584 Posts

In my book there's a difference between patina and crud. I want to remove the crud, so "easy does it". (Crud is just plain old surface dirt, grease, etc. The kind if stuff you can scrape off with a fingernail.) I think I will go for the rubdown with linseed oil. __________________ Dean SWCA #680 SWHF #446

01-10-2011, 11:39 AM

Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Florida Posts: 21,368 Likes: 9,953 Liked 14,284 Times in 6,360 Posts

Quote: Originally Posted by OKFC05 Don't! You clean all 125yrs of crud off and the value goes in the toilet, not to mentiion it will look ridiculous..... Easy does it, and less cleaning is better. Never use water. Leave it alone. If it is Cosmoline or so bad you can not pick it up without getting greased up. try a small spot with a little mineral spirits on a clean white rag. see how much comes off.

01-10-2011, 12:02 PM

Vulcan Bob Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: central pa Posts: 5,334 Likes: 2,715 Liked 2,473 Times in 1,176 Posts

I agree, you dont want to remove the patina. For any dents and dings you want to bring up use a steam iron over a damp wash cloth. Dont over do it but you can bring up some dents with this. __________________ Stay safe people!

01-10-2011, 12:21 PM

venomballistics Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: between beers Posts: 7,376 Likes: 3,737 Liked 4,837 Times in 2,428 Posts

Ive used car wax in this role. just enough solvents in it to strip off the scrunge layer, yet far from an acid bath. can do a wonderful job of preserving the soul hiding under the old news __________________ it just needs more voltage

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01-10-2011, 01:44 PM

Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Indiana USA Posts: 971 Likes: 3 Liked 39 Times in 27 Posts

Murphy Oil Soap is gentle on the vintage finish and will remove the crud you seek to get rid of, it will not remove the patina nor damage the finish. I use it to clean Gerstner Machinist Chests that have 50 yrs. accumulation of grease and oil, they turn out looking great.

01-10-2011, 01:59 PM

Silver77 Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Central Texas Posts: 186 Likes: 28 Liked 8 Times in 5 Posts

I used Murphy's Oil Soap on Trapdoors, Garand and Carbine stocks with great results.

01-10-2011, 05:26 PM

rimfired US Veteran Absent Comrade Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: NE PA Posts: 2,588 Likes: 572 Liked 2,030 Times in 672 Posts

Birchwood Casey makes a product called Stock Sheen and Conditioner. It works well taking off as much or as little crud and dirt as you want. I have used it for many years with great results. Work slowly and in small areas till you get the desired results.

01-10-2011, 06:56 PM

OLDFED Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: The Great American Northw Posts: 1,103 Likes: 174 Liked 449 Times in 165 Posts

MURPHY'S OIL SOAP...tried and true! Let the wood air dry 3-4 days and wipe it down again before reassembly. __________________ Term limits!

01-10-2011, 08:44 PM

LouisianaJoe Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Louisiana Posts: 2,458 Likes: 1,120 Liked 3,031 Times in 831 Posts

I have used Howard Restor-A-Finish on Mil Surps with good results. Howard Restor-A-Finish This dissolves the finish and spreads it around. It will take the crud off and leave the original color. I have fixed cracked stocks then used this to spread the finish over the repairs. It is available at Lowes and Home Depot. They also make another product, http://www.howardproducts.com/feednwax.htm that I have used on stocks it is a combination of beeswax and carnauba wax. Do not use these products indoors. If you want to test the cleaner before you put it on visible wood, try a little under the barrel or under the butt plate. __________________ Corripe Cervisiam Last edited by LouisianaJoe; 01-10-2011 at 08:56 PM.

01-10-2011, 09:17 PM

Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 685 Likes: 952 Liked 712 Times in 247 Posts

What's the difference between raw linseed oil and boiled linseed oil? Would the results differ? spricks

01-11-2011, 10:24 AM

Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Florida Posts: 21,368 Likes: 9,953 Liked 14,284 Times in 6,360 Posts

Quote: Originally Posted by spricks What's the difference between raw linseed oil and boiled linseed oil? Would the results differ? spricks raw is just that it is the pure oil squeezed from flax seeds. It takes forever and day to dry.(like extra virgin olive oil) Boiled is not actually boiled. It has solvents in it to dry quickly. They are usually used as paint additives. Linseed oil was one of the main ingredients in "true" linoleum flooring" the word is still used for vinyl sheet flooring. Last edited by Rule3; 01-11-2011 at 10:27 AM.

