Interesting Piece o' Wood!
 

I started cleaning the wood on my bent-stock NH. It is not the original Parker stock, as it was inletted by the use of hand tools, not machines. It was very well done, though. My photography skills leave something to be desired, but here is what I found under layers/remnants of old varnish and oil. I am using the hairdryer and alcohol wipe method for oil removal. Cheers!

you will surely have a great lookin stock when finished... charlie

Thanks, Charlie. I read somewhere about minerals and such in the soil causing the dark streaks in walnut.

ive learned something new..id never heard this before but bet your rite...can not wait to se what your stosk looks like done... charlie

If the head of the stock is deeply soaked with oil, you will probably need to submerge the stock in acetone, perhaps for a few days, to draw it all out. Then apply the hair dryer or heat gun and use alcohol or acetone wetted swabs to remove the remainder from the surface. It takes time, patience and a lot of work, but if you don't get all the oil out of the wood, it will migrate upwards and cause dark spots to form under your new finish. Be sure to wear rubber gloves, a face mask, eye shield, and work in a well ventilated area at all times with no open flames present. Keep us posted on your progress.

Very nice mineral streaking. And a few small knots are nice to see. It adds character. That will look great with finish on it!

Thanks, Brian, I thought so, too (concerning the little knots). Justin mentioned the acetone soaking treatment for oil removal. What does that do to the wood? Does it swell or 'whisker up'? I guess my concern would be the fit of the inletted portions of the wood.

As for the knots....they seem to be rare on factory made stocks. Are they considered blemishes?

Roundsworth:
If I were you (and I'm not) I would "anchor" those knots before finishing the stock. In other words, knots will expand and/or contract at a different rate than the surrounding wood. And they often "pop up" after a few years. Best medicine I've found is Hot Stuff glue or black Acra-Glas. You don't need much, but enough to get down between the knot and nearby wood. Then sand and finish normally.

As for acetone... some is OK. But a lot of it... think a minute. It's an oil distillate. And does no good for cellulose structure (wood).

Best, Kensal

The small knots should not be considered blems, per say. That is all in the eye of the beholder. Small knots like that are not uncommon. I have seen even larger ones in factory stocks.
Acetone will not really do any damage to the wood or effect the inletting in any way. It MAY whisker the wood some, but with old wood that has had finish on it before, this is not always the case. If it does whisker, just knock them down with some 320g or finer paper before finishing. Depending on how much oil is there, Acetone alone might not get everything. You may need the help of whiting to get the job done.

Mark, is there any chance this gun may be at the Annual Meeting? I guess not, since the stock is under restoration. Please don't turn this thing loose until I get a chance at it. Thanks. Bill Murphy