Removing rust stains from stocks.

[redheart]

Gents,
Do you know of a way to remove rust/iron stains from a stock without weakening the wood?

[Hungry Horse]

Are you talking about the black discoloration around iron parts on an antique longrifle, or something else. Pretty much anything you use to remove the black color around iron fitting will affect the value of an antique longrifle.

 Hungry Horse

[redheart]

Are you talking about the black discoloration around iron parts on an antique longrifle, or something else. Pretty much anything you use to remove the black color around iron fitting will affect the value of an antique longrifle.

 Hungry Horse

Ah, Hungry Horse,
I'm truly pleased to have your attention on this subject as you have proven to be a very intelligent and resourceful man whom I have never known to be wrong.
Actually HH, it's a 73 year old antique with value only in it's parts, but the wood has nasty black rust stains that I'd sure love to at least get to fade somewhat.
Any advice you could give me would sure be appreciated.

[Hungry Horse]

Since we don’t seem to be talking about a rare antique, I would try some wood bleach from the hardware store. Use it sparingly, because it does weaken the wood. An old gun bug that I knew years ago, and now wish I had paid a lot more attention to, used a lye solution on old cartridge guns that had oil saturation, and rust staining. The lye, and old gun oil, will often create  soapification which actually help clean the wood.

  Hungry Horse

[fahnenschmied]

Barkeepers Friend, which is mostly oxalic acid, works quite well, with very little damage to the wood that I've been able to notice - at least with a pair of really nasty, battered, and rust stained 1950ies beechwood .22 stocks.  Mixing a paste and letting it dry and brushing it off works pretty well on very dark spots.  On these stocks I ended up wetting them many times, washing with oxalic acid - and the many wettings raised more of the dents up than I was able to do with the hot iron and damp rag trick.  The more you do it, the better it will get.  A really stubborn spot can be removed by making a wet paste, and brushing off dry.  The same spot, treated again, allowed to dry and washed off with water will usually allow the stains to be visible again.  So let it dry, then brush off.  Give it a try.

[redheart]

Barkeepers Friend, which is mostly oxalic acid, works quite well, with very little damage to the wood that I've been able to notice - at least with a pair of really nasty, battered, and rust stained 1950ies beechwood .22 stocks.  Mixing a paste and letting it dry and brushing it off works pretty well on very dark spots.  On these stocks I ended up wetting them many times, washing with oxalic acid - and the many wettings raised more of the dents up than I was able to do with the hot iron and damp rag trick.  The more you do it, the better it will get.  A really stubborn spot can be removed by making a wet paste, and brushing off dry.  The same spot, treated again, allowed to dry and washed off with water will usually allow the stains to be visible again.  So let it dry, then brush off.  Give it a try.

Thanks HH and Fahenschmied,
I'll try both these ideas and see how they work for me.

[Daryl]

I have heard of using acetone to suck oil and muck/discolouration out of a stock.

[Mauser06]

Do some searches on the net...can't remember if I used denatured alcohol or acetone on walnut.  Was a wee bit nervous but it actually worked.

[redheart]

Barkeepers Friend, which is mostly oxalic acid, works quite well, with very little damage to the wood that I've been able to notice - at least with a pair of really nasty, battered, and rust stained 1950ies beechwood .22 stocks.  Mixing a paste and letting it dry and brushing it off works pretty well on very dark spots.  On these stocks I ended up wetting them many times, washing with oxalic acid - and the many wettings raised more of the dents up than I was able to do with the hot iron and damp rag trick.  The more you do it, the better it will get.  A really stubborn spot can be removed by making a wet paste, and brushing off dry.  The same spot, treated again, allowed to dry and washed off with water will usually allow the stains to be visible again.  So let it dry, then brush off.  Give it a try.

Fahnenschmied,
How do you make a paste out of Barkeepers friend?

[fahnenschmied]

Just mix it with a little bit of water.
 

[redheart]

Just mix it with a little bit of water.

Thanks Fahnenschmied,
The reason I asked was because the Barkeepers Friend I bought was liquid,
I didn't know that it came in a powered form.

[fahnenschmied]

Hmn - I didnt know it came in liquid form!  I guess you can just use it straight from the bottle then.

[redheart]

Hmn - I didnt know it came in liquid form!  I guess you can just use it straight from the bottle then.

Thanks Fahnenschmied,
I was hoping you'd say that!