01-11-2011, 11:31 AM

Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 13 Likes: 0 Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts

As a former collector of antiques and having worked in an antique shop part time to satisfy my fetish, the best thing, and what we used to remove surface "crud" without harming the patina, was GOJO hand cleaner and a cloth. For more embedded "crud" fine steel wool. Use the Original Formula GOJO, not the "perfumed" or abrasive type. Wipe with a cloth after cleaning and for detail a soft toothbrush.

01-11-2011, 11:40 AM

Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Garden Spot, Upstate NY, USA Posts: 1,128 Likes: 1,298 Liked 418 Times in 254 Posts

Cleaning Some good advice above. As to the cleaning, indeed, less is more. I would be tempted to wipe it gently with a soft cloth and a small amount of mineral spirits and reevaluate. If the rifle is nice, you will be glad you went slowly. After a gentle cleaning, some wax, perhaps Johnson's paste, could be good - and, again, reversible. Best, from one Trapdoor-appreciator to another, Dyson

01-11-2011, 11:42 AM

deadin US Veteran Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ocean Shores, WA, USA Posts: 5,498 Likes: 187 Liked 4,566 Times in 1,584 Posts

Thanks for all the suggestions!! I went with a light rubdown using mineral spirits and #0000 steel wool followed by a coat of Renaissance Wax. It accomplished exactly what I wanted. I was looking for signs of checkering and cartouches on a very worn stock. Found the checkering (which should have been there) and no signs of cartouches (which shouldn't be there.) __________________ Dean SWCA #680 SWHF #446

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01-11-2011, 11:50 AM

JamesArthur60 US Veteran Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 1,334 Likes: 139 Liked 311 Times in 124 Posts

Once you get that wood stock clean, this is the best product I've found to provide a quality protectant: Home - Clenzoil Worldwide, LLC

01-11-2011, 11:23 PM

Cyrano US Veteran Absent Comrade Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 7,592 Likes: 13,528 Liked 6,712 Times in 2,526 Posts

What kind of trapdoor has checkering? I have both a rifle and a carbine, and also a Model 1866 rifle in 50-70, and all are uncheckered. All have cartouches in varying stages of visibility.

09-15-2013, 06:24 PM

JustyouraverageEagleScout Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Peoria, IL Posts: 10 Likes: 12 Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts

I tried Murphy's on my Enfield Mk III with no visible results (the lily white rag turned a bit tan, at best) I just did the normal capful/gallon ratio they recommend on the bottle. Should I beef up the concentration a bit or just keep scrubbing and hope for the best? Is there another method/product I should use? P.S. There's a ring of grime on the foam padding in mu gun case from where it sat, which is why I need to clean it.

09-15-2013, 07:06 PM

deadin US Veteran Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ocean Shores, WA, USA Posts: 5,498 Likes: 187 Liked 4,566 Times in 1,584 Posts

Quote: Originally Posted by Cyrano What kind of trapdoor has checkering? I have both a rifle and a carbine, and also a Model 1866 rifle in 50-70, and all are uncheckered. All have cartouches in varying stages of visibility. I know this is a couple of years old and, at the time, I couldn't answer Cyrano's question. Now I can. It turns out what I have is an original, well used but not too abused, M1875 Officers Model. (Not only checkering, but also engraving.) __________________ Dean SWCA #680 SWHF #446 Last edited by deadin; 09-15-2013 at 07:10 PM.

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09-15-2013, 07:13 PM

Banned Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: South East , PA . USA Posts: 5,031 Likes: 486 Liked 1,603 Times in 880 Posts

A heavy spraying of Lemon Pledge will also take years of wax and dirt off a stock. Just like it does with fine furniture. I've used mineral spirits and denatured alcohol to remove cosmoline.

