Got my Garand but need help with the CMP stock (yuck)

[Frandy]

I expected it to be sticky and uneven in the linseed finish because they dip them rather than hand rub. 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?

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?

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.

 

[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.

 

[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.

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]

Now we're getting there...

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.

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!


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's Stuff Pages/Stock Refinishing-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.