[creeks]

I got a nice Md.24/47 via UPS today. In order to get the cosmoline off the wood the importer must have used a power washer. From the photos you can see they got the cosmoline off, but they did a pretty good job on the wood surface also.

Can anyone recommend some type of wood oil or something to put some color and mosture back into the wood???

 

[Sasquatch]

I got a nice Md.24/47 via UPS today. In order to get the cosmoline off the wood the importer must have used a power washer. From the photos you can see they got the cosmoline off, but they did a pretty good job on the wood surface also.

Can anyone recommend some type of wood oil or something to put some color and mosture back into the wood???

Try tung oil finish (i forget the brand but it comes in a green jar). you can pick it up at home depot and the like for about $15 a quart (maybe less?). It works better for me then birchwoood casey tru-oil (and it a lot cheaper!).

 

[DK PHILLIPS]

i use danish oil....
that butt stocks got some good figure thats going to pop up!

 

[bch7773]

the original finish for these rifles would have been BLO or linseed oil.

not the shiny "finish" versions.

 

[Shoobedoo]

If you don't want to actually apply a "finish" to the wood such as BLO or tung oil, you might just try some Old English lemon oil, it's made for furniture, but I don't see why it wouldn't work on a gunstock, and it will soak into dry wood for sure, this may be all you need for your purposes, $5 a bottle at most grocery & hardware stores.

As previously stated, the original finish would have been BLO and that's probably what I would use if I wanted to put a new finish on it that was as close to original as possible. With BLO wipe it on with a small cloth, rub it in, and use several very light coats, allowing to dry thoroughly between coats, then buff lightly with 0000 steel wool, this method will produce a nice non-glossy finish. In my experience, where people have problems with BLO getting shiney on them is by applying it too thick, a little bit goes a long way, wipe off any excess with a rag, and let dry completely between coats. BLO is easy to work with and if you take your time it produces a very satisfying finish.

Another member here re-finished a Mauser stock that was not all that different than yours, the BLO finish he did on his turned out real nice, and that's how BLO should look IMO.

http://forums.gunboards.com/showthread.php?260496-Refinishing-a-stock

 

[jjk308 In Memoriam RIP]

You can't put moisture in dry wood without swelling and cracking. Wood normally dries at an ever slower rate to a moisture level set by the air around it, so museums control moisture levels, keeping them constant for preservation, to prevent cracking. The lignin in the wood also shrinks as it ages, causing a "dry" look. Plus military stock surfaces usually aren't finely sanded and smooth.
In other words the wood is old and wasn't treated very well, so you have what you have.
Lemon oil is really a cleaner and polish, not a wood finish. use "boiled" (modified, polymerized) linseed oil instead. Wipe some on, let sit until slightly tacky, 20-30 minutes, then rub, wiping it off. Repeat until it looks OK them repeat 1 or 2 times a year forever.
If you have a sporter you'd do likewise, except for very fine sanding and filling the pores, to get a deep, semi-gloss, glowing finish.
Tung oil works good too IF you get a decent brand. But all these oil finishes are highly modified and vary a lot from brand to brand. Danish oil, for example, seems too thin to build up a good finish.