Cleaned up my stock with Murphy's soap, what next

[OH Osthaus]

I have cleaned several stocks with it and not lost a finish that was not already lost. The stuff is made for finished wood- we have used it on floors and furniture as well.

sorry if the results were disappointing

[King Cobb]

I needed to get all the dirt and grime off so I really am not that upset. The stock was too dark and not even pretty for the most part.

[Pa SxS]

When I tried Murphy's Oil Soap, it took my finish off too. I won't use it again. I'd take off the remaining finish and get the oil out of the stock and refinish. Although Shellac and oil (French Polish) is what Parker used most often, it's not the easiest finish to learn how to apply. It takes practice to put it on properly but the good thing about it is that if you screw up, it's easy to fix or take off completely and start over. Personally, I prefer Pro Custom oil, I like it better than Tru Oil. Wet sand to fill the pores, take it down to level it out, then apply multiple coats to get the desired finish. Practice makes perfect.

[Mike McKinney]

As others have said Timberluxe is a great product. There is a video showing the steps Brian Board, owner of the company, uses with this product. Look at the website for Timberluxe.

[Fishtail]

Well, that's the thing - a hundred years of hand oil, gun oil and whatever shellac is left is in fact a finish of sorts. It helps seal the wood grain and presents some sort of appearance that is more, or less, pleasing to the eye. Murphy's removes all that and leaves you with a raw wood, more or less. So.....like a lot things it's usually best just to leave it (the stock) alone unless you are in for the whole nine yards.

[B. Dudley]

Here is the thing... Orinal finish is shellac. Shellac does wear off with handling over many years. Combine that with gun oil that is applied to the surface and then dirt and skin oils, the shellac that is removed will be replaced with all that other stuff.

Thus explaining why Murphy's will remove more on some stocks than others. Like others suggested, your stock was lacking much original finish to start with. I have tried Murphy's a few times on some stocks and and it seemed to do nothing. Maybe because they had more original finish left on them.

Anyway... When I remove finish from stocks, I have a tall 7 gallon pal with a sealing lid that is full of acetone. I put the stock in, seal it up and let it soak. When it comes out, all finish and oil is removed from the wood.

As for finishes, there is so much out there to choose from and everyone has their own opinions. Shellac can be difficult to work with. A lot of finishers resort back to Tru Oil for work. It is a good finish that is easy to work with. The ultimate question one has to ask when choosing a finish is what the desired look of the finished stock is to be.

[Mike Franzen]

What about Linseed oil? I finished a muzzle loader years ago with several hand rubbed coats and it still looks great.

[OH Osthaus]

Originally Posted by Mike Franzen

What about Linseed oil? I finished a muzzle loader years ago with several hand rubbed coats and it still looks great.

boiled linseed oil? raw linseed oil will take forever to dry

I have a couple boiled based finishes that I have used on flintlocks- turned out great and has held up well

[Fishtail]

Not that I know...but one time I asked one of the DelGreckos - no wait - Del Gregos - what finish my particular Parker came with and was told 'oil finish'.