Keeping Surplus Rifle Stocks Healthy

[Whiterook]

I own several surplus rifles with original wood. Mosins, Mausers, Enfields, Berthiers, etc. Not too worried about most of the Mosins because of all the cosmoline....

That being said, I have a Carcano and an Enfield where the wood seems sort of dry. There are no cracks but I would like to get some life back into them without refinishing them. My new gun room seems fairly humid so I dehumidify the closet they are in with some static dehumidifiers that can be dried out. Seems to work, just kind of worried the stocks may dry out quicker with this.

Most likely overthinking this but i tend to do that with my hobbies. Any advice on an oil or wax that penetrates without changing the wood too much?

[abner13]

Got some Stock Rub stuff on a mil-surp rifle forum , a mix of linseed oil , turpentine and beeswax.

[Hodgie]

I’ve tried all the big name brands and there is no better wax for Surplus wax then Tom 1/3.

http://thegunstockdoctor.com/

[Whiterook]

Thank you...that sounds like just the ticket!

[Plain Old Bill]

Boiled Linseed Oil. "Once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year" is what they used to say, but I found that excessive. A very light coat annually does the trick. Looks like the wood is glowing from the inside out when you're done.

[Delkal]

Boiled Linseed Oil. "Once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year" is what they used to say, but I found that excessive. A very light coat annually does the trick. Looks like the wood is glowing from the inside out when you're done.

I agree. The only thing to add is don't put a thick coat on or it will get sticky. Put just enough to cover while rubbing it in with your fingers. After 5-10 min wipe it ALL off with a scrap of cloth. A dry stock will keep soaking it in for a while but just do 1-2 coats a day. Eventually you will just need a few drops on your fingertips to oil it up.

Don't throw the rags in the trash. They can spontaneously ignite. The safest way to get rid of them is to burn them ASAP.

[buxbandit]

Another vote for linseed oil. You can make a stock really shine if you work at it.

[borekfk]

Boiled linseed oil.

[Delkal]

Here is my stock refinishing procedure that I wrote up for a friend.....found it on my computer. This is for a very dry stock to get a glass smooth stock like on a quality old school rifle. A few light coats is usually fine if you just want to refresh an old stock.

Use only pure Linseed (Boiled is preferable) or pure Tung oil mixed 1:1 with turpentine (read the ingredients label!) Most commercial "Tung oils" contain little, if any, Tung oil. They are rubbing varnishes. The trick with these oils is to put as much as the stock will absorb , let it sit about an hour, rub everything in by hand, let it sit again, then WIPE IT ALL OFF and let it sit overnight. Only the oil absorbed by the wood will harden and fill the pores. Repeat this every day until there are no places on the wood that keep absorbing the finish or open pores (Days, weeks, or until you get tired of doing it). Towards the end it will take only a few drops to 1/2 teaspoon, just keep rubbing it in by hand, let it sit, then wipe it ALL off. By then you should see no open pores or dry spots.

Now here's the secret.......let the stock dry for a week or two, take some fine steel wool and rub all of the dried oil off!!!! Yes, I said rub off all of your hard work! This will only remove the surface oxidized “dead” excess oil. The wood underneath will be saturated with all of the pores filled. Follow up with a few drops fresh oil and start rubbing. The stock will glow!

This is the classic oil finish and in my opinion cannot be duplicated. Few people will do this commercially any more because of the time involved. Its just a few minutes each day, but it can take weeks depending on how much of a perfectionist you are. This is also an original finish. The same thing happens over YEARS when GI's keep oiling the stocks for inspections.
This will give your stock the look of a fine classic old Rifle or Shotgun. No open pores and a totally smooth surface where every detail of the grain shows through. Not too shiny either.

PS…..Never keep the used oiled rags in a pile, they can generate heat and spontaneously ignite! If its just one small rag I just lay it on a concrete floor. Not enough heat is concentrated and it shouldn't (hopefully) catch fire. Or store them soaking in water in a metal container and make sure it NEVER dries. Or, best yet, just go out back and burn them in your grill.

[Plain Old Bill]

Great point about the rags and spontaneous combustion!