Danish Garand Stock clean-up

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CanukMauser

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I just horse traded my Dad for a VAR barreled Springfield built Garand with a Danish beech or birch -not sure- stock.

He didn't like the wood so put the rifle in a synthetic stock. I want the wood back on now. The stock isn't too dark or even sticky it's actually a bit dry and dusty/dirty from sitting in the basement rafters for a few years.

Without completely refinishing the stock whats the best way to clean it up and put some moisture/protection back into the wood?
 
lather on raw linseed oil and let it soak in. Keep repeating as long as it still soaks in. Then wipe the excess off and give it a good rub with a piece of denim and you are back in business.
 
A conservator in a museum cleans wooden stocks with a 50/50 mixture of raw linseed oil and turpentine. A small section of the stock is cleaned at a time using a heat lamp to bring dirt and impurities to the surface. Soft lint free cotton cloth is used for applying and removing the linseed oil mix.

On my Danish M1 stock I stripped the finish with acetone, stained the stock with alcohol and water base stain/dies to look like walnut. After staining the stock received many coats of 50/50 raw linseed oil and turpentine and the stock was allowed to dry for a few days. Next the stock had three coats of minwax tung oil finish which is not tung oil and is noting more than a wiping varnish. I removed the finish because this M1 came from the American CMP and had a replacement upper hand guard that had a orangish-brown stain/die on it that looked like crap. The stock now looks like "American" walnut and thus leaving Denmark out of the picture.

Note this is the same way a wooden canoe is finished, the linseed oil keeps the wood from shrinking and the varnish seals the surface and adds protection from the elements.
 
Danish beech stocks are some of the ugliest wood I've ever seen on a rifle. I'd just clean it up with some mineral spirits and then hit it with some paste wax and call it done.
 
I used Naptha, or coleman camp fuel (as recomended by a gunsmith) to clean the stock on a 1905 Ross recently. It removed all the dirt and grunge, but none of the old linseed oil finish. I don't know what the original finish was on the Danish stocks, perhaps Danish Oil??

Pratt & Lambert, in conjunction with Springfield Armory developed a China-wood oil (Tung Oil) compound that was tested and adopted in 1941 and was used for treating the Garand stocks from that point forward. Apparently the Linseed oil "smoked"and "sweated" when the rifle got hot from prolonged firing.(2)

I don't know if repair depots, or soldiers performing basic field maintenance used Tung oil or Linseed.

(2) Source;
The M1 Garand: World War II
by Scott Duff (page 79)
 
No love for the Danish stocks?

I didn't think they looked bad, it's no Walnut but has a nice pattern to the wood. The stock is serial number matched to the rifle for what its worth.

Guess I need to decide if I should darken it up or not. Also what is the difference between raw linseed oil and boiled linseed oil?



 
The Danish beechwood stocks can be quite attractive when fully stripped, stained with Feibings medium brown leather die to impart a reddish hue and bring out the contrast in the grain, and then finished with a couple of coats of Minwax Tung Oil Finish.

This particular stock seems quite clean, so probably a good rubbing with raw linseed oil (RLO) should be all that's needed. Make sure the RLO doesn't build up on the surface. You want the oil in the wood, not on top of it, so wipe of the excess before it dries.

Boiled linseed oil (BLO) contains a drying agent. RLO doesn't. Both the US and Canadian Army stipulated that stocks be conditioned with RLO. Back in the FN days I remember getting big cans of RLO to wipe down the stocks after a period in the field. BLO will give a very pretty, sporter like, look when thin coats are rubbed in by hand and let dry.
 
numrich has foreends and liberty tree collectors has handguards --im after rebuilding 12 lee enfield sporters back to original -- with original parts-- had to ship some in from England--rebuilds rnt cheap shipping from England is brutal
 
jakester said:
I used Naptha, or coleman camp fuel (as recomended by a gunsmith) to clean the stock on a 1905 Ross recently. It removed all the dirt and grunge, but none of the old linseed oil finish. I don't know what the original finish was on the Danish stocks, perhaps Danish Oil??

Pratt & Lambert, in conjunction with Springfield Armory developed a China-wood oil (Tung Oil) compound that was tested and adopted in 1941 and was used for treating the Garand stocks from that point forward. Apparently the Linseed oil "smoked"and "sweated" when the rifle got hot from prolonged firing.(2)

I don't know if repair depots, or soldiers performing basic field maintenance used Tung oil or Linseed.

