[Frandy]

I expected it to be sticky and uneven in the linseed finish because they dip them rather than hand rub. :barf: At least no surprise here...

Short of refinishing the stock,is there anything I can do to minimize the stickiness and the uneven finish of the linseed oil? Will reapplying a mix of turp and BLO do any good or just add to the current finish, making it no better and perhaps worse? :uhoh:

Will using a very fine steel wool (OO or finer) do any good???

Or, should I just live with it until I either refinish the shabby original stock that also came with it, refinish this CMP stock, or get another one down the road? :rolleyes:

Thanks!!!!!

[ocabj]

Are you sure this isn't just cosmoline?

[MAUSER88]

Get a brand spanking new walnut 3 piece stock from Midway for less than 100 bucks. :)

http://www.huntingpictures.net/photo/002130 (http://www.huntingpictures.net/photoview/002130)

[ocabj]

Get a brand spanking new walnut 3 piece stock from Midway for less than 100 bucks. :)

I'd avoid the Boyd stocks from Midway. They are way oversized in the grip area. If you do get a Boyds, get the reworked ones the CMP sells (Boyd stocks reworked by Dupage). Boyds did a special run of regular profile Garand stocks several months ago, which sold out very quickly. For some reason, Boyds doesn't want to make the standard profile stocks on a regular basis.

[HankB]

My CMP M1's stock was not only sticky, it had rack numbers painted on the stock near the buttplate with multiple layers of tape covering them . . . with another rack number written on each layer. And it was all baked on . . . hard.

I progressively went to harsher and harsher cleaning methods when gentle efforts (like trying Murphy's Oil Soap) proved worthless. Finally I ended up using steel wool doused with acetone. This took off some of the coloring, but after a judicious application of MinWax stain followed by rubbing in some genuine pure tung oil, I ended up with a more than acceptable result.

[Frandy]

Are you sure this isn't just cosmoline?


I didn't get this M1 from CMP.I bougt it from an individual who put the stock on it. Not cosmoline. So far, no solutions...comeon guys...there must be a way to do this...gun show tomorrow...I'll ask there as well. :D

[ocabj]

I didn't get this M1 from CMP.I bougt it from an individual who put the stock on it. Not cosmoline. So far, no solutions...comeon guys...there must be a way to do this...gun show tomorrow...I'll ask there as well. :D

Well, if this isn't a collectible stock, I'd just refinish it. Try to clean the surface with mineral spirits. Let dry. If it doesn't cut the excessive finish applied by the previous owner, then sand it down. Then go with BLO or Behr's TOF, or stain it.

[Frandy]

the excessive finish applied by the previous owner,
I guess I'm not being clear... It is a new CMP stock that was put on the Garand by the guy who sold it to me, but he didn't do anything to the stock. I've heard before and I now have evidence, that these new CMP stocks are simply dipped into the BLO, hence the sloppy finish and the tacky feel.

All that said, I agree that this new stock, which fits great, feels great, looks good, is not collectible, so I can see myself refinishing it. I will do some kind of mild rubdown to see if I can at least eliminate the tacky feeling and maybe some of the excessive BLO. Actually, I risked rubbing some of the buttstock with Kroil oil and it helped a lot. I'm not sure that's a good idea, but it seems to work. I'm getting a cleaner, duller look. I just might do the entire stock. I'll ask around the show unless I get more guidance here.

Thanks everyone.

Frandy

[Steve in PA]

When I got my CMP M1 a couple of years ago, all the stock needed was one cleaning with Murphy's Oil Soap and she was good to go.

However, when I got my 1903A3.....that was another story. Several baths with mineral spirits and a stiff brush worked just fine. You might want to try this method and see what it does for you.

[ocabj]

I guess I'm not being clear... It is a new CMP stock that was pu on the garand by the guy who sold it to me, but he didn't do anything to the stock. I've heard before and I now have evidence, that these new CMP stocks are simply dipped into the BLO, hence the sloppy finish and the tacky feel.

