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Sympathetic Stock Cleaning.
Hi , I have a nice Model 73 Rifle Mfg. in 1894 that the stock is so Black that I can’t see the Wood Grain in it . Other than that it’s just a nice 100 + year old patina. I would like to try to clean the Wood just enough to reveal the Wood Grain, so it doesn’t look like Black Paint .
Question ; What is the mildest cleaner I can use to remove the top layer of crud ? Thanks in advance.
Online
Well, you could start with turpentine or one of the solvent-based furniture cleaners like Formby’s, but if the wood is deeply oil-soaked, those aren’t going to have much effect. A water-based cleaner like Murphy’s Oil Soap might be worth trying, but I’d use it sparingly.
Thanks Clarence , I didn’t know the difference between Formby’s & Murphy’s . I might try Formby’s first and Murphy’s is one I had thought of but I think I may try that last . And take it from there, I will report back with my results,Thank You, B.
( I just don’t want to to make a mess out of it to the point that I end up cleaning it down to the bare wood to get it uniform again by using too strong of a cleaner. )
old rover said
Thanks Clarence , I didn’t know the difference between Formby’s & Murphy’s .
Formby’s & most other furniture cleaners are a concoction consisting largely of mineral spirits. Murphy’s contains some kind of vegetable oil, which reminds me that I’ve used olive oil as a cleaner–it will remove some kinds of sticky residue, such as that left by adhesive tape, & it’s another thing that may or may not be effective, but can’t hurt to try. Since the “black” color is the result of both oil & dirt, you’ll probably have to use a combination of products.
Thanks again Clarence , That’s more great information as to what products do what and will give the best results removing unwanted buildup of crud and other stuff over the years on a Rifle Stock . I will add it to my notes .
I think I am almost ready to give it a try. Thanks ,B.
I use Kramers and, in the summer months, I’ll wrap a stock in black plastic and put in the window of a car in full sunlight; you can sweat a lot of oil out.
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
WACA #10293
rwsem said
I use Kramers and, in the summer months, I’ll wrap a stock in black plastic and put in the window of a car in full sunlight; you can sweat a lot of oil out.
Reading this info, looks like the main ingredient may be turpentine. Does the label provide further disclosure of ingredients? Of course, makers of such products are always close-mouthed about contents.
From the smell, mostly turpentine but there are no ingredients listed on the label. It’s not a one time application- that’s for sure but it will clean and will condition the wood. For really oily/ dirty stocks (old milsurp) I really like wrapping the stock in paper towels (pre-COVID) and black plastic to let the sun work it’s magic in a car window. The plastic keeps it from drying out and sweats the oil to the top. Again- not magic but it will work and it doesn’t cause any whiskering like washing in dawn or other dish detergent.
Technically, the glass is always full; half liquid, half air....
WACA #10293
rwsem said
For really oily/ dirty stocks (old milsurp) I really like wrapping the stock in paper towels (pre-COVID) and black plastic to let the sun work it’s magic in a car window.
The paper towels are a great idea. Years ago I used an absorbent powder (maybe whiting) for the same purpose, but WHAT A MESS it made!
Update,
The Results ; I cleaned the wood Stocks on my 73 using Formby’s and clean Rags . I kept going over the Rear stock until White cotton rags no longer had brown stains . Then compared it to the front Stock and the front still looked like it had been painted Black by comparison. I then repeated the same to the front. They were both still very dark so I repeated again and used 0000 Steel wool and Formby’s and rags .
When I finished The Wood grain was showing but still dark . I then added some Mineral Spirits to a small pan of Boiled Linseed Oil and rubbed it in . The results are good ,it is still dark but not nearly as dark and the Wood Grain is now showing . And no harm has been done so if I wanted to take a different approach at a later date I can. Thanks again for your help guys.
B.
November 7, 2015
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Sounds good, it may have been dark when new. Good choice for freshening up the finish. Did you take before & after pics?
Mike
TXGunNut said
Did you take before & after pics?
Mike
Same question. I love the black, but too each his own. I’ve worked up my own mix to get my 66 and 76 clones to go very dark. But I’d love to see yours regardless. All the best.
[Image Can Not Be Found]Yes I did take pictures in fact I have one with the Rear Stock cleaned but not the fore Stock. It shows a sharp contrast between the two. I try to post a couple, but keep in mind the rest of the Rifle is on the “Brown “ Side . But it is a nice piece of History. ,Thanks again for your input, Bruce
Photos ; The first one on the Left is Clean before treatment and Right is the fore-stock before cleaning.
I can’t tell you exactly why your gun is so dark but I can tell you I’ve seen quite a few that look like this. Sometimes excess oil over many years can turn the wood dark. Wood left to sit in water for extended periods can do this too but usually you see this on the butt end of the stock and the butt plate is corroded.
Here are the latest photos . Those are before the BLO cut with Mineral Spirits. Here are the After Photos . The Wood Stocks seemed like it was almost sealed with something as it had a hard absorbing the BLO. It is still lacking something . I have a few types of Wax that might enhance the look of the Wood . At least the Wood Grain is Visible now as before it was almost straight Black . The Wax I could remove at a later time if I wanted to take another Crack at it .
I was thinking of Laquer Thinner to Clean it back when I was removing the Black but didn’t have any and it was Late at night. It is better by some anyway.
Another thread was talking about cosmoline making guns dark. Any chance that is what you are dealing with.
Nice pics, by the way. Good looking rifle.
Another thing. Old shellac on furniture turns black overt many years too. Have you ever seen old Victorian age furniture. I’ve refinished quite a few pieces over the years.
I suppose anything is possible over all that time , but it appears to be just Bare Wood now. Possibly it was applied at one time , then removed at another point in its life but leaving the pigment behind. Thanks for the input .
If I get ambitious I may take another crack at Cleaning and tinting it. I’ll keep you posted.
If you are down to bare wood I wouldn’t tint it. This will most likely make it darker. Short of sanding you might find something that will bleach the color out??? Hopefully someone has tried this. One other thing that might make it look better it to add some sheen. Boiled linseed oil that is polished or has a very small amount of Tru Oil added.
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