(2) Source;
The M1 Garand: World War II
by Scott Duff (page 79)
Click to expand...

Tung oil was temporarily used as a substitute for raw linseed oil from 1941 until 1945, the manual for the M14 still calls for raw linseed oil to be used on wooden stocks. Along with any American military firearm with a wooden stock to date raw linseed oil is still used.
 
CanukMauser said:
Also what is the difference between raw linseed oil and boiled linseed oil?
Click to expand...

Raw linseed oil dries by contact with air and air has a hard time getting inside the stock. Raw linseed oil keeps the stock "hydrated" and prevents wood shrinkage. Think of it as your wife's moisturizing cream she put on her face to prevent wrinkles.

BLO or boiled linseed oil contains chemical driers and this greatly speeds up the drying process. BLO was invented for impatient people who want instant gratification and who don't know why their wife puts moisturizing cream on her face.

As I stated earlier a wooden canoe receives many coats of linseed oil, this prevents the wood from drying out, the wood from shrinking and the canoe sinking.
 
I used 100% amonia to start and then 50/50 amonia and water to finish. wash stock with soap and rinse. let dry for a few days and use marine grade linseed oil. it soaks into the wood instead of staying on the surface. the amonia will pull all of the dirt and grease out of the wood and leave it clean.
 
bigedp51 said:
Raw linseed oil dries by contact with air and air has a hard time getting inside the stock. Raw linseed oil keeps the stock "hydrated" and prevents wood shrinkage. Think of it as your wife's moisturizing cream she put on her face to prevent wrinkles.

BLO or boiled linseed oil contains chemical driers and this greatly speeds up the drying process. BLO was invented for impatient people who want instant gratification and who don't know why their wife puts moisturizing cream on her face.

As I stated earlier a wooden canoe receives many coats of linseed oil, this prevents the wood from drying out, the wood from shrinking and the canoe sinking.
Click to expand...



:) !
Raw linseed oil cut with some mineral spirits, slathered on a nice dry clean stock and hand rubbed in. I have not found a better solution for wood stocks either 200 years old or 2 weeks old the stuff works and it looks beautiful after it soaks in.
 
should be able to get it at any hardware store. Our small town hardware store carries it in 1 gallon jugs (food grade) because the farmers use it for their cattle.
 
Here in the U.S. I go into a craft store and buy linseed oil used for oil painting on canvas, it is pure filtered raw linseed oil.

If you want "REAL" actual boiled linseed oil then you can buy "Stand Oil" in the same painting section.

Be careful using this oil painting linseed oil and not come down with Van Gogh syndrome and cut off an ear while working on a stock.
Laugh2

Linseed oil
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linseed_oil



MSDS sheet for above raw linseed oil, it states it is refined linseed oil, meaning cold filtered to remove all impurities.

http://howlandschools.com/MSDS/Grumbacher%20Linseed%20Oil.pdf
 
Clean it the way and using the same products you would for anything else made of wood. Murphy's Oil soap then an application of BLO.
 
In addition to furnishing linseed oil, the flax plant ("lin" in French) has proven to be very useful as a dietary supplement and source of textiles (linen). A flax plant that is dead ripe for harvest is so heavy in oil that your pant legs will be discolored from the knee down when you walk through a field. Hunters beware; flax straw is tough and wiry and will bugger up bearings if you let it wind up around your truck axle. Most growers opt to burn the straw rather than work it after harvest. It burns readily on account of the oils. A new industry has grown up around producing flax board from pressed flax straw. there are few things prettier to prairie folks than a flax field in full blue flower.
 
How much linseed oil will I use? I can only find the little bottles at the craft store.

Big box hardware places only have boiled. Did pick up some tung oil as others mentioned for after then linseed
 
CanukMauser said:
How much linseed oil will I use? I can only find the little bottles at the craft store.

Big box hardware places only have boiled. Did pick up some tung oil as others mentioned for after then linseed
Click to expand...

The small bottles will work fine, you will double the amount you have when you mix it with turpentine. You should also see small bottles of turpentine in the same location.

Read the MSDS sheet for your tung oil and make sure its pure tung oil and not a varnish mixture.

Below is what I have and its 100% pure.

Tung Oil Wood Finishes
(chinawood oil)
http://www.realmilkpaint.com/oil.html

Dark Raw Tung Oil is Perfect for Staining Wood
http://www.realmilkpaint.com/dark_oil.html
 
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