doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Need Help With Whiting

I need some help with getting oil out of the wood on a stock refinish that I'm working on.

This is a stock off of a CE grade Fox dated 1914. After I stripped the old finish I decided that the head area was oil soaked and I needed to do the ol'acetone bath to try and get the oil out. I've now soaked it three different times for a total of about eight day's and when I pull it from the acetone the oil looks like it been removed. After it sit's a couple of day's oil spotting starts showing again.

I've read several threads here about using whiting. I have some whiting now and need some advice on how to use it. The directions say to mix the powder with TCE into a paste and apply to the areas of need, place under heat-lamp until brown and crusty,scrape off and re-apply as needed.

The question I have: Is there any other solvent to use other than TCE. I've looked for it around town with no luck. I see brownells handles it but the shipping costs more than the product.

Does anyone have an alternative to TCE? Where can I possibly find TCE locally? Any help will be appreciated.

Paul

I always use denatured alcohol to mix with the whiting. Be aware that wood with large pores will have white spots where the whiting gets down in the pores. You'll have to sand to get this out but be careful not to sand your wood around the stock head too much. You don't want the wood below the metal. This is why I usually just put the stock bare under the light, then brush everyday or so with alcohol to remove the oil thats on the surface. You could use more aggressive solvents, but I've seen them turn the wood gray. Take your time and get all the oil out.

Dogon

Whiting works well but it does take some time to get to where you want to be. You might try some heat. Be sure all of the acedtone is evaporated out of the wood first.
I use a Walmart hot plate (about 17.00)and rotate the stock head above the heat coil. This should pull the oil to the top and it will smoke. Do this five to six times and let it sit for a few hours and do it again. You willl be amazed by the amount of oil that comes to the surface. As this oil comes to the surface wipe it off with a rag. Do keep the stock moving though. You don't want to burn the wood or have it flame on you.
I do this in the garage with a hot plate to keep peace at home. My wife had a fit the time she was home on a winter day and I did this in the kitchen.

With the time your stock has spent in acetone make double sure it is dry if you try this method.

Regards, Gordon

Gordon

MEK is superior to acetone because it evaporates slower. This gives more time for the solvent to soak into the wood before evaporation begins to reverse the flow. A heat lamp defeats that purpose. The whiting procedure is slow, but it will completely de-oil a stock if you have the patience. When the whiting remains white after drying completely you can be assured that the stock is clean deep down. You can buy MEK at any paint store and many hardware stores.

OB

Thanks guys, I was wondering about MEK I've used it for other applications but was a bit nervous when it came to this stock. The last thing I need to do is apply something that will hurt it.

I took the suggestion of applying some heat. I put it under a heat lamp and the oil jumped to the surface. I'm going to wipe it down on a regular basis and hopefully get the oil out.

If someone has other suggestion's, I'm all ear's!