Ah, it's one of the reworked Boyd stocks. I didn't know they were finished in BLO. I assumed they were just recontoured by Dupage and left unfinished.

In this case, if it is BLO that's causing the tackiness on the surface, paint thinner should be able to cut the excess.

[Fingolfin]

I have had luck using denatured alchohol.

[Frandy]

Yeah, that's it...it's a reworked Boyd from CMP...

I'll scrub with some Murphy's soap first and if I need to be a bit more aggressive, the Kroil oil, the denatured alcohol, or some such will most lkely do the trick. :D

Thanks again.

[P5 Guy]

Please keep the Murphy's away from your stock.
The 1st thing I would try is BLO cut with mineral spirits or turpintine. (1 to 1 or 1 to 2) The solvent will help cut the not quite dry 1st coat and give you something to work with. Wipe the stock down with a clean cotton cloth soaked in the mixture of BLO and solvent. Then buff like mad with a dry cloth of the same material and let the stock sit in a warm dry place for a day. You may need to repeat this a time or two.

[Roadkill]

I have used rubbing alcohol and steel wool on several milsurps. Make sure you have a lot of steel wool. Do a small area at a time.Pour the alcohol on the steel wool, then rub.


rk

[Frandy]

BLO cut with mineral spirits or turpintine.

Well, P5, that is EXACTLY what the seller told me to do. By the way, I'm pretty impressed with the seller. When I have more time this weekend, I'm going to tell everyone here about the purchase. With photos.

[Sunray]

"...the tacky feeling..." Sounds like plain linseed oil not BLO to me. I'd clean it off with mineral spirits and start over using BLO.
The CMP inspects the stocks and replaces any stock that may have cracks etc that may get worse. There's no mention of any finish being put on at all.
http://www.odcmp.com/Services/Rifles/inspect.htm

[longhorngunman]

Sorry to hijack this thread but I was wondering what the original finish was put on these stocks when they left the factory? BLO, tung oil, walnut stain?

[ocabj]

Sorry to hijack this thread but I was wondering what the original finish was put on these stocks when they left the factory? BLO, tung oil, walnut stain?

According to Scott Duff's "The M1 Garand: World War II", the stock manufacturing procedure originally called for dipping in raw linseed oil. But, wood finished in raw linseed oil tended to smoke and sweat after long periods of firing. So SA came up with a China-wood oil compound (China-wood oil is better known as tung oil) and this was adopted in 1941. Duff's book also describes that stocks were dipped in the China-wood oil compound for 5 minutes.

The tung oil you find nowadays is probably different from the mixture SA developed and adopted in 1941.

[Frandy]

Well, whatever it is, it's tacky and uneven in appearance. The worst is on the butt... Hey, I'll get a cheek piece! :D


Tung, raw, BLO, whatever, it's going to get refinished.

[longhorngunman]

Yeah I've heard the "tung oil" in most stores ain't the real thing. I tried some Formby's Tung oil on a old Turkish mauser and one of my K31's and wasn't too happy with the results. I usually prefer Tru-oil and like the results but I thought that would be too glossy for a Garand stock. Are there any Sporting stores that actually carry the real Tung oil.

[30Cal]

Yeah I've heard the "tung oil" in most stores ain't the real thing. I tried some Formby's Tung oil on a old Turkish mauser and one of my K31's and wasn't too happy with the results. I usually prefer Tru-oil and like the results but I thought that would be too glossy for a Garand stock. Are there any Sporting stores that actually carry the real Tung oil.

Hardware store. They usually have some varnish added to one degree or another. I've been most pleased with the low-gloss flavors.

Ty

[HankB]

. . . the "tung oil" in most stores ain't the real thing.Very true - most of the stuff you'll find at places like Home Depot is labeled something like "tung oil finish" which indicates it's mixed with shellac or varnish or something - I'd stay away from those. What I use is pure tung oil, it's from Woodcraft and is labeled "Tung Oil 100% Pure."

