New Use for an Ultrasonic Cleaner

[ArtS]

Last night, I started cleaning the parts of an 1884 lifter I recently purchased. I have a large cleaner with a 24" tank. I filled it with hot water, put in a scoop of Oxyclean, set it for 30 minutes and 175 Deg F, 44 mHz with a cavitation degasser and started it. About halfway through, I decided to try the stocks too. They were dark and oxidized, worn some, dented in numerous places and the buttstock head was oil soaked.

I placed them in the tank, put a rack over them to hold them under and let the cycle finish.

The first attached photo is of the forearm. Notice the thick finish, the 5 or more dents and compressions and the filled checkering which was like a rock. The second photo shows the same forend after coming out of the cleaner and a wipedown with a wad of paper towels. The buttstock came out the same, with even the headstock deoiled. The wood could be rubbed lightly with 400 grit and finished.

[Dean Romig]

Interesting...

How did you remove the water from the wood when the cycle and wipe down were complete?





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[ArtS]

Originally Posted by Dean Romig

Interesting...

How did you remove the water from the wood when the cycle and wipe down were complete?





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It pretty much took care of itself. I rubbed it down with paper towels and the wood was too hot to handle without them. I laid tthem on a rack and let them cool down at room temperature and they were dry to the touch after 15 minutes. Moisture on the back side of the forearm was around 14% this morning. A couple more days in the dry winter heat and they should be good to go.

My guess is that there was not a lot of penetration into the wood interior. The finish offers some protection and water doesn't penetrate very well cross grain.That is the reason gunstock blanks are sealed on the end to slow water loss. I left the forend iron and the steel buttplate on them while they processed and then removed them to dry and oil. I think that 10 to 15 minutes to clean the surface and hydrate the dents came out about optimal. The raising of the dents and compressed wood was the real plus to this. The old finish, gunk and oil ended up as a sloppy sludge in the bottom of the tank and was drained out with the water.

I really doubt there was any serious water uptake. I think the heat hurried along the cleaning and aided the drying. The only thing I was concerned about was if the drying were too rapid in a thin area like the buttstock head. If I try this with another stock I might be tempted to keep the inletted head a little damp until it is completely cool and then be sure the head area dries slowly.

As to the other question, I was a little scared too. However, I was an engineer for 40 years and led a special projects group that was formed to solve unsolveable problems. I guess it is in my nature to think a little differently and take a chance. This gun is a project on which I am doing all the work. If I had caused a split to form, it wouldn't be a catastrophy, just a crack to repair and wouldn't greatly affect the value of the gun. As it stood I was going to have to deoil the head, strip the stock, clean the checkering grooves, steam all the dents and compressions and hope all these processes worked. A lot of time and messy work. In hindsight, 15 minutes in hot water looks like a good deal.

I am not suggesting that anyone stick the stock from an Invincible in the tank, but if you have an old stock you are trying to rehab, you might consider it.

[ArtS]

Just noticed a typo. It is an 1874 lifter, not 1884. Serial number is 4009. No order book exists, just the stock book. Based on the forend checkering, the quality of the buttstock wood, the sculpting and engraving on the fences, the quality of the engraving and the Damascus barrels, I believe it is the mid grade gun offered then and equates to what became the grade 3 in the next year or two. It may have been a grade 2 that had the barrel, metalwork and stock wood all upgraded, but that would seem to have been pointless.

[6pt-Sika]

Man I’d of been scared to try that .

[Paul Harm]

Very nice report - thank you.