[Octogun]

I was redoing the kitchen table this weekend and decided to redo an old, dark shotgun stock too. Pretty wood figure was hidden by a very dark stain.

Removing the stain I started with a Minwax thin liquid stripper. This flashed off pretty quickly and was not taking off much. So I then got out the big guns and painted on a gel stripper, let it sit 15 minutes then used a small plastic scraper to gently get the old dark stuff off. There are two stripes left, on one side only, that do not want to come out.

I wondered if these were glue, from old repaired cracks? Thing is, the other side cleaned up fine with no stripes at all. I cannot see any evidence of an old crack whatsoever. The plan was to finish with coats of MinWax Wipe On Poly and let the natural colors come out. Not sure if that's a good idea with those stripes.

I tried 000 steel wool with both strippers on those areas. Should I try sanding, maybe 150 then 220?

A second quick question... how do y'all get the checkering clean? I used both strippers and a small brass brush after they soaked a bit. A lot of flakes did come out but there is still a noticeable darker color difference in the checkering. Any tricks of the trade for this issue are appreciated.

Thanks for any advice on either subject!

 

[Octogun]

I'm going to try the common sense approach to unsolvable garage projects. Go to bed, get some sleep, have a good cup of coffee in the morning and dive back in. :tee:

 

[Gabby1956]

I like the stripes. It appears to be fancy wood. A tooth brush works good for checkering.

 

[graymustang]

Recently researched nitric acid/ iron filings, or muric acid/iron filing, vinegar/iron filing...the old finishes used on tiger maple walnut stocks, and various techniques to tiger strip a standard stock. Anyway, they talked about some of the grain in a (tiger stock the fiddle back) being a denser wood than the rest, holding more tannins and minerals that re-acted differently to the stains, thus enhancing the "fiddle back-tiger stripe" relative to the rest of the wood. Could be some version of that going on here,as the dark parts look like denser grain from the rest. From what I read, it can't be corrected once set in. You could make up strong tea, and use a cue tip to stripe up the rest of the stock to match, this adds tannins. When a vinegar/iron filing stain hits the area with the added tea tannins, it will stripe up darker than the areas not treated, or so I read. If you decide to try this, research, then experiment first on scrap wood. This is something that is about to happen to old 336 stock here.

 

[Arcblizz]

it looks like gun oil is soaked into the wood part.
That is the reason that i'm storing my guns after oiling with the barrel down in the safe.
You could try to heat it with a hair dryer to come out.
For the checkered part you could try a small steel brush to get the paint off.

 

[Wind]

Hey there Niftus -- Looks to me like it is in the grain. There is a third little area showing in the hollow of the comb. It might be a tad more pronounced due to the stripper moistening the wood. Sanding or scraping would probably be non-productive. I think a little thin stain may be in order here to balance the stripes as well as the forend. Here is a stock I did with similar characteristics...

View attachment 106163

I prefer Min-Wax oil based stains. I like to color without obliterating the grain. What I find works well is to use their #206 (essentially clear) as a carrier. Put four or five tablespoons in a clean tuna can. The Provincial and Early American give me the tint. Some folks like a red-brown and some a lighter yellow-brown. Add a couple spoonfuls of each to your 206 base. This mixture will tint without covering the grain. If you prefer more of either color, just add it and stain again. This leaves tint and enhances grain.

View attachment 106164

This owner wanted a little lighter, more on the Marlin shade, than the red-brown Winchester color. The two pieces are similar and the dark lines in the stock are still visible, but more subdued.

View attachment 106165

Then hit it with the Wipe On Poly.

Hope this helps. Best regards. Wind

 

[Blackbarry]

I'm going to try the common sense approach to unsolvable garage projects. Go to bed, get some sleep, have a good cup of coffee in the morning and dive back in. :tee:

Midway has a YouTube video on removing deep oil stains on a stock prior to refinishing. They soaked the stock in Acetone (?) for 24 hrs and the oil came out. My point here is that if it is oil it will come out. If it is a mineral character the solvent won't touch it. Nothing to lose....

 

[Octogun]

The gun oil theory might be the issue. Where the stock fits into the action the wood is also darker.

Regarding the checkering, now that the stripper has completely flashed away I see that the checkered areas just need more attention. I'll do more of the same with the brass brush - I do have some steel brushes too and can give that a go if needed.

So I'll have something to do after Church today (LOL-wife has a nice list for me at all times). I'll start with the hair dryer, then watch Midway's YouTube video, consider chemical fixes and finally and if all else fails, stain to match. This is beautiful dark walnut wood and deserves to have its grain seen!

 

[Mikewood]

I would suggest waiting 24 hours and using the jell stripper again. Put it on thick and let it sit an hour. Then scrub the area with some OOOO steel wool. Wipe clean and splash acetone on it. Repeat a few times and I bet the stain comes out.

 

[enfoprefect]

That is gonna be a pretty piece of wood even if the dark stripe doesn't come out. It could be a mineral stain in the wood but I think the theory of gun oil sounds more likely. If so then the acetone is probably your best bet. In either case, I don't think sanding or scraping will do what you want. I would stay away from steel brushes on the checkering though. Even a brass brush can damage the wood. I would rather have it a little dark rather than flattened or chipped out. As for finish, I too like Minwax products.

