There was once upon a time a considerable discussion about removing excess oil from stock wood. What was the method?
DDA
I am just curious, would soaking the stock in acetone and alcohol not dry the wood out on an old stock, particularly in the wrist area of a sidelock? Would it be more prone to cracking afterward?
Gunsaholic:
You are very close to the truth. Despite what some concoctions are avowed to do, 100 years-plus of soaked-in oil and solvent is virtually impossible to remove from a stock head. The "best" that can be done is to get the surface oil out with solvents such as you mention. But the trade-off for that is a degradation of the old wood fibres through drying and softening. After all, it's just cellulose. And you're dumping nasty chemicals on it.
Result: A presentable stock head that may or may not be any stronger.
The important thing to remember is that certain portions of a gun cannot be "restored." They can only be cosmetically refreshed. And in some cases, that may be enough
The important thing to remember is that certain portions of a gun cannot be "restored." They can only be cosmetically refreshed.
A punky stock head can be restored, generally after the outside has been refinished, by saturating the fibers with thin cyanoacrylate or very thin epoxy. Properly applied, the liquids will wick along the grain and reconsolidate the wood fibers. This process will often give you a stock head that is stronger than the original wood, but requires that the oil has been removed first.
One thing about using acetone (which will remove surface oil) is that it has to be changed every day or so, then let the underlying oil run to the surface and repeat. I think it is better to alternate that procedure with whiting and heat from a heat lamp. Make a paste with the whiting and do it in a place where you can freely make a mess; it gets EVERYWHERE. Gil
Replacement:
With all due respect to your skills and knowledge, I still have doubts. It all depends on your definition of "stronger." (forgive me Bill Clinton)
I use these glues and resins too. But NOT in an effort to reverse the ravages of time. While they can probably make a cleansed stock head more solid, that value does not necessarily equal "strong" in terms of what a gunstock must do.
In many cases, a stock must flex and compress under the force of recoil. A resin impregnated stock head can't do that very well.
So... "you picks yer stuff an takes yer choice" here. A pretty and reconstituted stock head may serve well for another 100 years. It may also break next month.
It's all in the hands of Mother Nature -- and physics.
I always recommend modest loads in any gun repaired in such a way.
I have had pretty good luck with the following process. I wrap the stock head in paper towels and then in aluminum foil and put the whole deal in an oven and bring it up to 300 F or so and leave it for several hours. After you turn it off and cool check the paper towels to see how much oil came out. The oil will stain the paper towels. Repeat until you get no more stain. Then soak the head with acetone/plaster of paris and see what comes up. Again stain is the indicator if anything is coming out. Once no stain appears repair any obvious cracks and such. Then remove just a bit of wood and rebed the head with Accuraglass for a perfect fit.
I have had excellent results with a 2-3 day soak in lacquer thinner.
While they can probably make a cleansed stock head more solid, that value does not necessarily equal "strong" in terms of what a gunstock must do.
In many cases, a stock must flex and compress under the force of recoil. A resin impregnated stock head can't do that very well.
Decayed wood that has been properly repaired with epoxy (note: "properly") will flex and compress as well as or better than the original wood, and it has much better resistance to moisture infiltration. Epoxies are available in a wide range of strengths and physical properties, and are used extensively in architectural restoration of historic and other structures. Applications include load-bearing members that require far more strength and flexibility than that required of the typical gunstock, regarding both static and dynamic loads. But, I can break anything if I try hard enough.
I heard rumors of a vinegar and water mixture and boiling it and putting the stock into that. suppsoed to come out clean as a whistle. never tried it.
I prefer to boil 'em in horse urine. Cheap and it do a grate job!
How can you tell from the appearance that the wood is starting to or in a stage of deterioration?
Soaking in solvents will get alot of it out. Especially if you change the stuff for clean and resoak. You have to get the deep down oil to the top so it can be absorbed. No other way about it.
But even that will leave some of the deepest oil still in the wood. That'll weep to the top sometimes days or weeks after to spoil a finish.
Whiting powder is messy but the only thing I've ever found to get the oil out.
I use lacquer thinner soak first for a few days. Then whiting powder treatments as needed. Sometimes weeks are needed.
I mix the whiting with alcohol for application. It drys a little slower than the usually advised acetone for the mix and is easier to coat the wood that way.
Besides the acetone isn't going to draw any amount of extra oil out of the wood over the use of alcohol (cheaper). It's the whiting powder that does the work. The oil you're after is deep in the wood, not on the surface.
It's long drawn out process for a deeply oil soaked stock, but well worth it for restoration of an otherwise nice piece.
Having plenty of other things to do while it's hanging with a painted on coating of the stuff is the best way to avoid going at it too soon.
I've never had a piece fail in use after removing the oil. If the wood is strong, you can see and feel it.
I've even used the oven cleaner method at times. It's good for the surface and immediate subsurface oil and grease. The often mentioned ugly colors the wood turns afterwards along with the damage are easily avoided if you treat the wood with wood-bleach(oxalic acid) after flushing the cleaner.
The mild acidic wood bleach (don't use laundry bleach!)takes care of the base cleaner and leaves the wood natural color and very clean.
No stocks I've ever used it on have collapsed from dissintegrating cell structure as I've been warned.
It just never gets that far into the wood anyway. The lye in it turns oil to soap,,that's how it works.
But it won't get the deep down oil,,that's for the whiting powder.
With that said,,the 'green' cleaners now available (Purple Power(?) ect) do as good of a job and it's really easier & safer on you to use them for the first cleanup on the surface..
Thanks for the input, guys. I plan to proceed on a repair shortly.
DDA