[ocabj]

Well, thing is, the original USGI Garand stocks were not finished with pure tung oil, either. It was special tung oil compound that was formulated.

As far as the aftermarket stocks, you're probably better off staining them or using one of the tung oil or Danish oil finishes. Dean Gun Restorations uses Danish Oil on their Wenig stocks. Lots of milsurp shooters use Behrs Tung Oil Finish #600. The Behr TOF #600 is pretty good stuff and I have had good results with it.

[Jmurman]

I followed Swampies advice and used my dishwasher on mine...absolutely marvelous way to not only get rid of the cosmoline and excess varnish, but the small nicks and dents raised up.

My next Garand I'll do the very same thing.

Check this out http://www.swampworks.com/Swampy%27s%20Stuff%20Pages/Stock%20Refinishing-1.html

[George S.]

Pure mineral spirits rubbed in with a small plastic scrubber should get rid of the tacky feel. Another good cleaner is "Purple Power" from Wally World. Apply full strength with a brush and scrub with the plastic scrubber. Steel wool might work but you risk leaving small pieces of the material caught in cracks or rough areas. Exposed to any moisture, you could see rusty areas from the steel wool.

Swampy's dishwasher method is great for old stocks but it can cause a mess in the dishwasher. Just don't use the heated dry cycle. Run the DW empty with the soap dish full a couple of time afterwards to clean out any grease residue.

If the stock and handguards have cosmoline in them, remove all of the metal (be careful with the rear handguard clamp!!) and sit the pieces about 18" from a radiant heater until the cosmoline begins to sweat out. Take away from the heat and liberally wipe on mineral spirits and wipe dry. Repeat until the stock no longer seeps the cosmoline or oil. You can also use a hairdryer on the HIGH setting too.

If there are no cartouches to save, I would lightly sand any areas that are not smooth to the touch, Use nothing finer than 220 grit paper and use a sanding block.

I refinished my Garand stock and guards with a 50-50 mix of mineral spirits and BLO for the first two coats by brushing on the mix and letting it sit for 10 minutes and wiping off with a clean rag. I let each coat dry for 48 hours before the next step. Then brush on two more thin coats of pure BLO and wipe off with a 48 hour wait between them.

[Frandy]

Thanks for all this additional info guys...I'm closing in on what I'm going to do.

[Frandy]

I decided to work from least aggressive to more aggressive approaches and glad I did:

First, I simply tried hand rubbing BLO in to see if it would soften the extra spots and blend with the them. Nope.

Then I tried same, except by rubbing in along the grain using 0000 steel wool. Then, I wiped off the excess to let the stock dry. Seems to have worked like a charm so far. I see and feel hardly any of that excess linseed oil that was originally on the stock.

I was unnecessarily alarmed about fixing this problem. I lack experience with any kind of wood refinishing, so I feared I would make it look much worse. After the BLO that I applied last night dries, I can decide if I want to look for those bits of unevenness that remain and 0000/BLO again or just leave as is, if good enough. Then, I can decide if I want to rub in Minwax Wipe-on Poly, which I've seen on other's rifles.

http://www.minwax.com/products/protective/wipe-on-faq.cfm

[cracked butt]

With BLO- rub some in with your hands- rubbing warms the wood and helps it absorb, wipe off the stuff that doesn't absorb, and let it dry for a couple of days, then repeat 1/2 dozen times or until you are satisfied with the results. The first few applications won't look very good, but it should look veyr nice by the time you have 4 or 5 applications done.

A good product to finish it with is called 'Howards Feed and Wax' with is beeswax mixed with orange oil. This will seal the wood up nicely and give it a natural luster.


Formby's tung oil I don't use on guns- I've used it on some furniture in the past, and it appears to be more along the lines of a varnish than an oil finish.

TRU-Oil- Some people like this stuff, I don't. It doesn't really absorb into wood, more or less just dries ont he surface and tends to be very glossy.

