How To Clean / Care For A Wood Stock?

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What'due south the best fashion to maintain a woods stock from season to flavour?
Last yr I picked upward a cruel lightweight hunter with the wood stock and used it all deer season. Prior to the season while information technology was all the same brand new I added a coat of gunstock wax to assist information technology repel water. Needless to say it took a beating from the snow, ice and being near the wood stove and I want to make sure it doesn't get dried out and/or scissure down the route. The color of the stock faded quite a bit by the mag well from my glove being there. Overall the stock still feels practiced, it doesn't feel rough or stale out. I know almost nada about wood stock maintenance.

What practise you guys use as a "moisturizer" or treatment for storing your forest stock all summertime until the next season? I searched around but I don't really come upwards with anything other than truoil which i'm nether the impression is an entire new stop not just a surface protector.
I have a few wooden stocked guns from the xl's-fifty'south with original finish. Perhaps a fourth dimension or 2, I have put Johnson's paste wax on them or wiped them downward with Ballistol, fifty-fifty though I am not a big fan of Ballistol.
JPW or any wax from the machine parts store. Treat the stock terminate the same every bit paint on your car
or furniture in your house. It is not rocket science.
Every time a wood stock gets moisture, you lot should disassemble information technology and dry information technology out.
Care depends on the finish. Is information technology a classic oil cease, where the finish is in the top layer of wood? Or more than similar cabinets where the finish is on top of the woods?

The classic oil cease should be waxed with a paste wax. I like Johnson's and Former Masters. Whatever you choose, carnauba should be in it. That is the best protecting wax. Finish with 0000 steel wool or FFF pumice stone.

For a high end cabinet type finish (recall lacquer, polyurethane, shellac, or varnish), a simple cleaning with lemon oil is sufficient. These finishes are more than impervious to water, but tin scrap or dent much easier. They besides accept more hazard of popping/flaking off if moisture wants to escape the wood through it. For shellac finishes, a calorie-free wiping with denatured alcohol can amend any surface blemishes.
It volition wait fantastic, there are several techniques but just cleaning off the onetime finish, steam out the dents, light sanding and applying BLO with vigorous hand rubbing to get information technology warm will work wonders.
https://www.thehighroad.org/alphabetize.php?threads/linseed-oil-for-stocks.203495/
I have a bolt action shotgun I did that to the stock. Water still rolls off and it works but fine in the field.
If you don't feel confident with boiled linseed oil, Watco Danish Oil is a good production. It has drying agents in it, and will protect well, and won't go out a mess if you don't know your style around BLO.
You lot tin mix BLO with Turpentine to dry it faster. Up to l%
Dont use raw linseed oil. Information technology takes forever to dry.

Danish oil is nifty. I use information technology on all sorts of wood stuff. But I ever wax them subsequently
I have never disassembled a woodstocked gun just considering it got moisture. I wipe the metal downward with oil and stand the gun up in a corner overnight. Never had a forest result or rust in a hidden spot.
Every time I clean my 12 ga O/U, I wipe the stock with the oily rag I have used elsewhere on the gun. Amazing how skilful it looks all the time. Such little oil soaks right in and isn't oily/greasy at all.
Then you are luckier than I. I deal with wood finishes every day, and that makes me cautious I suppose.
I but cleaned a marlin 17VS and there was "rust" nether the stock on the stainless barrel. For equally little time as it takes to destock virtually rifles, I'd prefer to clean the underside when it gets wet.
I advise wood does not need regular PM, but to avoid using a forest-terminate-damaging solvent when cleaning the gun. Use something harmless to forest like Ballistol for cleaning and maintenance on the metal. Alternatively, remove the wood stock. Which method works all-time will depend on how often you lot shoot and how involved the stock removal is.
For preservation, I like Rennaisance Museum wax. Information technology'southward good for both the wood and the metal. I would expect information technology to have durability similar to an auto wax, so if y'all're handling, shooting and cleaning information technology a lot, it would need to be reapplied more often, just if the gun is sitting in the safe most of the year, an annual or biennial wipe-down might exist sufficient.
The best way to protect a wood stock is to replace it with a synthetic stock. This style your wood stock will look make new when the gun is old and worn.
But if y'all insist on keeping the wood stock on your burglarize, it's actually non that hard to care for. The first thing to go on in mind is what stop is on the stock. Most stocks come with a poly finish that has been cured with UV light. Most of the lower priced guns use a type of hard woods instead of walnut to keep the toll down. Most ofttimes Birch or Beech is used. Both of these difficult wood concur up very good just they lack the dark rich colors of Walnut. Also hard woods don't have stain very well. So near often the poly finish on your stock will have a color added to it. If the end is scratched or chipped the wood volition be exposed and will be light in color.
But before I go to far into this, I'll cover basic care of a wood stock.
If your rifle volition exist exposed to harsh weather you should remove the burglarize from the stock and wax the stock within and out. You want to utilize a wax that is recommended for the use on wood. Mimwax and Johnson & Johnson's paste wax will work great.
I also apply Tom'due south 1/3 Military machine stock wax and highly recommend it for stocks with oil finishes. I've known Tom for years and he makes his wax with only the best ingredients.
http://thegunstockdoctor.com/

