Oil removal from stock

[swifty22]

Have an OLD Mauser 98 stock that is badly soaked in oil and dirt (you don't really want to handle it!). How do I remove the oil and crud? I was told to use a combo of Whiting and ascetone  (SP?) and put under a light bulb. Anyone have any other ideas? -Thanks-Muddy

[Mckie Hollow]

Give it a good scrubbing with straight Murphy's oil soap and a Scotch Brite pad. May take a couple times. Wash off, towel dry, then hit it lightly with a heatgun. This should get most of the oil out.

[Swampman]

I start with a good scrubbing with a gallon of mineral spirits and a nylon brush.

[Huffmanite]

old trick is to put stock in a black plastic trash bag with paper towels wrapped around stock and then put it in your truck or car to let the heat inside vehicle cook the oil out of the stock.  Hot as it is now, should work quite well in drawing oil out of stock.  You'll need to periodically remove stock from bag once a day and wipe off oil, rewrap with paper towel, put back in bag and repeat.
 
As for me, a couple of years ago I found an Olympic brand wooden deck cleaning product called Oxydeck Cleaner at a Lowes that was safe for cleaning wood.  As I recall, two kinds of it, one that had a bleach in it and one without it.  Bleach one was on clearance and I bought it.  I'd mix up a batch of it, stand the stock in my kitchen sink and apply the Oxydeck cleaner with a stiff bristle brush to the wood.  I'd brush down the stock well, let the solution work a couple of minutes, wipe down stock with an old T shirt or paper towel, rinse the stock and repeat this process a couple of more times.  The deck cleaner did a good job of removing the oil in the wood.  How well did it work?   My first attempt to clean stock was to wipe down the stock thoroughly with minineral spirits and another similiar product.  I then tried sanding the wood, only to have sandpaper gum up rather quickly from the oil still in the stock.  After use of the Oxydeck cleaner product, I could now sand the stock without the sandpaper gumming up.  The Oxydeck cleaner had done a good job of removing the oil and I then had no problem refinishing the stock.

[swifty22]

Thanks Guys/Gals- It's on the dash of my PU w/80 d. F. in the shade probably really hot on the dash. Been there about 3 hr. I like the idea of simply using heat. I'll take it in tonight cause it is supposed to be about 50 overnight (NE WA ST). I'll wipe it W/paint thinner tonight and put it out AM (NOAA says 90+ Sun.). I REALLY feel for all of you in the hot places tonight, it's NO FUN TO SWEAT ALLLLLL of it  till day light , and then the sun comes out! (sorry about all of the !!!!!! but Damn hot)-Muddy

[STUMPJMPR]

If your trying to strip it to bare wood for refinishing oven cleaner will do it. 

[gunnut69]

I always point out that oven cleaner usually contains lye, which is a strong base.. It will cut the oil but remember the salt wood brownings of the 60's-70's and some even still around.. Lye is devastating to steel and if ANY should remain in the wood you will eventually be sad.. Heat is good as is a paste of mineral spirits and whiting or kitty litter is brushed on and heat is applied. Sometimes I add more solvent such as acetone to disolve the oil which is then soaked up by the whiting (kitty litter is a clay that's highly absorbative and works well also).  It can be a bit more difficult to disolve and get on the stock. Other than that it works just fine.. Don't get any with and scent absorbing mterial or clumping material.. Automotive (garage) oil spill absorbative is the same thing without any odor management add on's, but the cheap kitty litter is cheaper..

[olydraft]

I have an old VZ24 and after scrubbing and cleaning it the best I could I took a hand steam cleaner to it.. you wouldn`t know it was the same stock. The steam cleaner (about $30) made all the difference.... Gary

[bluebayou]

whiting and acetone is good for removing spot stains.  I would remove cosmoline and oil too, I assume. 
 
I prefer oven cleaner, rinse in HOT almost boiling water, oven cleaner again, rinse in hot water. 
 
I have never had a stock, walnut or otherwise, discolor or look "burnt".
 
If I have a special stock that I want to be careful with, then I use denatured alcohol and heat.  I clean with denatured alcohol (at Walmart by the paint strippers).  Then I steam the stock with a wet rag and a cheap clothes iron. 
 
I cannot convey to you how much much oil and cosmoline will come out of the stock by heat alone.  It is mystifying.  The oven cleaner is VERY fast, but only get some of the oil out.  It gets out enough to handle the rifle with having to wash hands or change clothes, but the summer sun always brings more out. 
 
If in doubt, then do all three methods: oven cleaner, steaming, and baking in the sun.  There are plans online for "cosmoline cooker" too. 
 
In the winter I have stood a rifle shipping box on end, placed the stock inside, and pushed the heat gun into the end of the box.  When it started to smell, then I took the stock out and wiped it down.  Put it back in the box, heated, and wiped.  OBVIOUSLY YOU CANNOT LEAVE THIS UNATTENDED.
 
It is like sanding.  If you think that you are done, then you are not.  There is always more cosmoline and oil that will come out of the stock.