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January 28, 2019
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Hi everyone,
I was hoping someone could help me with my 1873. I inherited this rifle from my grandfather 20+ years ago. Well, I was young and dumb and tried to clean the buttstock with Murphy’s Oil Soap. As you can see in the pictures, the Murphy’s started to take off the finish and color on the stock.
I hate the way it looks now. Is there some way I can repair this or should I just leave it alone?
Any help or advice is appreciated.
Thanks
I hope I posted these pictures correctly.
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<a href="“>IMG_1170 by <a href="“>LTMike4208
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May 2, 2009
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It looks like the Murphy’s oil soap cleaned the wood but not evenly. There is no good way to go back to the way it was. Is there a build up you were trying to remove?
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
November 7, 2015
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Looks like a nice rifle, it will never be original again but you may want to try cleaning it with mineral spirits and applying an oil finish. I’ve had good results with tung oil after reading a few threads here on the subject. If you need help finding those threads let me know and I’ll try to supply a link. I don’t think that your efforts have removed the stain but until you finish the cleaning job it will be hard to say. PLEASE don’t use abrasives such as sandpaper! A nylon toothbrush and cotton rags should be all you need to clean it with mineral spirits. Proceed with caution, I think you can make this a rifle you’ll be proud to look at again.
Mike
January 28, 2019
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1873man said
It looks like the Murphy’s oil soap cleaned the wood but not evenly. There is no good way to go back to the way it was. Is there a build up you were trying to remove?Bob
I stopped when the wood changed from red brown to blonde. I figured I was taking off the finish and stain. I was just trying to generally clean it up. I didn’t know what I was doing, unfortunately.
January 28, 2019
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TXGunNut said
Looks like a nice rifle, it will never be original again but you may want to try cleaning it with mineral spirits and applying an oil finish. I’ve had good results with tung oil after reading a few threads here on the subject. If you need help finding those threads let me know and I’ll try to supply a link. I don’t think that your efforts have removed the stain but until you finish the cleaning job it will be hard to say. PLEASE don’t use abrasives such as sandpaper! A nylon toothbrush and cotton rags should be all you need to clean it with mineral spirits. Proceed with caution, I think you can make this a rifle you’ll be proud to look at again.
Mike
I’ll take any advice you can give me. I don’t know where to start. I’d love to clean up the gun and make it look good again.
November 7, 2015
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January 28, 2019
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This looks like great info. Thanks for the help TXGunNut. I’ll keep you updated.
November 7, 2015
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You’re welcome, looking forward to the updates.
Mike
January 28, 2019
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I’m not really concerned with the value of the rifle since it was my grandfather’s and I don’t have any plans to sell it, but by cleaning the wood and adding the tung oil finish am I further diminishing the value of the gun?
May 2, 2009
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The damage is already done to the wood so you can’t hurt it anymore as long as you do a reasonable job of refinishing the wood.
Bob
WACA Life Member--- NRA Life Member---- Cody Firearms member since 1991 Researching the Winchester 1873's
Email: [email protected]
January 28, 2019
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1873man said
The damage is already done to the wood so you can’t hurt it anymore as long as you do a reasonable job of refinishing the wood.Bob
That’s kinda what I was thinking.
Thanks
January 28, 2019
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Would John Kay’s Winchester Oil be an option for me? I’ve been reading information about others using that on their stocks.
Thanks for the help
January 19, 2017
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In my opinion, yes, it would be an option. Maybe the best option. At least from what I’ve read. I have some but have yet to launch the long, tedious process of following his directions to the tee. Instead, I have been fooling around made some mistakes, and learned a few lessons.
One of those lessons is that once a wood has had the pours closed with any kind of chemical that “closes things up” or seals, you will never get it back to virgin, at least not without sanding down to a point where your metal will be proud. Thus, some natural oils can just be refurbished with the same product, but even a simple stain with any kind of chemical “lock” in it will forever tank that wood as far as I’m concerned. There might be some water-based, pigment-only stains that will work but I haven’t gotten there yet.
I like the idea of water-based stains, if any, and natural oil (tung or linseed). I prefer raw, not boiled, because I worry about the chemicals used in the boiled version.
However, I have a question for all of you: Why did Winchester add a red tint to their stock finishes? As a lay person, I always thought that must be indigenous to walnut but, from experience, it is not. It is added. Why?
I have some other ideas and experiments going on now, but they are designed to meet my subjective eye, and not a factory finish.
Your mileage may very.
P.S. I am going for what you had before the Murphy’s: Dark, used, character.
November 7, 2015
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Looking at your pics I’m of the opinion that the Murphy’s did not harm the stain, just the oil or varnish finish. I don’t know if you saw the thread linked below but I did not use stain on the subject rifle’s wood, only tung oil. As mentioned above, tung oil finish is very difficult to remove so once you apply it you’re committed. I was very pleased with the results on the subject rifle. Maybe if you’ll post a few pics after you get it cleaned up we could give you more accurate input on how to proceed.
Mike
https://winchestercollector.org/forum/restoration-repair-and-maintenance/rust-removal/
January 28, 2019
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Update:
I tried mineral spirits to clean the stock and didn’t see much of a change. I went back to the Murphy’s Oil Soap and this is what I ended up with:
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<a href="“>IMG_1181 by <a href="“>LTMike4208
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<a href="“>IMG_1182 by <a href="“>LTMike4208
The left side may need a little more cleaning.
So, with the state that I have the wood in now how should I proceed? The Tung Oil and Alkanet cut with mineral spirits or the John Kay’s Winchester Oil?
Thanks
March 31, 2009
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My first thought is that the forearm needs to be stripped too. So both pieces end up looking the same. Pictures make the wood look light? Maybe you might want some stain?? Put any kind of oil or water on the bare wood and see how it looks wet.
June 22, 2014
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I would use Kay’s. I have used it on several old stocks and seems to work well. Everyone says not to, but I clean the old stock with easy off oven cleaner using a plastic bristle brush. Washing it with warm water and scrubbing it with the same brush afterwards. It also raises the grain and seems to let the oil penetrate the stock. Let it dry for a few days and then start the process with Kay’s. Allow yourself a couple of months and be patient. It would be best to do the forearm at the same time.
January 28, 2019
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*UPDATE*
I decided to use Kay’s.
Here are the results. The whole process took about two months. I’m not sure if I’m going to add any more coats.
I started with completely stripped wood. The fore end is wet with the first coat of Kay’s in these pictures.
The results:
Overall, I’m pretty happy. I think it looks better than when I started.
January 19, 2017
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Just my opinion, but I like it. A lot. I like that it’s not glossy varnish. I like the dark in the mars and scars (especially on the left forearm). At first I thought it was a little too mottled for me, and I wasn’t sure about the lighter parts. But on further review, I’d love to have that gun. Home run.