09-15-2013, 08:20 PM

Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 6,678 Likes: 1,068 Liked 6,403 Times in 2,568 Posts

Spraying Pledge or most any of the other furniture dusting products will liven up the looks just like an end table, but I'd keep them off of a gun stock. It contains Silcone (about 10%) as the main ingredient to shine things up and it's why the floor is so slippery if you dust it with the stuff. Silicone in wood just causes headaches for you trying to get most anything else to dry and adhear to it afterwards. Tough to remove too. Another 10% or so is Benzene. That'll remove the crud for you. Might take finish with it too. The rest of the solid content is unfortunetly plain water. Not really great for the stock. Propellant is Butane, Propane and probably other gases. Yea,,it'll 'flame-thrower' for you. Old stock,,, I keep it simple with just boiled Linseed oil and a soft cloth. Oil of any sort cleans dirt. Clean oil or grease will clean your hands of dirty oil and grease. Wipe away the 'patina',,wipe away value. Collectors really love early attic condition. They won't love heavy rust, but you won't remove heavy rust w/o showing that you did so anyway. Any signs of work being done on an anitiques wood finish, the red flag is up and no matter how little you may have done, the suspect of re-done finishes stands and value goes down. Other fiddelin' with the insides is suspected too. You've seen it right here when a single screw slot is buggered, the entire integrety of the piece is suspect by the end of the thread.. JMHO.

09-15-2013, 08:54 PM

rwsmith Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: (outside) Charleston, SC Posts: 29,691 Likes: 38,923 Liked 27,522 Times in 13,092 Posts

A collector once told me.... ...to use Murphy's Oil Soap for cleaning up wood.

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09-15-2013, 09:23 PM

Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: virginia Posts: 1,001 Likes: 413 Liked 110 Times in 70 Posts

How do people keep finding these zombie threads? At least this was a very informative thread, that could possibly help someone in the future.

09-15-2013, 10:38 PM

JustyouraverageEagleScout Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Peoria, IL Posts: 10 Likes: 12 Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts

Quote: Originally Posted by Jswiney9 How do people keep finding these zombie threads? This zombie thread was proudly brought to you by Bing

09-16-2013, 02:11 AM

US Veteran Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: New Iberia, Louisiana Posts: 4,362 Likes: 23,469 Liked 3,128 Times in 1,618 Posts

I've used acetone outside and with the proper gloves to clean up a rather cruddy mauser stock. Put the acetone on a rag and scrub like there is no tomorrow. You did remember to put your gloves on didn't you?. You may have to repeat the process depending how much crud is on the wood. Frank

02-04-2016, 06:59 PM

Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: San Rafael Ca Posts: 11 Likes: 0 Liked 3 Times in 2 Posts

cleaning trapdoor stock Quote: Originally Posted by deadin I know this is a couple of years old and, at the time, I couldn't answer Cyrano's question. Now I can. It turns out what I have is an original, well used but not too abused, M1875 Officers Model. (Not only checkering, but also engraving.) Hi all new member here was looking for info on cleaning a trapdoor stock I just picked up. Saw this tread and was hoping it was not closed. deadin that officers model nust be worth a small fortune now as rare as they are in any condition. I have now have two, an original 1879 rifle in very good original condition with bayonet and one im building for a shooter from parts I have picked up real good barre, I will cut down to 29.6 length, and the rest is of the parts are in good shape also just need fixing up. I got a stock that has been shortened and recontoured looks original even provisions for front barrel band and nose cap reinstalled. It still has the ramrod groove which I want to fill so need to clean it up some so the work can be done and it all look same color. This will be a shooter only not a collector so just need best way to clean. Last edited by alfajim; 02-04-2016 at 07:05 PM.

02-04-2016, 07:24 PM

old bear US Veteran Join Date: Mar 2010 Posts: 8,941 Likes: 25,470 Liked 20,523 Times in 5,152 Posts

Serous question. Quote: Ive used car wax in this role. Tony, do you use paste or one of the new high quality liquid waxes? If you use a liquid wax, why not a liquid polish, which has fine abrasives? Thanks.

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How To Clean A Wood Gun Stock

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