[M2Pilot]

If it's really bad,you might try removing stock, cleaning with brake or carburator cleaner,then putting it in a black garbage bag & putting that in a closed car on a hot sunny day for a few hours,then wipe down. Repeat black bag treatment as needed.

[Frandy]

Yeah, I'm not convinced I want to seal the wood. Now that I've rubbed in the BLO with the steel wool to get rid of th uneven coat, I will probably do a few more coats by hand. After that...who knows. I guess I have time to decide.

Actually, it already looks beautiful. Remember, it already had BLO on it before I started. It's a beauty right now.

If it's really bad,you might try removing stock, cleaning with brake or carburator cleaner,then putting it in a black garbage bag & putting that in a closed car on a hot sunny day for a few hours,then wipe down. Repeat black bag treatment as needed.

I need to post some photos as I must have given the wrong impression. This CMP stock looks very good. It's just that the BLO on it had dried unevenly in a few patches/areas and I needed to remove or blend that excess linseed oil. From a distance, the stock looks just fine as is. Up close, the excess and uneveness looked obvious. Right now, it's looking very, very nice.

[Hacker15E]

Please keep the Murphy's away from your stock.

Any reason?

[Swampy]

Swampy's dishwasher method is great for old stocks but it can cause a mess in the dishwasher.

Au Contraire', mon Frer'.....

The Dishwasher (just about ANY Dishwasher) is a self cleaning appliance. If it wasn't, just think how nasty it would be in short order with food scraps and grease coating it's innards....

After running a set of gunky, greasy, oil soaked wood through your Dishwasher it's insides will be just as spic & span clean as it is after doing a load of dishes.

I've used my DW on wood that was literally dripping with grease and oil....many times. On opening the door to remove the newly cleaned wood there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that anything other than dishes have been in or out..... :cool:

Try it... you'll like it.

Best to all,
Swampy

Garands forever

[Frandy]

So, here is how it looks after I used the steel woo/BLO to get rid of the unevenness of the original BLO. Wish I had done a before shot. Oh well, what's important is that the unevenness and globs are gone! :D

The stock is not quite as red as this. It's deeper in color. My studio flash gives it an overall lighter tone.


http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31701&stc=1&d=1132845585

[MNgoldenbear]

Wow! Stock looks great! I'd toyed with the idea of refinishing my DCM gun, but figure I'll leave it as is. If I wanted to swap out the stock to pretty it up for a while, I'd definitely look at acquiring a stock from CMP (noted post stating that non-CMP Boyd's stocks had slightly different configuration). I assume that you WILL be taking this great old rifle out for range time, and perhaps to a highpower match or two?

[Frandy]

Well Bear, I gotta tell you... I'm basically a handgun shooter who shoots at an indoor range for SF practice and fun target shooting - nothing serious - though of late I find myself shooting my Trailside one-handed and very sloooooowly.

As for the M1, I haven't been shooting rifles since I owned an AR-15 in the 70s and before that the M-16 and M-14 in the USAR. I really don't think I'll ever shooot competition, but the county I live in, Wake County NC, actully has a 100 yard indoor range that I'll be bringing the Garand to. I've got a box of PMC "Garand" load ammo and a crate of Greek ammo on order at CMP.

Here's a target the seller provided with the M1. 100 yards, benched, Lake City ammo.

http://www.thehighroad.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31703&stc=1&d=1132848600

[ScottsGT]

Here's how I finished my new Wenigs.
BLO cut 50/50 with Mineral of Spirits. Use this to wet sand the stock using 320 grip paper. Let it dry with the "mud" on the stock. this is the sanding dust generated with BLO on the stock. After it dries, wet sand again using the mix. the "Mud" will fill in the wood grain making the stock smoother. Do this 4 or five time using finer paper after two sandings with the 320. Soon you will have a glass smooth stock. Not military, but looks great. Your final wet sand should be 600 grit, and wipe it clean then apply a fine wipe down with BLO and let dry.

