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

[Bill Holcombe]

I cleaned up the stock with murphy's today and a whole bunch of nasty junk came off. The gun has lightened significantly, though I think either I somehow removed finish with murphys, I didn't scrub just whiped, which would surprise me or that junk was covering up some places lacking finish.

Course, it could just mean I haven't gotten all the gunk off and am just afraid I am damaging the finish when I am not.

Anyway here are the picks, one side of the neck looks like it may still have oil in it, but other then that it is cleaning up nicely. If those light spots are places that don't have finish anymore, please advise on what I should do next.

[Bill Holcombe]

I tried a lot of different lighting and angles to try to best demonstrate what I am talking about.

Here are a few before pics of how dark it was.

[greg conomos]

I am of the opinion that using Murphy's Oil soap ruins the stock finish...the only solution is to finish it.

[Jerry Harlow]

Bill,

The gun had little finish to start with from the photos. Removing all of that oil is a big improvement, although you still see some on the right top at the tang. If I have a stock that is dry like that with grain exposed which I am not going to refinish, I just use The Birchwood Casey Tru-oil on a small piece of cotton. I work it into the grain with the patch on the finger tips. I took my hunting gun, a VH 16 out in the rain one day. It turned white from lack of finish. I worked multiple coats of Tru-oil into it easily (including the dry checkering) and it dries really quickly. Solved the problem on a gun that I am not going to completely refinish. Not the original Parker finish, but protects the wood and not visible as to what it is if not built up completely to a smooth finish.

Amber shellac dries too quickly and streaky for on the gun coating for me. Just my two cents; other experts, which I am not, will chime in I am sure.

[Brian Dudley]

Murphy's, when it does anything, usually does remove the original finish with anything else that is on it.
You do still have oil left in the head of the stock by the looks of the dark and sliny look to it. This will have to come out with acetone or MEK or you will have problems with getting a new finish to stick.

At this point, complete refinish is the way to go since you have removed what was left. Amber Shellac is the correct original finish. but there are many others that can be used.

[Bill Holcombe]

I guess I shouldn't have listened to the people in the other thread telling me to use Murphy's.

I am not that upset as the stock probably needs it. I don't think the finish was original and I do need to get that oil out and the finish/gunk was so thick you couldn't see the grain anymore.

I have never put a finish on a gun stock before. I have seen the threads about the french finish, but don't know if that is a good idea for a newbie like me to this whole thing or if there is an easier/simpler(read harder for me to screwup getting impatient) finish to put on the gun after the acetone MEK route.

[Frank Cronin]

I am of the opinion that using Murphy's Oil soap ruins the stock finish...the only solution is to finish it.

Chatting with Dan May from Classic Gun Stocks at Hausmann's this year, he said the worst thing you can do to a stock to clean it is Murphy's Oil Soap.

[Bruce Day]

Interesting comments but if it comes off with Murphy's oil soap with normal scrubbing pressure all you had left was a dirt and oil finish. Many people do not happen to prefer such a finish but there may be some that do. Some people like the patina of dirt and oil.

On refinishing, if the finish is only shellac based it is subject to moisture clouding in the rain. I have been recommending Timberluxe for its authenticity , ease of use and water resistance. Depends upon your goals.

Timberluxe can be applied over a pre-existing finish and will penetrate through and bond.

[Todd Kaltenbach]

I've used Murphy's oil soap on stocks before. I don't use it unless the stock is really dirty and it does get a lot of the dirt off. If you put some Timberluxe on at that point it looks pretty good! Like Bruce said it just depends on what you want. There are several stock refinishers who specialize in quality restorations if that's what you are looking for.

[Bill Holcombe]

I used up most all of my run funds for the parker. A restoration of the stock isn't in the cards. I would suspect the acetone would finish the stripping of what's left of the finish am I correct?

I am actually intrigued by the process and learning how to do it. I just need to find a very detailed guide to French finishing.

[Rick Losey]

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

[Bill Holcombe]

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.

[Chuck Bishop]

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.

[greg conomos]

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.

[Brian 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.

[Rick Losey]

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

[greg conomos]

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'.