best way to care for old milsurp rifle wood?
- Thread starter dobeman
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W.E.G.
Member
Dishwasher with Cascade detergent to get the cosmoline out.
Remove before the drying cycle.
Remove before the drying cycle.
madcratebuilder
Member
I use a 70/30 mix of turpentine and BLO as a cleaner, use some steel wool to get the deep dirt, then change to a 50/50 mix for a good wipe down. Finally a few coats of straight BLO. Apply the BLO with a rag or just your fingers, let it soak in for 20-30 minutes then wipe it down with a clean rag. Give it 24hrs to dry and repeat this a few time. Follow up with Tom's gunstock wax.
Rinse your rags that have BLO on them, they can have spontaneous combustion.
Rinse your rags that have BLO on them, they can have spontaneous combustion.
paducahrider
Member
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2010
- Messages
- 139
Using steel wool on wood finishes.
Howdy!
Some cautionary comments about wood finishing in general, and using steel wool, in particular:
1. Use at least 0000(4X) steel wool because it causes less damage than coarser grades.
2. ALWAYS rub it WITH THE grain of the wood (usually lengthwise of the stock), because repeated rubbing across the grain creates scratches which are very noticable and difficult to remove.
Many times, the unskilled will make this mistake and not realize it until the finish is applied. The correction is so difficult(essentially, requiring starting all over) that it is never made, then the user tries to justify the result as being better than it actually is.
3. Rinsing rags containing Boiled Liseed Oil is NOT recommended (Read the instructions on the container it comes in). Generally speaking, it is safer to properly dispose of them in such a way that they are not capable of igniting anything close to them. Rinsing with water will not make such rags safe, as the water will eventually evaporate, leaving the oil to spontaneously ignite, due to accelerated decomposition. This is not an uncommon occurance, by the way.
I mention these little items because many folks have not had any real introduction to woodworking/finishing, which allows them to make some very fundamental errors. I see this continually, contained within the questions(and answers!!) of threads on this site.
Old geezers, like myself, were brought up in a time when every young boy in junior high school took a class in WOOD SHOP. This prepared us, very early-on, for using various techniques related to wood usage and finishing.
Such classes are more rare now, due partly to the fact that there aren't as many trained people to teach them, because of attrition and the disfavor which their programs are presently viewed by educational administrations.
Everyone, presently, is taught how to use a computer, which is valuable, but they are almost totally without knowledge of physical trades/skills, which puts them at the mercy of unscrupulous workmen with poor skills themselves.
Finishing a rifle is a form of SWEAT EQUITY which few can do well, but desire to try(it's not as expensive as building a house!).
Threadsites, like this one, are full of misinformation and assumptions, so be cautious.
Go to a library and read a little bit, before you start a project, and you may be happier with the results of your efforts.
Good luck.
Thanks for your time.
Howdy!
Some cautionary comments about wood finishing in general, and using steel wool, in particular:
1. Use at least 0000(4X) steel wool because it causes less damage than coarser grades.
2. ALWAYS rub it WITH THE grain of the wood (usually lengthwise of the stock), because repeated rubbing across the grain creates scratches which are very noticable and difficult to remove.
Many times, the unskilled will make this mistake and not realize it until the finish is applied. The correction is so difficult(essentially, requiring starting all over) that it is never made, then the user tries to justify the result as being better than it actually is.
3. Rinsing rags containing Boiled Liseed Oil is NOT recommended (Read the instructions on the container it comes in). Generally speaking, it is safer to properly dispose of them in such a way that they are not capable of igniting anything close to them. Rinsing with water will not make such rags safe, as the water will eventually evaporate, leaving the oil to spontaneously ignite, due to accelerated decomposition. This is not an uncommon occurance, by the way.
I mention these little items because many folks have not had any real introduction to woodworking/finishing, which allows them to make some very fundamental errors. I see this continually, contained within the questions(and answers!!) of threads on this site.
Old geezers, like myself, were brought up in a time when every young boy in junior high school took a class in WOOD SHOP. This prepared us, very early-on, for using various techniques related to wood usage and finishing.
Such classes are more rare now, due partly to the fact that there aren't as many trained people to teach them, because of attrition and the disfavor which their programs are presently viewed by educational administrations.
Everyone, presently, is taught how to use a computer, which is valuable, but they are almost totally without knowledge of physical trades/skills, which puts them at the mercy of unscrupulous workmen with poor skills themselves.
Finishing a rifle is a form of SWEAT EQUITY which few can do well, but desire to try(it's not as expensive as building a house!).
Threadsites, like this one, are full of misinformation and assumptions, so be cautious.
Go to a library and read a little bit, before you start a project, and you may be happier with the results of your efforts.
Good luck.
Thanks for your time.
Last edited:
A steam iron over a damp rag on the wood does a great job of removing stains and/or small nicks in the surface.
Mineral Spirits work well for cleaning cosmoline. A little Pine-Sol diluted in water is a great way to clean after a range trip. Also, I use a light coat of Lin Seed Oil after a thorough cleaning on my 91/30. It gives the wood a high polish "look" without damage.
