Gun oil on wood?

[charleslee]

I just oiled (Hoppes) all my rifles/shotguns, some are expensive, at least for me. Saturated them, actually & placed them in gun socks & then in my safe. Question - did I screw-up? W/ the oil hurt the wood stocks & other wooden parts? I figured it would get on the wood anyhow, so I went ahead & wiped the wood down W/ plenty of oil like all the rest. Thank-you for your help!

 

[Chipperman]

They'll be fine. The only time oil on wood may be a problem would be light porous wood that could be stained by the oil.

 

[22-rimfire]

My experience is that the guns will be fine. Just don't overdo the oil on the wood thing. It is not the preservative of choice for wood.

 

[buck460XVR]

years ago, the only finish many wood stocks had was a rubbed oil finish. Todays firearms with their lacquer/poly finishes repel normal gun oil quite well and let very little if any absorb into the wood itself. My only fear would be to saturate a stock to the point that it would swell from the absorption and thus would affect the fit of the stock to the metal and the accuracy of the wood stocked firearm...... the same way water/moisture will.

 

[rcmodel]

Not a good idea.

Many old gun stocks have been completely ruined from gun oil running down out of the action and soaking into the end grain inside the inletting for the action.

It is especially a problem on guns with two-piece stocks like lever-actions, pumps, and double-barrel shotguns.
The oil-soaked wood becomes stained, and soft, and usually cracks or breaks completely.

Saturated them, actually & placed them in gun socks & then in my safe.

Saturated? Wow!
Then they should be stored in the safe muzzle down so all that oil can drain away from the wood and out the muzzles.

Years ago, the only finish many wood stocks had was a rubbed oil finish.

This is true.
But, it was not mineral or synthetic based gun oil.
It was vegetable based boiled linseed oil or Tung oil used for wood finishing.

There is a huge differance!

rcmodel

 

[unspellable]

Oil

I will second rcmodel. Oil in the stock head is a notorious problem with old doubles. That's why a proper gun rack stores guns horizontally instead of butt down.

 

[charleslee]

Re: Gun oil on wood

Thank-you for your help! Now I'm really worried because I'm at work and won't be able to get at my guns till at least Mon. night, today's Sun. I assume I should go back & wipe off all the oil I can off of the wood, correct? I should of checked w/ you experts before I did this brain surgery! The wood on my WASR-10 seemed to be bare, no lacquer or anything, so I probably really screwed that one up. Let me know, please.

 

[buck460XVR]

Many old gun stocks have been completely ruined from gun oil running down out of the action and soaking into the end grain.

It is especially a problem on guns with two-piece stocks like lever-actions, pumps, and double-barrel shotguns.

The oil-soaked wood becomes stained, and soft, and usually cracks or breaks completely.

true...altho it was not the gun oil itself that did the damage. It was the excessive amount and the contaminates like powder/primer/dirt residue that were in the oil as it drained outta the receiver that did the staining. The swelling of the saturated wood next to dry wood and steel that only allowed it to swell in one direction and the alternating swelling/shrinkage is what caused the wood to split. My grandpa was quick to point this out to me when he gave me his .32 Special. Told about during WWI while in the trenches in France that those that doused their rain soaked 03's with oil and put them next to the heat to dry always ended up with a cracked/split stock.....or they never shot right. Taught me after huntin' in the rain, to dry my gun slowly and to always wipe all excess off till the rag came dry....and yes he taught me, like RC said, to store them on the muzzle for a day or two, so all the excess I missed came down the barrel.

But, it was not mineral or synthetic based gun oil.
It was vegetable based boiled linseed oil or Tung oil used for wood finishing.

There is a huge differance!

rcmodel

yes there is, especially in taste. .......but, most modern stains and finishes are now made with a petroleum/mineral base and even the old boiled linseed oils had petroleum based solvents in them. The old linseed finishes were highly succeptable to moisture, tended to encourage mildew growth and was notorious for darkening with age. Altho beautiful when applied correctly and scratches are easily repaired, it too is not the ultimate finish for weapons that are used in all kinds of weather. IMHO, altho I love the look of wood on a gun, I'd rather have synthetic stocks on my hunting guns......

 

[rcmodel]

Well, all that aside, letting gun oil soak into the wood is not good for the wood.

Could we just leave it at that.

rcmodel

 

[Neo-Luddite]

Brother, fear not for the 'wood' on your WASR-10; if anything, the #9 oil is of BENNEFIT to it (it IS bare, re-claimed and stripped, I oiled mine with linseed oil).

Wipe the excess Hopes oil off the wood. With rare exception, a little of that very light, clear, refined oil---won't hurt except for antique and 'fine' new weapon stocks finished in the old way with delicate natural oils.

