Hearsedriver
Member
Does anyone have a method of cleaning up wood grips that are oil-soaked without damaging the finish?
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Oil Soaked Wood
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zachomega
Member
In guitar repair, when people over oil their tuners, the wood (usually maple) soaks up the oil and gets spongy. Dan Earlewine (who is considered to be a master luthier of some sort) suggests using cotton balls to suck the oil out of the wood. This will take some time but I think it is a cheap place to start.
-Zach
-Zach
Dragon88
Member
This works best in the summer for obvious reasons, but you should be able to find a workaround. Wrap the stocks in paper towels, then put them in a black garbage bag. Place them in a hot car for a full day, or in the sun, or someplace hot. The oils and grime will leech out into the paper towels without altering the wood. This works great on old milsurp rifle stocks.
In the old days we used oxalic acid to remove oil and bleach old gun stocks (old rolling blocks, trapdoors, etc with decades of military oil). I don't remember the concentrations or source but you might find info on the web. Have no idea how this works on S&W grips, tho.
Soaking them in Acetone will totally clear away all oil through out the wood. Does not damage the medallions or screw inserts. Soak for a few hours and maybe change the Acetone if it gets really dirty.
The grips, when removed, will dry like old bones and you can apply new oil or Tung oil to your liking.
I've done all my grips this way and it turns out great. Remember you'd want to get all the oil out and start fresh.
The grips, when removed, will dry like old bones and you can apply new oil or Tung oil to your liking.
I've done all my grips this way and it turns out great. Remember you'd want to get all the oil out and start fresh.
Absolutely works.. use a small mayo jar.. may have to soak over night.. ViperR is right on..
OP
Hearsedriver
Member
Thanks for the tips! I would like to preserve the original finish as much as possible . Acetone would not be an option for that but a great idea for those that need to be refinished.
TAROMAN
US Veteran
Another satisfied acetone user. I would also submit that if the woodd has been soaked in gun oil, the original varnish, or whatever it may be, will not have aged gracefully.
dfariswheel
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Things are more complicated if you don't want to harm the original finish, but there is a way, which was used by the old furniture makers.
Brownell's sell "Whiting" which is fine powdery calcium carbonate.
In the old days, this was mixed with a solvent to a pancake batter consistency and painted on the wood.
When the wood was heated the oils and gunk would "boil" to the surface where the whiting would absorb it.
2 or 3 treatments would return a black old stock to it's natural color.
Years ago the preferred solvent was Trichloroethane which was a nominally non-inflammable EXTREMELY volatile solvent.
Unfortunately "clorathane" is now banned in the US, so other methods are used with flammable solvents like Acetone or lacquer thinner and putting the coated wood in a black bag and putting it on a roof top in the summer.
To degrease wood without removing the finish, use just enough water to mix the whiting to a batter and completely coat the grips, inside and out.
Go heavy on the inside where there's usually no finish.
Use a heat gun set on LOW TEMP to warm the wood until the oils boil up and are absorbed by the whiting, which will turn all colors of orange and brown.
DON'T over heat and damage or crack the wood.
Brush the dirty whiting off and reapply.
Usually 3 to 4 treatments will be needed since you can't use a solvent.
This will work only moderately well on the finished side, since the finish will prevent the oils from surfacing where the whiting can absorb it.
OLD FASHIONED WHITING - Brownells
Brownell's sell "Whiting" which is fine powdery calcium carbonate.
In the old days, this was mixed with a solvent to a pancake batter consistency and painted on the wood.
When the wood was heated the oils and gunk would "boil" to the surface where the whiting would absorb it.
2 or 3 treatments would return a black old stock to it's natural color.
Years ago the preferred solvent was Trichloroethane which was a nominally non-inflammable EXTREMELY volatile solvent.
Unfortunately "clorathane" is now banned in the US, so other methods are used with flammable solvents like Acetone or lacquer thinner and putting the coated wood in a black bag and putting it on a roof top in the summer.
To degrease wood without removing the finish, use just enough water to mix the whiting to a batter and completely coat the grips, inside and out.
Go heavy on the inside where there's usually no finish.
Use a heat gun set on LOW TEMP to warm the wood until the oils boil up and are absorbed by the whiting, which will turn all colors of orange and brown.
DON'T over heat and damage or crack the wood.
Brush the dirty whiting off and reapply.
Usually 3 to 4 treatments will be needed since you can't use a solvent.
This will work only moderately well on the finished side, since the finish will prevent the oils from surfacing where the whiting can absorb it.
OLD FASHIONED WHITING - Brownells
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Most of the methods you fellas mentioned will work fine, although the Acetone soaking will work faster than most. The one method I would not use is soaking it in water/soap. Wood soaked in water usually results in raised grain.
There are a few S&W's that used plastic medallions for a short time and I have read the occasional person soaking their grips in acetone have found the medallions melted away.
if no metal (remove washers & escutcheons, we've used an old microwave oven ,Amana radar range, and wrap the wood in paper towels).....cooks the oils right out.......do NOT leave it on long, short bursts , may catch the oils in the paper towels on fire, change them........took a while to catch the happy medium ( get the knack) and no problems....did more forearms and butt stocks as they get the real soaking issues of the guns standing up in the corner over years and years...........yes, the bleach and acetone works too but you said your concerned with the finish,,,,hhhmmm, if that badly "oil soaked" what would the finish even look like?????
no, we would NOT use the microwave in the house, Momma cooks with......
no, we would NOT use the microwave in the house, Momma cooks with......
Maximumbob54
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I soak in acetone then refinish with Tru-Oil. That stuff is super easy to use. I brush it in the checkering to get an even coat there and rub with a cloth the smooth finished area. Remember to do the back of the wood to protect it from more oil damage. I have done this to several wood stocks so far and it worked great on all of them. The one thing that bugged me was that cocobolo loses some of its red pigment in the acetone. That was an easy fix with Minwax stain though. I had to order real tung oil over the internet as I couldn't fine any straight real tung oil local. I could only find what is cut with varnish which is pretty much what the Tru Oil is. If you rub in a layer of Tru Oil, let it dry, gently scrub it with 000 steel wool, wipe the dust off with a rag damp with alcohol, then repeat that each day for a week, you will have a really nice set of stocks in front of you. You can keep going, but I find a week is good enough for my desires. So I have to second all the acetone comments.
Agree with above. I use Formby's Tung Oil with excellent results even though it's cut with varnish. Choose your finish, but I use low gloss. 5-7 coats with a day each for drying, steel wool, etc as above.
One thing I wouldn't do is coat the entire back side. The wood needs to breath, so I leave the center part that doesn't touch any frame metal uncoated.
One thing I wouldn't do is coat the entire back side. The wood needs to breath, so I leave the center part that doesn't touch any frame metal uncoated.