Mineral Spirits work well for cleaning cosmoline. A little Pine-Sol diluted in water is a great way to clean after a range trip. Also, I use a light coat of Lin Seed Oil after a thorough cleaning on my 91/30. It gives the wood a high polish "look" without damage.
thanks for all the great comments, suggestions.
what about tung oil instead of boiled linseed oil? I read somewhere that overtime, linseed oil hardens (stabilizes to equivalent of linoleum) and can be very difficult to remove in the future.
and wax - like a carnuba furniture wax after cleaning.
what about tung oil instead of boiled linseed oil? I read somewhere that overtime, linseed oil hardens (stabilizes to equivalent of linoleum) and can be very difficult to remove in the future.
and wax - like a carnuba furniture wax after cleaning.
Cosmoline
Member
Don't overdo the cleaners! They can really damage wood and bleach it out. For most stocks, the cosmoline was put on ON TOP of an existing finish. Shellac, BLO, tung or whatnot. It hasn't penetrated and can be cleaned with a washcloth and warm water
On some rifles, they were dipped in cosmoline BEFORE the wood had been finished. So the grease has soaked into the grain. These are the exception, however. And you'll know one when you have it. Some M48 yugos and some late model Finn M39's are in this group, but not all. Do a search for ways to leech this out. Slow exposure to sun is effective, but it's difficult to do it without again bleaching the wood.
Beyond that, LESS IS MORE. Remove the dirt and grease from the arsenals and if you're going to use it in the field cover it with a gunstock wax for protection. Step away from the sand paper ;-)
On some rifles, they were dipped in cosmoline BEFORE the wood had been finished. So the grease has soaked into the grain. These are the exception, however. And you'll know one when you have it. Some M48 yugos and some late model Finn M39's are in this group, but not all. Do a search for ways to leech this out. Slow exposure to sun is effective, but it's difficult to do it without again bleaching the wood.
Beyond that, LESS IS MORE. Remove the dirt and grease from the arsenals and if you're going to use it in the field cover it with a gunstock wax for protection. Step away from the sand paper ;-)
paducahrider
Member
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2010
- Messages
- 139
Tung Oil?
Howdy!
Tung oil has some advantages, with a primary one being that it fills pores and dries quicker than linseed oil.
However, one of it's detrimental features is that it, NOT LINSEED OIL, is prone to be brittle, quicker.
There are many who believe that tung oil is a WONDER FINISH, without peer, for all applications, but, in fact, it isn't perfect, and anyone considering its use should do a bit of research prior to commiting to it alone.
It may perform well enough for you, but you may find that it may not do everything claimed of it.
The same is true of linseed oil, by the way.
Read a bit, then decide.
Thanks for your time.
Howdy!
Tung oil has some advantages, with a primary one being that it fills pores and dries quicker than linseed oil.
However, one of it's detrimental features is that it, NOT LINSEED OIL, is prone to be brittle, quicker.
There are many who believe that tung oil is a WONDER FINISH, without peer, for all applications, but, in fact, it isn't perfect, and anyone considering its use should do a bit of research prior to commiting to it alone.
It may perform well enough for you, but you may find that it may not do everything claimed of it.
The same is true of linseed oil, by the way.
Read a bit, then decide.
Thanks for your time.
ol' scratch
Member
Ditto-but only if your stock is so Cosmo soaked you can't see the grain. As long as your wife won't shoot you with the rifle after you re-assemble, that is. Refinish with beeswax, Turpentine and BLO or Tung Oil.
PotatoJudge
Member
Just clean with a soft brush and mineral spirits to get the external grime and oil off then put on some Johnson's Paste Wax. You can reapply the wax whenever you feel like it and it won't build up. Putting tung or BLO changes the finish, and is in a way a refinish. Not good for originality, and so long as the original finish is intact there is little reason to do it.
Pine sol and similar products have a bit of a solvent for cleaning the wood and has an oil to make the wood shine, but it doesn't last and all the product will soon be gone.
Avoid steel wool. You can do all the cleaning you need without it and you're only removing more of the old finish with it.
Removing deep grime with soaps and water, heat or whatever is hard on wood and should only be done if really needed.
There's a book by Bob Flexner about wood finishes that's everyone should own as a reference for stuff like this.
Pine sol and similar products have a bit of a solvent for cleaning the wood and has an oil to make the wood shine, but it doesn't last and all the product will soon be gone.
Avoid steel wool. You can do all the cleaning you need without it and you're only removing more of the old finish with it.
Removing deep grime with soaps and water, heat or whatever is hard on wood and should only be done if really needed.
There's a book by Bob Flexner about wood finishes that's everyone should own as a reference for stuff like this.
USSR
Member
I like to strip the old finish off (and get the oil out of the wood) prior to refinishing. I have developed my own stain that I use and sell for Service Rifles. Here are the results.
Don
Don
USSR
Member
After applying the stain, I put several coats of BLO on it and topped it off with Tom's 1/3 mix.
Don
Don
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