 

[brickeyee]

if anything, the #9 oil is of BENNEFIT to it (it IS bare, re-claimed and stripped, I oiled mine with linseed oil)

Non-hardening oils are NOT good for wood.
They can soften the wood and damage the cellulose the wood is made from.
Paint thinner and solvents are NOT in the same class as lubrication oils.
Solvents will evaporate and leave almost nothing behind.

 

[SoCalShooter]

I prefer to use linseed oil. Or some type of wood protectant for household use works good to.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

Point taken, here is a reverse question:

Is linseed oil a risk to metal in any way on a firearm?

 

[jmr40]

A lot of old timers would store their guns muzzle down on a pad in the safe so oil would not run down into the stock.

 

[brickeyee]

Is linseed oil a risk to metal in any way on a firearm?

It can provide a limited amount of protection if allowed to harden on metal, but that takes a long time.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

But will it (linseed oil) cause oxidation of metal, or corrosion?

 

[Rugerlvr]

Lots of speculation surrounding the "red" patina on M1 walnut stocks surrounds whether or not it was the cleaning solvent used by GIs to clean the rifle that actually stained the wood that color. Anyway, it's a desirable color on M1s.

 

[whosyrdaddy]

FWIW from:http://www.flheritage.com/museum/collections/artifacts/acs5/

Wood
Because weapons are composite artifacts-that is, made of more than one type of material-the low humidity that would be most beneficial for the metal parts would cause the wooden stock or grip to shrink and possibly crack. It is for these types of artifacts that the compromise of 50% RH is intended; it is high enough to protect the wooden parts and low enough that steel will not readily rust. Gunstocks and pistol grips should not be oiled as they were when in use; linseed oil, the most common drying oil used for this, becomes dark and gummy as it ages and breaks down, and actually will absorb moisture rather than block it. Other wooden artifacts might include field furniture and souvenirs. Painted field furniture was designed and built to be sturdy and durable; it is doubtful that it will need anything more than an occasional cleaning. If one has some other nonmilitary wooden souvenir such as furniture, please see Artifact Care Series #2, "Caring for Your Furniture," on the Museum of Florida History Web site at http://www.flheritage.com/museum/ACS2. In general, keep the object clean, out of strong light, in RH under 70%, and, if it has not already been done, don't refinish it. Up to 50% of the monetary value of an artifact, and some of its historic value, can be lost if it is refinished.

 

[brickeyee]

But will it (linseed oil) cause oxidation of metal, or corrosion?

No. it will simply polymerize and harden.

One thing not mentioned is that plain Linseed oil is NOT what you want.
It takes almost forever to harden.
'Boiled Linseed oil' (AKA 'BLO') is the correct stuff.
It is not actually boiled, but is heated and air injected to start polymerization.
The tanks appear top be boiling.

Adding additional Japan Drier to BLO can greatly speed up curing.

If you have long enough to wait just apply regular oil to the metal work.
It eventually harden up into a varnish layer.
The 1866 Trapdoor I purchased years ago had hardened machine oil on it, probably the reason it had very little corrosion anywhere.

 

[Woodhinge]

So much information. Whew! Being a professional wood worker, (not sure if this good or bad) I make most of my own finishes. I used to make finishes for Corning Electronics too and found out back in the '70's (prior century) that there are similarities in all finishes of a certain type. BLO or boiled linseed oil is ancient, and I'm still using it. Your question about gun oil surprises me in that gun oil only need coat the metal surface. There are oils that will go INTO metal, but that's another science all together. Wood likes oil as well as it does water. Wood also breathes and moves, shrinks and swells. IF we can fill the wood with oil, then moisture is not absorbed by the wood and thus oil makes wood stable. Gun oil may or may not be compatible with the oil or finish already inside the stock. (Some of my finishes congeal if I don't use them within a month.) Gun oils could inhibit stock finishes and make the end grain of the wood dark, but this is usually because the original finishing oil didn't penetrate deep into the stock in the first place. Fixing the problem requires removal of the stock and using a gun oil solvent like acetone to dissolve the gun oil and allowing it to be absorbed out of the end grain. I work with a very good gun smith and with concerns like yours, we keep in mind that more gun oil isn't better. Gun oil eventually evaporates, we use more. A good gun oil should require only a few drops, not a running flood. A good wood finish should be completed, and well into the end grain such that other oils have no penetration into the wood. Keep in mind that wood grain is generally like a pack of soda straws. Straws have holes and want to be filled by capillary action. A good stock finish will do this and crosslink and become stable. BLO will do this.
Jeepers, I hope this is helpful. Things get technical as we progress.

 

[unspellable]

Two types of oil!

Keep in mind that linseed oil and other oils used in wood finishing are derived from biological sources. Gun oil is derived from petroleum and is NOT compatible with wood. It will cause the wood to deteriorate. It's a coomon problem with old double guns.