Past waxing the stock within of the stock, this volition keep water from soaking into the stock when hunting on those rainy days. Remember that the wax is just a superlative coat to protect the finish and with use it will rub off. And so depending on how often you use your burglarize, wax volition need to be reapplied.
If your rifle gets moisture information technology is all-time to remove the action from the stock to make sure that no water has gotten between the metal and wood.
Do not over oil your burglarize. If you over oil it oil will get on the wood and soak in. This happens most oft in the activity area of the stock. The problem here is that petroleum base oil is bad juju for wood. When it soaks into wood it starts to break downward the natural glue that holds the wood fibers together. Basically the wood will become soft.
Now to get a petty deeper into the the finish on the stock. The trouble with poly finishes is that they scratch and chip. This will expose the wood to the weather condition. Past waxing your stock you will protect it. But if you wish to repair it you can easily practice so with Tru-Oil. Just lightly plumage the edges of the chip or scratch with fine sandpaper and alloy the Tru-Oil in with your fingers. If the scratch or chip expose light colour wool, y'all tin affect upward the color with water or alcohol base stain. Retrieve to not go to dark, lighter is meliorate.
For those with an oil base finish, you want to make certain that you keep a good wax meridian coat. If you get scratches but employ a little of the same oil as the finish and the wax when the oil has cured.
When your oil stop starts to wait muddy and dingy, it's time to clean. Use denatured booze on a rag. You just want your rag to be damp. Wipe the stock downwardly and let it sit for about thirty minutes. Next apply a pocket-sized amount of oil and rub it into the stock. Yous do not need a lot, simply plenty to practice what is called a shine glaze. Rub it in very expert and let sit down for 30 minutes. Employ a clean dry rag, or paper towels to wipe down the stock. So set it in a cool dry out area for 48 hours earlier applying your wax top coat. If yous don't await long plenty for the oil to cure, your wax top coat will turn milky in a day or ii.
Also think to go on your guns with forest stock away from high heats, like open up fires and heaters. These will cause the forest to dry out.
I hope this info helps.

Last edited: Jan xiv, 2022
I don't own a woods stocked rifle that I haven't detach and used a thinned mixture of polyurethane varnish to coat the inside with to protect it. The metal parts get coated with Johnson'due south paste wax before reassembly. And so I apply wax to the entire gun without disassembly fairly regularly. if i is disassembled for something it gets the wax handling, wood and metal, inside once again before reassembly. Subsequently a shooting session the entire gun is wiped with a liquid wax. I've been following this procedure for many, many years and take had NO rust or wood issues.
Hmm, I just realised I only own one plastic stocked rifle and information technology's in the procedure of getting it's very own forest stock. Employ plastic if yous wish. Zero at all wrong with it. I just don't wish to.
That is a proficient thought and I regularly urethane stocks to keep them h2o proof. I did a lot of wood removal in the pre WW2 M70, to go the barrel to float, and one time I had the clearance I wanted, I painted urethane over the blank forest to keep it from absorbing water or oil.

I over oil things and to keep wooden pistol grips from condign oil saturated from the back, I make sure the back sides of grips are urethaned.

