Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing acetone soak for oil removal question

Gents,

I've had the oil-stained section of a walnut stock soaking in acetone for about 15 hours now. I'm trying to decide if I want to let it go until everything is just evaporated or refill the tray to keep it going. So, my question is, how long is long enough before you know acetone just isn't going to pull out stubborn pockets of absorbed oil? I've read variously from "if it isn't out in 12 hours it isn't coming out" to "it could take two weeks of constant soaking." (I'm not planning to soak for two weeks, or even a full week, most likely...)

I'm obviously already past the 12 hour mark and not seeing much improvement. Thoughts?

Thanks y'all.

I have found that you can never get it all out. Soaking alone won't do it. Alternating heating with a heat gun or hair drier, washing off with acetone while still warm and keep repeating worked for me. I tried the paste method and did not have much luck with that.

For me any way, I found if could get the first 1/8" of wood cleaned out, and apply the first coat of stock finish after it dried, it held the finish and stopped further migration out of the wood.

If the wood is so soaked with oil that it permeates all the way thru and it acts like rotten wood, it is a loosing cause. I have seen that a lot on rifles that are stored butt down and all the oil in the gun eventually migrates to the tang area. Which is why I store all my rifles muzzle down on a piece of foam in the safe.
I am sure others on here have better methods.

I tried the Acetone soak to no avail. I then went to Easy Off oven cleaner and had great success. I followed that up with some wood bleach. Here are before and after pictures.
Phil

I generally soak it for a few hours and pack it in whiting or kitty litter for a few days, soak and repeat until it is good enough. You can see the grease in the whiting.

Thanks y'all. It's in the barrel channel at the tip and then in the inletting at the rear tang. It's not all the way through in either spot, or even close, best I can tell. I'm getting ready to refinish the stock and it just bugs my OCD.

Follow up: does the stock need to totally dry from the acetone soak before trying oven cleaner? (As in, does it need to air out for more than 24-48 hours?)

I would just in case

I've used the acetone soak method a couple times, but I set it outside in the summer so it would get warm. I used a disposable turkey roasting pan, held the stock "under water" with a brick, and covered with aluminum foil. One time it worked well, the second time not so good, and I had to replenish due to evaporation a couple times before I gave up, a week maybe? I then bought a sack of Fuller's Earth, packed that on it and got usable results.

Note too: Fuller's Earth works great to suck the excess oil out of leather too. I bought a vintage Brauer Bros. holster that the seller kindly soaked the bejesus out of with Neatsfoot oil, so badly that you could literally wring the oil out of it. A week buried under the Fuller's Earth saw it come out ok - at least it doesn't leave a brown oily patch on my pants leg now.

Oven cleaner: doesn't that stuff attack the cellulose in wood?

I have done many stocks over the years and my go to is lacquer thinner. Works great for me. Dries very quickly as well.

I remember reading in the 80’s that Sharon Dressel used Easy Off Oven cleaner to strip finish and remove oil from stocks she refinished. Then using boiled linseed oil before applying finish.

Yup...

From what I've been reading online, it sounds like the oven cleaner requires much shorter periods of contact to avoid structural damage.

I have simmered oily stocks in a solution of washing soda and water. It works and will not hurt the stock. Simmer until the water looks like tea. Remove, rinse and dry, repeat, one or two times will usually do it.

A couple oil soaked stocks I got on M1's from the CMP went in to the dishwasher. Comes out bone dry

you must got a big dish washer

took the trays out, it'll fit

I'd used Oxalic acid for cleaning up the stocks on a few milsurps.

Might fit but I need to stay married haha.

For oil and rust, I've had some success using a thick solution of Bar Keepers Friend, which contains oxalic acid, and water. Paint on, let dry for a day or two, brush off. It will take several applications, especially if the wood is saturated with oil.

I have done a couple of oil soaked Garand stocks in the bathtub. Get the water as hot as you can and let is soak for a couple of minutes. I cleaned the old varnish off with a Scotch Brite pad and some dish soap. I did another one in the dishwasher. Just make sure you rerun the dish washer to get the oil and crude out. I also suggest you don't do it when the wife is around. Before you try either way make sure there are no cracks in the wood. I would have to think the hot water would really spread those cracks. I got lucky every time I tried the bathtub or dish washer method and they came out with no split wood.

kwg