[Roudy]

One of ny favorite pastimes is refinishing decrepite military rifle stocks, especially the originals. Many of these old rifles were made with walnut and there is frequently beauty underneath all that crud.

Usually start out by scraping the entire stock to get most of the crud and oil off then steam out the dents. There is usually more oil and grease down deep in the wood, so I use some kind of solvent (mineral spirits, alchohol, if all else fails laquer thinner) to get the remaining oil and grease out.

Next some hand sanding with finer and finer grit sandpaper and steel wool. When you have used your finest steel wool, wet the stock and let it dry to bring up the little whiskers of wood that are left, then go over it again with your finest steel wool.

Next step is hand rubbing linseed oil until the stock glows. I've used prepared stock finishes, but guess I'm just old fashioned and like the look and smell of linseed oil.

Once knew a Sgt that liberally applied linseed oil to his stock then baked it in his wifes oven. Great looking stock, wonder if his wife is still with him? By the way.....just love the idea of putting a rifle stock the wife's diswasher.

[cracked butt]

looks like you got a heck of a nice rifle on all accounts.:cool:

[RavenVT100]

I followed the Fulton Armory Garand Stock refinishing guide and had good results. It involves using oven cleaner to de-finish the stock and then staining, sanding, and refinishing the stock.

So far I have only refinished replacement stocks, never originals. I figure since it was a replacement anyway, the devaluation of the rifle is complete and you won't devalue it much further by refinishing it.

[Atlas Shrug]

Frandy - nice rifle. I hope you get to enjoy shooting it soon. Welcome to the Garand Club!

As for the Wake County NC indoor range, it actually goes out to 100 METERS.

Kinda weird, but the designers had inconsistent input IMHO. In some ways the place is great, in others lacking. In any event, it's one of the few 100 yard/meter indoor ranges in the US that I'm aware of.

I'm down there with some regularity, perhaps I'll see you there sometimes. After that, maybe we'll get you out to Ramseur (of Fred's in Shotgun News articles) and shoot at 500 yard popups!

[Joey2]

Last year I picked up a 1903 Springfield and a 1917 Eddystone from a member of our gun club. He purchased these from CMP some years back. He still had them in the original box they came in. He never shot or cleaned them. I picked them up for $500.00 for both.

I completely stripped them down and sprayed engine degreaser on all the parts including the stocks. Let them sit for a few hours then rinsed them off with hot water.

The degreaser pulled the old oil out of the stock. They came out real clean.

[Frandy]

As for the Wake County NC indoor range, it actually goes out to 100 METERS.

Kinda weird, but the designers had inconsistent input IMHO. In some ways the place is great, in others lacking. In any event, it's one of the few 100 yard/meter indoor ranges in the US that I'm aware of.

Oops...yeah, I knew that...it's meters. Haven't been there for quite a while because of what it lacks. It's the only place I will have to shoot the Garand, at least in the short term, so when I get the time, I figure that's where I'll sight it in.

[Detritus]

Oops...yeah, I knew that...it's meters. Haven't been there for quite a while because of what it lacks. It's the only place I will have to shoot the Garand, at least in the short term, so when I get the time, I figure that's where I'll sight it in.

what area of the county are you in, and how far are you willing to drive for a range?
B/c if membershipis still as reasonably priced as when i left the state (and if it's still open membership, it's been 6 years now), "the range" a privately owned range between butner and oxford, is/was a real nice place to shoot.

[Frandy]

what area of the county are you in, and how far are you willing to drive for a range?
B/c if membershipis still as reasonably priced as when i left the state (and if it's still open membership, it's been 6 years now), "the range" a privately owned range between butner and oxford, is/was a real nice place to shoot.

Well, that is the BIG and unknown question right now. As I haven't had a high power rifle for many years, I'm not sure how often I'll shoot it, how often I want to go to a "distant" range, how much I want to spend to go to a Sir Walter Raleigh or other club I could join.

I live in Raleigh.