doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Oil soaked stock and forearm.

What is a good home remedy for soaking the oil out of stock and forearm?
I've read on this board that simply putting the wood outside in the sun will draw the oil out, is that correct?
And do you have to refinish it after soaking the oil out?

I've been told, but never used, that whiting will work - apply a paste and keep removing/renewing.

I have soaked an oily forend in acetone - used several changes. The oil came out. If you do this the wood needs to be refinished which means stripping and starting over but the oil will be gone.

I would like to add one point to Drews excellent link with solution(s) to this problem. I have found that an initial dousing with Easy Off* Oven cleaner with an oil finished stock can speed up this process. The cleaner seems to leach a lot of the oil out of the wood in very little time. When I have done this (outdoors) I've sprayed the stock with cleaner and set it out in the sun and wiped the leached oil off with paper towels. This process can of course be repeated but I would finish with either whiting or acetone then go to alcohol.
*Or any other brand.
Jim

I have read on other forums that using oven cleaner is not a good idea. It is a caustic cleaner that apparently penetrates deep into the wood hurting the wood fibers. Supposedly it is hard to get it out of the wood and can cause problems later on. Don't know how true this is, just what I have read.

The only time I tried the acetone and followed by alcohol remedy the stock became so dried out after the alcohol all dried that it split horribly at the wrist. I left it laying on the bench for several days to thoroughly dry, and when I returned it had split all by itself. Luckily, it was a cheap project gun, but it made me "gun shy" of this treatment. Pun intended. Nothing is foolproof, I guess, , and many others have used this treatment successfully with no problem. Just thought I'd offer that personal experience.

SRH

That's the first time I heard about the wood splitting after acetone but in retrospect after the acetone treatment I found the forend kind of dry and "balsa-like" or maybe more like a cheap new-growth pine.

Maybe the solution is to soak it in linseed oil after acetone?

I suspect that the stock had some internal stresses in the grain, and when it became so dry, the stresses just overcame the integrity of the wood fibers. I can think of no other explanation.

It showed no signs of cracking or splitting before the oil removal treatment. I clamped and glued it back with a cyanoacrylate and recut the checkering over it, but there is still an ugly dark line revealing the break.

SRH

I probably average two stocks per month for customers......I use lacquer thinner then acetone in a plastic bath with an air tight lid, slightly larger than the average stock........

1. Weight the stock in the bath so it is submerged (I use a brass 1" solid rod 8" long for this), leave 24 hours....remove and let air dry.....if oil remains, submerge again for 2-3 hours.....remove and let air dry....repeat this process as needed to remove 100% of the old impregnated oil.....clean the checkered areas lightly and gently as needed with a small brass brush as the dip process proceeds........

2. For a second cleaning bath, use a second plastic sealed bath only this time filled with acetone.....(or use the same plastic sealed bath after cleaning).....the stocks usually sink in acetone but I weight them with the same brass rod anyway, leave an hour or two with the lid secure...remove and air dry, which is fast with acetone.....check for any oil bleed.....then repeat as necessary, including back to the lacquer thinner bath if need be.......then leave overnight in a warm enviornment and watch for any oil bleed......

3. Stocks will not crack with this process.....I never use alcohol or oven cleaner....... The stock should now be ready to repair-epoxy-pin-clamp or stain and refinish, rechecker, steam dents or whatever.......patience is the key here......

4. If you have a stock with a modern polyurethane finish, like some Beretta's and Brownings, then you will need to use aircraft paint stripper first to remove the poly coating....




Best,

Thanks for the information guys, great suggestions but its a old gun built in 1935 and I really don't want to take it apart to soak it, any ideas?