How to clean wood prior to staining

[draken]

I'm looking at a rifle stock that I finished maybe 20 years ago but for whatever reason was never stained.
Needless to say, the wood is quite soiled from handling.   
 
This gun needs finishing, but before any stain can be applied it needs to cleaned to remove the oils and dirt.
I'm thinking acetone to clean the wood, but not 100 percent sure, and I am open to suggestion.

[Mike Brooks]

I'd probably hit it with sand paper or a scraper.

[Ky-Flinter]

You would be surprised what a big pink eraser will remove.  But if the rifle had finish applied, I agree with Mike, you'll need to remove the finish with sandpaper or a scraper.

-Ron

[draken]

The stock is just bare wood that has an accumulation of oils from people's hands and of the grime that just collects out of the air over time. 

Just looking for a cleaner that isn't going to raise the grain.

[smallpatch]

You have the same answer from a couple of people who know what they're talking about.
You're going to have to renew the surface to get to fresh wood, then stain and finish.
Probably not the answer you wanted, BUT the one you need to do it right.

[FlintFan]

acetone will draw the oil out of the wood, and will not raise the grain.  

Depending how much the raw wood has been handled, it may need to be lightly sanded like others have mentioned to restore an even surface.  Handling raw wood, besides absorbing oils from your hands, can burnish the surface and make it finish out differently than the surrounding area.

Any oil that has absorbed into the wood from simple handling, will generally be quite shallow and wiping down with acetone and maybe a light sanding should remove it.  When restoring vintage double shotguns I have given certain stocks a soak in acetone baths for weeks at a time, and you would be amazed at how much oil can come out of that wood.  

In your situation, simple surface treatment should be enough.  I would clean with the acetone before sanding (and I would do it after as well), to try and limit how much dirty gunk you might embed down into the wood pores while sanding.  

[Mark Elliott]

I am also in the sandpaper and scraper camp.  It shouldn't take much to remove surface oil and grease.  I would be afraid that a solvent would drive the oil and grease deeper into the wood.  However,  there are some wood preps that some people on this board swear by.   Perhaps they will chime in. 

[Dennis Glazener]

Acetone should be fine if wiping doesn't take care of it brush it on and let it drip into a pan.

[Ed Wenger]

Cleanwoode...  should be able to get at a local hardware store.  I think if you do a search here you can find where to purchase, if you have difficulty finding it.  Works nicely, tip from Mitch Yates.....


         Ed

[Daryl]

All of the above and I've also used the white school erasers. They don't leave pink(or anything) stuck in the wood as I've had with pink.  I like pink, though, in some things.

[Mike Brooks]

All of the above and I've also used the white school erasers. They don't leave pink(or anything) stuck in the wood as I've had with pink.  I like pink, though, in some things.

I'm not surprised......Canadians......

[Thawk]

I use cleanwood also after the scrapers and sand paper.  You'd be surprised what's left behind.  It also shows spots where you missed.  The dirt will accumulate in the scratches.

[draken]

Many thanks to everyone for their feedback.  I've not yet touched the stock, but plan to scrub it down with acetone followed by sanding with 400 grit, and then lightly going over it with acetone. 

Once again, I really appreciate all the input from you guys.   

[Dennis Glazener]

Many thanks to everyone for their feedback.  I've not yet touched the stock, but plan to scrub it down with acetone followed by sanding with 400 grit, and then lightly going over it with acetone. 

Once again, I really appreciate all the input from you guys.   

I would tend to use the acetone before sanding, especially with 400 grit. I would be afraid that fine of grit would further embed the grime. Just my opinion for what it's worth.
Dennis

[Acer Saccharum]

Kleenwood, Cleanwoode, however it's spelled, is the thing to use. Sandpaper is going to clog on old hand oil and push any oil deeper into the wood. Cleanwoode first, then scrape, sand whatever you want to do, but get as much oil or grime off first.

[FlintFan]

Just thought I should point out, Cleanwoode is nothing more than a mix of toluene, alcohol, and acetone.  Any one of those alone would do the job just fine in this situation, and would be much less expensive.  

Just be careful when dealing with toluene.  While you always want to use good ventilation when using any solvent, toluene is the one you want to be extra careful with so you don't inhale the vapors, or else it won't be long before you start thinking you are the queen of England...or something like that.  

[rfd]

i'd use an appropriate solvent before an abrasive, then the abrasive and/or scraper.  i wouldn't be concerned over grain raising, gotta do that anyway for refinishing.  rather than the uber toxic acetone, i'd go with naphtha first, since an abrasive will be needed anyway (for leveling any resulting fuzzies).

[FlintFan]

There is a lot of conflicting information being presented in this thread.  Do an internet search for an article by Bob Flexnor titled "Acetone can be an all-around solution" and you'll have all the answers you need by one of the world's leading experts in wood finishing. 

And to correct a previous post, acetone is not "uber toxic".  While it is highly flammable (as are most solvents) it is the only commonly available solvent that is HAP and VOC exempt. 

[Long John]

I know that many of the best builders I am acquainted with use the Cleanwoode product.  But I cannot because of the exposure to bad chemicals the use of the product represents.  (Bad kidney function on my part).  I have been very pleased using warm water and Dawn dish-washing detergent.  It is very effective in removing hand oils and dirt, giving me a nice clean surface that readily accepts water-based stains.  It does raise the grain!  But we do that anyway when we whisker the stock in preparation for finishing.

Best Regards,

John Cholin

[tallbear]

The advantage of using Imperial Cleanwoode http://wilsonimperial.us/cleanwoode.html is that it is a combination of multiple solvents. Not all the little nasties that will ruin your stain job are dissolved with acetone or any other single solvent,so using one solvent alone will almost guarantee sooner or later something on your stock will come back to haunt you.By using a multiple solvent product like Cleanwoode you increase the possibility that you will have NO issues.Cleanewoode is a combination of solvents that will cut almost everything you can find in your shop or bench.Since Cleanewoode is readily available why not decrease your chance of having issues.There's a reason Cleanewood is a must have in many woodworking shops.........


Mitch Yates