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Best options for removing old oil on older shotgun stock?

Try using something like mineral spirits, nothing stronger. If it's in the wood just live with it or plan on a complete refinish.

Do you want to completely strip the finish and get all the oil out that has soaked in the wood?

SRH

Stan the gun is probably a 1920's with lots of old oil. Pretty nice wood. Don't want to do a lot of heavy sanding. Just want as much oil out as possible to refinish.

Citristrip is really easy to use and won't hurt you or the wood

Wipe the stock down to remove the surface finish. A lot of old finishes will dissolve with denatured alcohol, available at any hardware store. While there get a heat lamp. The kind you put over young chicks (the bird kind!). Lay the stock on some paper towels with the heat lamp over it and watch the oil run out. You can also wipe away oil on the surface with a rag.

Now of course don't leave it unattended and don't get the lamp too close to the wood. Use the back of your hand to judge the temperature. You want it warm but not hot.

C&F, if it has just a small amount of old oil soaked in, heat will draw most of it out . You can use your oven to do it, if your wifey is agreeable. Or, the heat lamp, as HG mentioned. If it is really oil soaked it is going to take a soak in acetone to remove it all, IMO. I have "salvaged" some really saturated buttstocks this way. Your can do a search for acetone/alcohol soak, and read probably pages about it. I think there may even be a "sticky" somewhere detailing it. Done properly it will remove all the oil. Some have said they have still had oil to come to the surface days later after the soaking ....... I haven't had that problem. It also should not require heavy sanding after drying, to get ready for the refinish.

Good luck, SRH

"Wifey" has not agreed to anything involving guns in her kitchen since I used a bore brush and hot water in her kitchen sink to clean the black powder residue out of my Scott hammergun. Soot spots still on the ceiling...Geo

Black powder shooters need to clean their weapons out in the barn where they belong not in the kitchen. I'll never forget her reaction when I touched off my revolver (A 1851 Colt's revolving belt pistol in naval caliber to be exact) at the range, Was it "Nice shot" NO, "Was it, "I see how they work now" No. It was, "Oh my lord does that stink."


Citristrip and Acetone will do the job without sanding.

Geo, got a good laugh outa that, as I can well picture it. Have a friend with a bp Joseph Manton flintlock. He said I could shoot it if I cleaned it. Kinda like the Brit cars from the 70's- drive 'em for five minutes and work on 'em for two hours.

Mike