Wood refinishing help!!!

Monofletch · Jan 29, 2015

I bought this old Mauser a few years ago. It shoots extremely well and is one of my favorite rifles. The wood on this thing is amazing, but as you can see it is loaded with cosmoline and oil. Is it possible to remove the grime and grease without a total refinish job?

Please offer up any suggestions.

Thanks...

fast14riot · Feb 2, 2015

The standard method is boiling water. Cosmoline is a vaseline type product that melts easy. Take a large pot and turkey fryer to boil water and ladle it over the stock. Putting it in a black trash bag and letting it sit in the sun will soften and draw a bunch out too. Kerosene or diesel work well for the metal, but that whole bad vapors thing is kinda nasty.

Beauty of a gun, btw!

-X

BonhamBlades · Feb 2, 2015

boiling hot water is how I do mine.

Monofletch · Feb 2, 2015

I'll give it a try.

Thanks.

mete · Feb 2, 2015

I had seen a neat 'oven' to melt out the cosmoline .It takes only 150F IIRC.Two metal garbage cans , end to end, with a light bulb or two.Some holes for the wire and one for the cosmoline to drain out .That was in a magazine or perhaps video.Maybe you could find it.

fast14riot · Feb 2, 2015

The trunk of a car on a hot day will do it. Using lights you're going to need about 4 150 watt bulbs and some good insulation to maintain 150°F.

Try a hair dryer first to heat up the stock evenly before just dousing it with boiling water. Do be mindful about not saturating any one spot with water too much, it can warp the stock.

-Xander

Monofletch · Feb 3, 2015

I'm going to get it apart and ready, but I think I have to wait until summer!

yjackets07 · Feb 3, 2015

Monofletch said:
I'm going to get it apart and ready, but I think I have to wait until summer!

nice Mauser first off. secondly, i used a method similar to the trash can method. i used 2 cans, painted them black, used 3 work lights with the big metal bells on em. one in each can and one in the middle. i made a little prop to angle the stock. set it up in the sun and plug it in. worked like a charm for the 3 i had to do. never heard or thought of the boiling water trick. hmmm i smell a new mauser being added to my long gun roster

Monofletch · Feb 3, 2015

This is the fist 8mm I have seen with a factory stock like that. I have a Mosin that has great wood, but not even close to this 8mm.