Stock still has black spots... is this cosmoline??

[Diggler]

I am refinishing a Romanian Training .22 rifle... Yeah, I know it's not C&R... but I used oven cleaner, then steaming hot water then finally sanded this thing down as much as I think I should, and there are still dark spots on it. They seem to be in the wood. It looks dirty, and I was wondering if it was actually some cosmoline that I missed. Here are some pics...

pic 1... in the edges under where the bolt goes

pic 2... another pic along with the 'dirtyness' look

pic 3... at the ends of the finger groove

pic 4... inside the bolt notch

The rest of the stock looks great... pure wood... but I couldn't get this stuff out chemically or with hot water. Should I oven heat it? What does deeply embedded cosmoline look like?

My plans for this one is to dye it almost an AK-red but I don't want to see that through the color.

 

[yesterdaysyouth]

i've never been able to get all the cosmo out of anything... once grease and wood have been together so long it's hard to let go...

use a wet rag and a steam iron, that works pretty good... but if you leave it sitting for a couple days, even more will soak through to the surface...

i would go ahead and stain it, and throw 4-5 coats of low gloss tung oil finish on it...

 

[Diggler]

I'm throwing it in the oven at 175° for a while and see if that fixes it.

Anyone use the dishwasher method to get out the cosmo? I hate to do much more to it because 90% of the stock is perfect.

 

[ruger270man]

function over form

 

[Diggler]

Yeah, but I can have both!

 

[ruger270man]

paint it camo

 

[kayak bum]

I've had good results with Brownells whiting; fine powder you mix with acetone or other solvent (outside); paint the paste on to the stock, and let it dry. It does a good job drawing the grease out. I also (carefully) use the flame jet on my turkey fryer to heat the wood.

 

[Diggler]

Do you think that's cosmoline though?? I just baked it for an hour and a half in the oven at 175° and NOTHING came out over the dark spots. I don't want to go as far as bleaching it because the rest of the wood looks good. I'm beginning to think that it is wood discoloration, except that it seems to be prevelant on end-grains.

 

[GD]

black spots

The black spots are indeed cosmoline and occur where the stock was struck by something. I know it sounds strange but the only way I have been able to remove these is with a small propane torch. You obviously have to be very careful when you remove the spot. I hold the flame about 3 inches away from the stock and apply the heat until it bubbles (usually about 2-3 seconds). Wipe off the bubbles and wait a few seconds and try again. After about 3 attempts, the stain will be gone. I haven't burned a stock yet but I am very careful. My best work yet was on a VZ24 with dozens of these, spots. The stock was one of the ugliest, cosmoline filled examples I have ever seen. I did not want to sand the stock or damage any markings on it. The rifle stock now looks new after applying this technique.

 

[Selfdfenz]

There are guys over at rimfirecentral that love this little rifle.
Why not put your post over there too and see if you can get same additional suggestions. Like here, good people.
You might try the firingline also in case some that surf there, don't visit us here.

Best,

S-

 

[rust collector]

I've only refinished a few old military stocks, but I believe you're dealing with end grain, where stain, finish and cosmo have a direct route of entry along the broken or cut wood fibers. I don't know how to draw all the pigment out of the fiber, so have resorted in the past to painting on a bleaching agent to lighten up the darker color. It's tempting to go after these spots with sandpaper, but almost impossible to match the original contours. For the ends of the finger grooves, an inletting scraper carefully worked toward the center has helped.

I also use a dark aniline dye which tends to camouflage it to some degree. Good luck on your project.