Solvent soaking wood stocks

[BCRider]

I've got a couple of short shoulder stocks which need splits repaired and both are soaked with more than 100 years of gun oil. I soaked one end in acetone for one of them but it stripped out the finish oil as well. That's fine, I expected that. The wood grain looks really nice in fact! But now I need to match the rest of the stock. And that means soaking the whole thing so I get an even look over the whole surface.

I was thinking a trough at first. But I'd like to limit the surface area of the solvent and thus the fumes. So I'm looking at a long skinny tube, capping it and dipping the stock for the whole length. So I'm going to go to my favorite metal supplier down the road and see if I can find a scrap length of 2x6" inside rectangular tube so I don't need to use multiple gallons of solvent. It'll mean welding an end on the one end as a cap of course. But that's OK.

Or what do some of you use for doing something like this? Am I overthinking it? Do you just put half into a full gallon can then flip it and do the other half? No difference ring at the overlap?

 

[cheygriz]

Another very good reason for not using wood on a gun!

 

[1KPerDay]

Another very good reason for not using wood on a gun!

That's helpful

 

[edwardware]

But now I need to match the rest of the stock. And that means soaking the whole thing

No need to soak, you only see the surface. Try a heavy coat of BLO, rub down, and see. You can darken from there. . . BLO mixed with carbon fouling would be realistic.

 

[BCRider]

No need to soak, you only see the surface. Try a heavy coat of BLO, rub down, and see. You can darken from there. . . BLO mixed with carbon fouling would be realistic.

First I need to get the oil out of the wood to do the repair. It split both stocks already (Winchester 1897 shotguns by the way) so I can't fudge the repair or the cracks will simply reappear at the first trigger pull. And the one with the currently "two tone" looking stock has a replacement front pump stock. So cleaning out the old finish on the rest of the stock so the wood looks new and fresh will be very much in keeping on that one. The other I'll darken up with some scraped out black powder fouling in the boiled linseed....

 

[a5werkes]

Might try an inexpensive short section - 2 ft of common roofing gutters with end caps to fabricate your acetone trough +/- silicone for the seams. Lots of options with Google search.

 

[mrmike7189]

Another very good reason for not using wood on a gun!

Classic Wooden stocks and blued steel......it's all I want!

 

[BCRider]

Might try an inexpensive short section - 2 ft of common roofing gutters with end caps to fabricate your acetone trough +/- silicone for the seams. Lots of options with Google search.

I'd like to avoid the long open area since it would encourage the acetone to evaporate a lot more quickly and smell up the shop badly.

From another forum where I posted the same question someone posted about using PVC or ABS plumbing and drain pipe. That's a no-go for ABS. Melted and got very soft within a couple of minutes. Had to remove it. The PVC hung on for a little longer but within a little more than an hour it was visibly swelling and the surface could be cut with my fingernail. So looks like it's metal or nothing as far as the acetone goes. I know that polypropylene is tolerant of acetone and other things. But it would be nearly impossible to find a suitably long container made from that stuff.

 

[MikeInOr]

Some kind of long skinny bag that won't be melted by the acetone comes to mind. You could get all the air out and seal the bag then work the acetone around the stock.

P.S. It is amazing at what a bit of heat (~250 degrees) will do to oil in wood... it kind of sweats the oil out.

I am sure you have in mind that once you are done some kind of oil (boiled linseed oil maybe) should go back into the wood to protect and prolong its life.

 

[BCRider]

Mike, for sure they'll be re-finished with BLO all over. And multiple coats to build back the look of the 100 year ages on these shotguns. They are "shooters" having been modified already for use in cowboy action. But even so I'm keen on really doing a good job of sealing the end grain to avoid future oil creeping. Heck, I might even put on some of the extra epoxy on the end grain and hit it with the hair dryer to warm it up and encourage it to soak in and seal all those capillary tubes in the grain. THAT should fix it ! ! ! !

I've got a solution for the solvent dipping tank. Someone on the other forum where I'm running the same question suggested a heating duct. I replied that I'd have to solder it and I'd need to find acid flux due to the galvanizing on the heating tin. As I hit "Post" I remembered getting about 2/3's of a 1lb jar of old Kester paste flux. I found it and right on the container it says "Self Cleaning Acid Paste Flux". So tomorrow it's off to Home Despot to buy a length of 4" ducting and a couple of end caps. A hint on the other site suggested squeezing the pipe to an oval and sure enough... 4" round forms an oval that fits neatly around the butt end of most stocks with about 1/4" all around for a gap. Just perfect !

So it looks like case closed. Hopefully this will help someone else with the same sort of issue. Thanks to all for the suggestions.

 

[BCRider]

Some kind of long skinny bag that won't be melted by the acetone comes to mind. You could get all the air out and seal the bag then work the acetone around the stock.

P.S. It is amazing at what a bit of heat (~250 degrees) will do to oil in wood... it kind of sweats the oil out.

I am sure you have in mind that once you are done some kind of oil (boiled linseed oil maybe) should go back into the wood to protect and prolong its life.

That's very true on the heat Mike. I sweated out a couple of Mosin Nagant stocks that way. If the wood was sound and I was only wanting to remove the gun oil to make the wood look better I think it would be a great idea. But since I'm looking to do some crack repairs on both in the wrist area I'm liking the idea of solvent soaking for this particular case. Plus on the wrist of the one I've done so far it also removed the old finish and the wood looks REALLY nice ! ! ! And that particular stock is going back onto the one which has a new pump forestock. So cleaning up the finish and starting over to make both look the same as I age them has some good merit for me. That and I'm not really liking the idea of sticking the rifle wood into my kitchen oven. No SWMBO to rake me over the coals but I still gotta eat stuff cooked in that thing ! ! ! And it sure isn't the right time of year to stick the wood in a black trash bag and set it out in the bright hot sunlight either ! ! ! ! !

Where in Oregon are you? It gets filthy wet around Portland and down along into Salem and the Willamette valley. That I know for sure.

 

[George P]

I'd like to avoid the long open area since it would encourage the acetone to evaporate a lot more quickly and smell up the shop badly.

Maybe put something over it as a cover? Plexiglas or piece of wood or similar?

 

[JeffG]

I would strip the entire stock to the bare wood first, then start over. Fine sand, steel wool, stain and finish.

 

[MikeInOr]

Where in Oregon are you? It gets filthy wet around Portland and down along into Salem and the Willamette valley. That I know for sure.

I live in Redmond, just north of Bend over here in Central Oregon. Most of the rain stays on the other side of the mountains over there in the valley. Over here in Central Oregon we are high and dry! I have family in Salem and I grew up around Portland (Gladstone). I actually do miss the rain some times... and the flora that goes along with it. A muddy trail beats a dusty trail any day!

What type of gun are you repairing? Mil Surplus?