Cleaning a wood stock before refinishing

[mikeinct]

I'd like to do a quick refinish on this old wood stock. Years of rubbing with oily gun rags has taken all the luster out of the wood. Sadly there are a few fine line cracks in the butt stock as well. It is much darker than the picture shows. I'd like to use mineral sprits or denatured alcohol/soft cloth to remove the old crud. Then rub in a few coats of Tru oil.. Will this plan work or should I use a real chemical paint stripper..Nasty Stuff & then rub in clean oil...Mike in Ct

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

The wood is stained. You won't make a lot of difference in the tone without stripping and starting over. A little bit, yes..but it won't lighten significantly, IMHO. Strip, sand, seal and re finish. Even then, it will depend on the wood a whole lot. After stripping and sanding, you can get an idea what the tone will be by wiping with alcohol on a rag.

 

[mikeinct]

Well it is going to be a long winter up here. Mike in ct

 

[spclark]

The ‘nasty stuff’ in most of the strippers we’ve been using - Methylene Chloride - has been pulled from the consumer retail marketplace as of mid-September this year.

There are some pretty effective substitutes though that are far less noxious. One I’ve had good results from is a citrus-based product available from hardware and big-box home improvement stores. Takes more time than the older products so plan ahead.

One trick I learned was covering a wet-out item being stripped with plastic sheet to keep the stripper from drying out before it’d done its job. Easier clean-up compared to the old stuff too, stuff likely now considered a hazardous waste in most municipalities & not welcome in landfills.

 

[mikeinct]

Ut oh, I have a fresh gallon of the old stuff here..Klean Strip paste..Must be ten years old..

 

[Walt Krafft]

You could try the mineral spirits and or denatured and a couple of coats of new oil. Nothing to lose if it turns out to not be what you want. When you start stripping it all off it can turn into a pretty big project. Be prepared if you go that route.

 

[mikeinct]

I have only done one old Rem wood stock down to bare & re-oiled. That 1960's glossy stuff was messy. This "seems" like it would be easier... Mike

 

[joshb]

Mike! NO STRIPPER!!! Rub it down with a rag and mineral spirits, just like you thought. Let it dry and then do the True oil. It’ll look gorgeous!

 

[mikeinct]

Bc'z said you would know. THANKS. mike in ct

 

[joshb]

Bc'z said you would know. THANKS. mike in ct

Ah, good.....you’re not in your garage with the Stripper!
If you want to put in a little extra effort, LIGHTLY sand the surfaces with 400 grit. Just scruff up the surface of the old finish.

 

[natdscott]

Eh. I’d strip that b**** down and commence the sanding and repointing only after I’d glassed it.

But then, I don’t mind the size of that project.