Oil Removal....
 

....process, please! I recall reading about using a kitchen oven to slowly force the oil out of a stock. I wish to give this process a try, but do not recall what temperature range was recommended. Would a rag and alcohol be a good way to quickly remove oil that has been brought to the surface of the wood? Thank you!

Mark

This may help http://www.lcsmith.org/faq/oil.html

Cheers
Marcus

I was talking to Dave Trevallion, a well know stocker, and he showed me pictures of a process where he put the head of a stock in a crock pot filled with a substance (can't remember what he said it was, some kind of "earth") that acted like Kitty Litter to suck the oil out.

Someone else had a thread on this forum talking about how this was done too. You might search for it. I know that as a result of that thread an FAQ was added to our faq web page that documented the recommended process described in that thread.

I suggest you look for the old forum thread, it had quite the discussion on the pro and con of several processes.

Thank you!

Mark - drive over to your local auto parts store, or big box hardware store, and pick up a bag of oil dri or other oil absorbent material. Lay the stock down in a long box on some of the oil dri and then pour some of it over the surface and leave it for a few days.

You'll be amazed at the result. I've been using that process for years to draw out oil from the head of, or cracks in, old stocks. Back when I started using it the stuff was called Speedy Dry. We used it to soak up spilled oils from the gas station repair shop bays.

John, that sounds like a great idea! I'da never thought of using floor dry. The 'quart jar and acetone method' sounds relatively safe, too.

One must always keep in mind that it took decades for that oil to soak deep into the stock head, and getting it all out is virtually impossible. Much can be removed however by getting some TSP at your local hardware, mixing with water and soaking the stock for a day or two (weighted down with a brick, etc.). Change the solution once in the midst. Then rinse with clean water. After that, wash with lacquer thinner and allow to dry. That's about all you can do.

All this is for a stripped stock, intended to be refinished, of course.

TSP
 

HELP! What is TSP? Thanks, Tom

Here is a link to the previous discussion about removing oil from a stock, I thought there was some good information to be found in it :corn::
http://parkerguns.org/forums/showthr...=Strength+Guns

TSP. TriSodiumPhospate. Powdered laundry detergent. I beleave it is the same ingreadent that use to be in tide.

Old fashioned whiting mixed into a paste with acetone. Cover the wood with it and the acetone will pull the oil out and the whiting will turn a brownish gray as it absorbed the oil. Brush off the whiting and repeat. Putting it in the oven with the whiting mixture on it will better draw the oil out. Soaking the stock rich in acetone or MEK will work well for getting surface oil and dirt off, but the whiting and heat is best for pulling the deeper stuff out.

Brian, after you are satisfied that you've pulled all the oil out, is the wood somewhat brittle at that point? Do further treat the wood?

Well, I know that the whiting cannot do any more on e it stops turning brown. The wood being brittle would really depend on what type of wood it is. I have not had too much of a problem with that on the few that I have worked on where oil was a problem. Getting rid of the dark staining is an issue though.

I went to my local Walmart to buy some acetone. I grabbed two quart cans and headed for the checkout. The first can set off the 'check ID' alarm and I was told I could only purchase one quart. I don't get upset anymore. I just made the comment that I am 53 years old and cannot buy two quarts of acetone. Am I missing something? I like to think that I am enlightened about the world around me, but this has me baffled.

Should have bought the gallon. If they had one.

I looked all over. I was actually surprised they had acetone. Oh, I sent you a PM, Brian.

Accitone is on yhe list of chemicals we can no longer purchase much of. Seems like they use it to make drugs so instead of doing something with the drug dealing scum they have decided to take it away from the rest of us. Sound familar.

Indeed :banghead:

diatomaceous earth is what you are referring to,It has many uses , I use it when restoring antiques such as old pie safes or cupboards that were used to store oil cans and such , resulting in ugly round oil stains, I put diatomaceous earth in a jar and pour in some acetone to make a paste, the acetone pulls out the oil and the diatomaceous earth holds the oil , leave it on till it drys, wipe off and and repeat till no more oil will pull out of the wood.

Used to use that stuff in my pool filter before I decided to fill in the pool and plant grass:shock:

You can buy it at any pool supply store.

Last night I tried the 'quart jar with acetone' process as outlined by Brad Bachelder. I am amazed at how much oil came out of the wood. The inletted areas are no longer black and punky. There is an area adjacent to the top tang that is still yielding oil, with some help from a hair dryer.