I noticed my rifle stock has some white mildew or mold growing on it. I've tried to get it off with damp paper towels and am not having much luck. Has anyone seen anything like this and have a suggestion on how to remove it? I appreciate anyone's help.

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Are you quite sure it's mold or mildew ? It could be that the finish is oxidizing. Try rubbing on a couple drops of BLO with your clean, dry fingertips.

Larry

It looks like what happens when you set a damp glass on a wood table. The white ring is in the finish, called a water stain . Was the stock ever exposed to moisture, it looks like it may have been standing up and the butt area got damp . I have heard varous home remedies (do google search) which involes mayo and ashes , vinegar and olive oil and other such fixes .
None have ever worked for me....you could always see the mark.
I ended up refinishing the stock or table top .
Find a method , try it and if the results aren't acceptable, a stock refinish is not hard.
If it is on the surface of the finish , linseed oil and 0000 stell wool lightly rubbed on the surface might remove it.

Gary

stick it in a sack of rice (butt first) and see if that helps

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

Looks like that water "sweat" stain to me as well. There are numerous ways to correct that - google it. IIRC, some solutions use vinegar, others baking soda in a paste; etc. Might try Murphy's wood soap also.

From the photo it appears that you scraped some of the white stuff off so I would assume that it is on the surface of the finish. I would try a mild rubbing compound like Scratch-X.

KO

If it was in a closet and a cat whizzes on the door the wood will suck it up with in 2 feet. Is that a Browning?

I would try murphys wood soap. Straight out of the bottle. Do not mix with water. Use no water to rinse the wood. Just wipe it dry. If that doesn't clear it up then I use 0000 steelwool with murphys wood soap lightly. If it comes out clean and the finish looks ok it's johnsons wood paste wax. If the finish needs redoing I use a low gloss formbys tounge oil finish.

4barrel asked ; If it was in a closet and a cat whizzes on the door the wood will suck it up with in 2 feet. Is that a Browning? , I was thinking the same thing, I've seen a few of those Belgium Brownings with the stocks they made out of salty drift wood, Usually they rust the heck out of the metal where it meets the wood. I've been told that Browning was making good on those rifles for a while , and if you kept one with the salt and rust it was a collectable.

bleach kills mold and mildew. Small concentration.

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