I recollect True Oil is a urethane mix, and it works great on the outside. Only rub information technology in and let it dry.
I believe you are right about it existence poly. I've used the spray Tru-Oil in the past and liked it. Y'all tin can take my share of the rub on stuff. I really can't tell any divergence between Min Wax spray poly and spray Tru-Oil except for toll and Min-Wax is cheaper. I utilize the clear gloss to build up coats and leave it if I desire a glossy finish. Not and so sleeky, satin for the final coat and tiresome calls for matte. Min-Wax but became a footling difficult to find. Walmart and Home Depot don't bear it whatever more than and LOwes only has gloss and semi-gloss. Ace has their house make. I need to cheque Amazon as the stock project I'm working on needs matte and I'm out.
It depends on the stock stop. Until the OP comes back and specifies, I'thousand calling drive-past.
As stated information technology depends on finish. Most people'due south mistake (including myself when I first started) is using synthetic gun oil on your stock thinking it's all the same "oil" so it must be skillful. Gun oil like Rem oil volition intermission downwardly the woods and brand it soft. You must use something like Boiled Linseed Oil or Tung Oil to treat a stock.
I use a thin layer of BLO on my milsurps and other onetime guns (not too much or it gets tacky and shiny). It keeps the forest hydrated and adept to become.

Last edited: Jan 14, 2022

Slamfire and entropy like this.
The OP said that he bought a Savage lightweight hunter which nearly likely has a hard wood stock. Mout likely a Birch stock with a poly end.
Yous must recollect that BLO and other oil have to be rubbed into the stock. If left on the surface they will become tacky. If this happens just wipe the stock down with a dampe rag and mineral spirits or denatured alcohol.

entropy and Jessesky like this.
I don't retrieve the OP wanted to stop/refinish a stock. Just maintain what he has.
BLO in any course is a cease and has to be taken intendance of, Information technology'due south not wipe on and forget stop.
Guess I was tired!
Information technology's probably a light polyurethane, every bit you said. A light wipedown with and buffout if the same wax he used on it earlier should exist fine. I'm sure the discoloration by the magazine is just the wax.
For oiled finishes, the old communication (this from piece of furniture making, but aforementioned oil, aforementioned woods) was to employ linseed oil:
- Every twenty-four hour period for a week
- Every calendar week for a month
- Every month for a twelvemonth
- Every year forever
With extreme conditions similar it gets wet, some other application is fine. You always must over apply, and then in one case done applying, wipe the excess off.
I tend to be i who believes in minimal or no end under the action. This allows h2o that gets in to go out. For permanent finishes (polyurethane, etc) you lot can actually crevice the forest if you over-finish information technology and so get it wet enough.

And... at present yous can see why I have as few forest stocked guns as I can. The best maintenance for harsh condition items (as mentioned to a higher place) is lower-maintenance materials. My tools (shovels, etc) take very few wooden handles for the same reasons.
This is what you practise when you want to oil soak a stock.
- Every mean solar day for a week
- Every week for a month
- Every month for a year
- Every twelvemonth forever
There is a y'all-tube video about Purdy gun makers.
During the video they show the finishing of a loftier end gun stock with
their "oil" it is a mix of several dissimilar things???? Their own mix and they are not
tell what it is. But the gun stock winds up with a oil cease over many months
of work.
Thanks guys, I actually capeesh all the replies. Alot to accept in, i'yard going to have to reread everything again.
Every bit mentioned it's a fell LWH and savage says it'due south an "oil finish american walnut stock".

When it was brand new I took the action out and waxed the inside and exterior of the stock with birchwood casey gunstock wax. I liked the dry tacky feel that has to it. It did shed water pretty well in the forest.
^ This exactly. I'k not looking to refinish the stock. I'chiliad non interested in tru-oil or BLO which is much more of a process and is refinishing the stock. I'yard as well non interested in that high lacquer, shiny, glace finish. I want the factory wearisome appearance I only want to take care of information technology. Simple as that.
I had figured information technology stale out some, and like I mentioned information technology got discolored where my mitt was near the magwell, grayish in appearance where the rest of the stock is a deep brown.

From the sounds of information technology I remember i'll just wax it again. Although I don't call up that's providing any moisturizing benefits. The car wax with canoba I might expect into further. Aforementioned with the Johnson Paste Wax, i'thousand going to give that a look.