Removing oil from Walnut

[JohnBHM]

Several months ago I got my Kibler SMR in fancy Walnut. I did the initial fitting and assembly, along with making and installing a toe plate before standing it up in the corner of my bench until I finished some much needed work on my house. Yesterday I brought it up to my new work room and saw oil oosing from the touch hole and into the surrounding wood. I would like to try and pull some of this out before I start fishing the stock and would appreciate any help, John

 

[flinter1977]

Acetone

 

[deerstalkert]

acetone will remove what you see but may not draw the oil out of the wood.
micro wave some dry rice and pack it into and around that hole. it will warm the wood and absorb the oil. takes some time but will work.
used to bu milsurp guns packed in cosmoline. after washing them with gasoline (leaded of course) i would bed them in rice. seemed to do the trick.

 

[64Springer]

Acetone

^^^That is the correct answer.^^^


The acetone will remove some oil and leave that area oil free.

Wait 12 hours.

The oil will migrate to that dry area. Wipe it down again with a clean paper towel and fresh acetone. Don't be afraid to flood that area. Flooding will dissipate the oil.

Rinse and Repeat several times.

I've done this many times. And the minute amount of oil residue left behind has never had a negative impact on finishing the stock.


PS: Mop that bore and breech to remove the standing oil and don't flood it with lubricant anymore. A very light coat is all you need.

 

[1950DAVE]

Nearly any petroleum based solvent will leech the oil out of wood but acetone is one of the fastest drying solvents you can use. Dealt with many oil spots on wood floors when in the finishing business, acetone is my first choice.

 

[2 shots]

infra red heat lamp will draw it out. just keep wiping it off

 

[The Miner '49er]

I'll start by saying I'm certainly not a pro at stock refinishing. I'm redoing my first stock, a Lyman/Investarm GPR and have put on three coats of Tru-oil. There was a lot of oil in the original factory finish to be removed, plus GB Linspeed that I added over time. I believe the heated rice would be the way to go, wish I had read that two weeks ago! After stripping the old finish with Citristrip, I used Kleanstrip odorless mineral spirits to saturate the stock, which I got very warm with a heat gun. Blotting the oil with a paper towel as it oozed to the surface took care of 95% of it. For the really stubborn spots. I heated them with the gun, used an eyedropper to drip as much spirits as the wood would take, directly on each spot, and then more heat with the gun and towels to absorb the oil. Here are some pics to give you an idea. I was more than surprised as to how it is turning out. Good luck!

 

[JohnBHM]

Thanks for the replies, I also have used acetone for cleaning cosmoline from many milsurps. I wrote a reply last night but just realized I never posted it. I have since got most of the oil out, Thanks again all of you for the support. john.

 

[Master Blaster]

Acetone and whiting paste. Smear on, let dry, wipe off.