How do you get oil out of wood

[sdilts]

I guy brought me a rifle at our local match today. The stock had completely cracked in two through the lock and wrist area. It can be glued back together but the wood is oil soaked. I tried a heat gun on it, and it brought a lot of the oil out, but I'm afraid I'll burn the stock up. Is there a chemical way to get the oil out?

Steve

[yellowhousejake]

Restoring "Other" surplus rifles I have had great success by making a slurry from chalk dust and alcohol and painting it liberally on the stock. Wrap it in alcohol damped paper towels and place it in a plastic (black) trash bag. Toss it on the rear window deck of your car on hot summer days and leave it a week. It will remove enough oils to allow acra glassing.

DAve

[bluenoser]

At an earlier time, I did a lot of restoration work on the "other" rifles referred to above.  Many of the stocks tended to be saturated with raw linseed oil.  A soak in acetone would remove the oil at least deep enough to get a good glue joint.  soak - blot - soak - blot..... Have also used oven cleaner on particularly grungy pieces, but that is pretty harsh stuff and I would not recommend it for this job.

[Clark Badgett]

Last time I had to degrease a stock, I used purple power degreaser from walmart. It got the oil out.

[577SXS]

Soak in Acetone  and Denatured alcohol. Not at the same time. I made a copper container that I could completely cover the stock. I had a beautiful WC Scott shotgun that was busted all up in the lock area. The wood was black with oil. I put in acetone for a week then pulled it out and let it dry. I then put it in the alcohol for a week. Did this twice. I was able to glue everything back together and gun looks original after refinishing.  The acetone ans alcohol didn't swell the wood or do any damage to it.

[P.Bigham]

Kitty litter. Will absorb oil.

[Eric Kettenburg]

 

[Leatherbark]

I used to use "Easy Off" oven cleaner and sunshine with old Mausers and Enfields.  It seems to suck the grime and oil right out of the wood.  Saturate it and leave it in the sun all day.  May have to do it twice.  The white looking Easy Off turns to a brown sludge.

Bob

[Waksupi]

Lumbar yards and hardware stores carry a product that will degrease wood. Keep it off you hands, it will suck all the oil from them, and it can takes months for your hands to return to normal.

[Ky-Flinter]

Brownell's lists some stuff called "Whiting" for this task, but it's currently out of stock.
https://www.brownells.com/tools-cleaning/gun-tools/stock-finishing/old-fashioned-whiting/

I don't know if anyone else sells it.

Ron

[Scota4570]

Whiting, AKA calcium carbonate powder. 

Have fun, nothing to loose.  Not sure anything will really work.  Once the wood is saturated with oil it will not fully come out. 

[taterbug]

Dont freak out, but im about to try a product called "Pull it Out!" on some wood.  Its really made for concrete, and works great for that.  Appears to be some solvent premixed with calcium carbonate powder. 

Have to give it a good shake if the bottle has sat for very long, or all you get is solvent off the top.  thick white liquid.  Brush or pour it on the concrete, and it turns brown as it dries.  Then brush it off.  Dont breathe the dust!!

[Daryl]

 

A comedian in every crowd. LOL

[wolf]

i have cleaned up and redone a few oil soaked stocks, oxy-clean, get water just as hot as you can stand to put your hand in. mix powdered oxy-clean in. put the stock in the hot water and scrub it with a stiff plastic brush. the water will turn brown and the stock will turn white, it will suck the oil out,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Daryl]

Wolf, that's an unusual method, certainly worth a try.