 

[Surveybob]

If it is a solvent or oil of some sort, cover it with oilsorb (for oil spills). It took all the oils out of my Mosin when I refinished it. I buried the entire stock in it and left it in there for the week. Turned out pretty good.

 

[Dan Cash]

Difficult to tell for sure from the pictures but your stock appears to be a Turkish or Eastern European Walnut and the streaks are natural to the stock. Warm the area with a heat lamp and observe the streak closely with a magnifying glass. If it is oil, you will see condensate beads come to the surface. While possible to remove oil from the wood, in this case, I would call it character and leave it be.

 

[Octogun]

Oil absorber - why didn't I think of that? Good old kitty litter. This afternoon (before seeing these last several posts) I took a clean white cotton towel, poured acetone on it, wrapped it around the buttstock and double bagged it all. My thought was that as the oil leached out it would wick into the towel. I do hope all the other wood oils are not sucked out though. Will get up early tomorrow and see how it looks. Thank you all for your opinions and advice.

In other news, once stripped the kitchen table shows itself to be quarter sawn oak. You really couldn't tell before, it was so dark.

Things happen in 3's - full figure in the walnut stock, full figure in the kitchen table's quarter sawn oak and I'm getting a bit full figured myself lately. :flute:

 

[Octogun]

After 24 hours wrapped in an acetone-soaked cotton towel, sealed inside 2 plastic bags to prevent evaporation, here is the result. Real progress! The oil theory is really holding water. :hmmmm: On the Midway video a pot full of acetone is used, soaking the stock. First I don't have a pot the wife would let me use for that kind of thing, second, I hate having open solvents in the garage or anywhere in my home. That's the reason for the towel in bag experiment.

A nice surprise is noticeable lightening of the checkering. Think of all the gun oil that comes off of rags when a stock is lovingly wiped down, then stays in the checkering. I've wrapped up the checkered fore end in the towel adding more acetone (btw, I have used over 1/2 can on the one towel). After that "bakes" I will get fresh towel strips, apply them to specific areas of the buttstock and re-bag.

Y'all: does anyone think the wood is being harmed by the acetone? It seems odd to re-oil the stock before Min-Wax Poly Seal, but should I treat the wood for its long term benefit?

 

[Blackbarry]

After 24 hours wrapped in an acetone-soaked cotton towel, sealed inside 2 plastic bags to prevent evaporation, here is the result. Real progress! The oil theory is really holding water. :hmmmm: On the Midway video a pot full of acetone is used, soaking the stock. First I don't have a pot the wife would let me use for that kind of thing, second, I hate having open solvents in the garage or anywhere in my home. That's the reason for the towel in bag experiment.

A nice surprise is noticeable lightening of the checkering. Think of all the gun oil that comes off of rags when a stock is lovingly wiped down, then stays in the checkering. I've wrapped up the checkered fore end in the towel adding more acetone (btw, I have used over 1/2 can on the one towel). After that "bakes" I will get fresh towel strips, apply them to specific areas of the buttstock and re-bag.

Y'all: does anyone think the wood is being harmed by the acetone? It seems odd to re-oil the stock before Min-Wax Poly Seal, but should I treat the wood for its long term benefit?

View attachment 106415

I'd go another round with the acetone-in-a-bag trick. How fabulous is that??? Wood is dead, natural wood oil can interfere with finishing. I use Formby's Tung Oil. It is not pure Tung oil but leaves a wondrous finish. Here's my latest:

 

[Octogun]

Forend came out out of the acetone bag good, but after sitting overnight on the workbench the buttstock oil streaks came back strong. Not as bad as originally but very noticeable. If this oil keeps gushing out of the wood I may have to name this shotgun "Beaumont".

This time I have double toweled tight around the stock with fresh cotton, wrapped with twine and positively drenched the towels with acetone. Into the double bags, more twine and there he will sit for a week. Dove season is a ways off, turkey season is over so there is no rush.

The pictures posted on this thread of others' work are beautiful! Thanks again all for chiming in.

 

[chsparkman]

You're on the right track. Just be patient with it and it will get there. It's going to look great.

 

[unclesarge58]

Niftus,
You Might Try what is Called Whiting (Powdered Chalk)
To Get the Oil Out of the Stock. That or Powdered Lime will Work Too.
Just Put the Stock in a Box or Bag & Burry it in the Powder 4 a Few Days.
Does a Really Good Job of Sucking the Oil Out.
Sounds Like the Acetone is Working Well Too.
Just Another Option to Consider.
UncleSarge58

 

[Daly]

Soak that in a pan full of Acetone (outdoors away from heat sources) for 24 hours. Then soak in alcohol. If the dark area is oil or any painted stuff it will be gone. I know of quite a few really expensive double shotguns which have been done in this witches brew.

 

[StikkerShokK]

You can mix the chalk and acetone into a slurry, and paint it on heavily! You will see the paste turning brown as it wicks out oil. I have never tried the whiting dry before.