Cleaning old gun stocks

[tws3b2]

I like finding old beat up, abused, neglected put back in the corner and forgotten 410s and 22s. I usually will remove the old wood finish and blueing. Reblue, refinish and get the gun shooting again. Not for resale. Just as a hobby. If I don't keep it I give to the kids or grandkids.
I just came across a old Remington "made in1953" that's going to be my new plinker. It's in excellent working order, the bluing is pretty good and the wood is better than good. So, all I'm going to do is give it a good cleaning.
What would you use to clean and protect the wood work? Birchwood stock sheen & conditioner any good?

 

[Scooter22]

You can use plain old paint thinner or mineral spirits on a rag. That will remove any old wax and oils on the surface. Get the stuff in the metal can, not plastic. That way you know it isn,t alcohol based. Then a coat of Johnsons paste wax rubbed on should do the trick.

 

[Swampman]

If you're just looking to clean it up, Murphy's Oil Soap does a pretty good job and it won't harm the existing finish.

 

[Archie]

I like the idea. But I'm a collector of some categories. Gentle cleaning of the arm, getting all the dirt and gooseberry juice, et al, off the stock is fine. Gently removing surface rust from the metal is fine. Don't get wild with removing rust 'pits'. But as long as it's yours, feel free to modernize sights and such, make it shoot satisfactorily for you. There's a fine line between modernizing an old rifle for the purpose you propose and the ham-fisted approach of re-doing everything.

And yes, there are collectors who specialize in .22 rifles. There are most likely on line groups of them; you might ask and find you can sell that 'old' rifle and buy a nifty new one and break even or come out ahead. Probably not enough to retire to Rio de Janeiro, but...

 

[hps1]

Gunsmith friend showed me this unlikely, but very efficient way to remove surface rust yet protect existing bluing.

Coat surface with a good penetrating type oil and let it soak into the rust a day or so. I like Marvel Mystery oil but any low viscosity oil will work. Wet surface to be cleaned with a fresh coat and, using a round bitted screw driver, such as a Phillips, press the side of the blade firmly on the wet, rusty spots and rub back and forth, applying oil liberally as the rust loosens and floats to surface. Any remaining bluing will remain unharmed and the rusty spots with their brown patina blend in naturally. On small parts/surfaces, the shank of proper sized drill bit works equally well.

Regards,
hps

 

[JDeere]

Natural wood finish I am a fan of cleaning with mineral spirits and a brush. let her dry and finish it with a 50/50 mix of Spirits and BLO. Wipe on mix and let stand for a bit. Wipe off the excess and let dry and repeat until the desired finish is obtained. I have done many Garand and M14 stocks in this manner and quiet happy with the results. It's old school but it works...

 

[12Bravo20]

I would go with Murphy's soap if the stock is in really good shape and the finish is fine.

 

[tws3b2]

I take it no one here is a big fan of Birchwood casey stock sheen and conditioner. It's supposed to clean shine and protect.

 

[Hookeye]

Renaissance wax

 

[theotherwaldo]

I usually use light oil and a copper penny to remove surface rust from blued steel.

 

[Swampman]

I take it no one here is a big fan of Birchwood casey stock sheen and conditioner. It's supposed to clean shine and protect.

I've never used it, but I'd be surprised if it did a better job than Murphy's followed up by a few coats of Johnson's paste wax.

If it gets too shiny for your tastes, just give the final coat a light rubdown with 0000 steel wool and it'll take on more of a satin sheen.

 

[Scooter22]

I don't like Murphys. You have to mix it with water. Thats fine if you have a oil finish thats soaked into the wood. But if you have a finish thats a top coat like laq or shellac it can get under it lift it. I don,t want a water based cleaner on my wood. I refinished a hardwood floor in a room in the 90s with the new "water born" poly instead of the old oil based. Fast drying and looked great a couple years. Cleaned it with Murphys like the old oil floors. The nicks and scratches let the water under and it started to lift. Real mess. Never used Murphys again. Keep it off your stock because you don,t know what the finish is. Oh and get a Big 45 rust remover pad. Best thing ever for rust removal. It,s saved guns I though would need a reblue. Every gun owner should have one. I keep several as spares. It,s NOT a stainless steel pot scrubber and works way better than crappy steel wool that scratches the metal.
https://www.big45metalcleaner.com/

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

I like the Birchwood Casey Stock Sheen and Conditioner and have used it a lot of projects. It does a good job of removing grime and restoring the finish if it is not damaged. Otherwise I would strip the old finish and apply some type of boiled linseed oil finish giving at least seven coats.

 

[DocRock]

Gunny will be along and he has good cleaning advice and lots of.experience.

 

[P5 Guy]

http://old.thecmp.org/training-tech/armorers-corner/wood-cleaning-article/

This article from the CMP covers wooden stock renewal completely

 

[kBob]

Clean with very mild soap mix(what ever is at hand because it is what we have I use Dawn liquid dish detergent) and as little water as possible and dry it as well as possible .... if getting water on a stock is a concern I guess you never intend to take the rifle outdoors. I like a cotton terry clothe rag.

After a day or how ever long drying takes, rub on and off HOWARD Feed-N-Wax for a coat or two. Again cotton rags though an old t-shirt works better for this than terry.

reapply as needed over time.

-kBob

 

[theotherwaldo]

I've used Dawn and Ren Wax on knives and other artifacts up to 2,100 years old.
I guess that it should work on oil-soaked gun stocks as well... .

 

[tws3b2]

Clean with very mild soap mix(what ever is at hand because it is what we have I use Dawn liquid dish detergent) and as little water as possible and dry it as well as possible .... if getting water on a stock is a concern I guess you never intend to take the rifle outdoors. I like a cotton terry clothe rag.

After a day or how ever long drying takes, rub on and off HOWARD Feed-N-Wax for a coat or two. Again cotton rags though an old t-shirt works better for this than terry.

reapply as needed over time.

-kBob

Agree, I've refinished several wood stocks. After stripping I wash with water, partially dry with hair dryer then air dry. Never any problems

 

[Scooter22]

I think the OP's post should be re read. He doesn,t have an oil soaked stock. He isn,t stripping and refinishing it. He wants to clean the original finish. Chances are it,s a surface coat. Probably a lacquer. They weren't hand rubbing in oil finishes on basic guns in 1953. Murphys or Dawn with water will clean it. Might do no harm. But if the finish is chipped, scratched, checkered ect down to the wood and water gets under that old finish it could cloud or lift. MS or thinner will evaporate away quickly unlike water. I,ve gotten plenty of my wooden stocks wet or snow covered while hunting. But they were all well sealed including barrel channel and under but plate. Paste wax does a great job on the metal also in bad conditions.