DanWalker Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 Hi all, Hoping to pick your brains for a bit of expert advice. As you can see from the picture I'm in the process of stripping an old walnut stock for staining and re-finishing. I'm a bit stuck on how to get the remaining oil out of the wood. As you can see there's a broad band of grain which is holding more oil than the rest of the wood. I've been patiently going over it with wire wool and rubbing alcohol but it seems to be taking forever. Is there anything else I should try, such as gentle heat? What are the pitfalls I should be looking out for? Thanks in advance, Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brett1985 Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 hair dryer on its hottest setting will heat it to a point that you will see the oil starting to seep out. wipe away and repeat. dont get too close though. wouldnt want to burn the wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bewsher500 Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 salicylic acid get it at a chandlers awesome for removing oil from soaked stocks no amount of heat, kitty litter, etc gets the amount of oil out that a couple of treatments of salicylic will do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salop Matt Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 salicylic acid get it at a chandlers awesome for removing oil from soaked stocks no amount of heat, kitty litter, etc gets the amount of oil out that a couple of treatments of salicylic will do I will second this, Daff (WelshWarrior) gave me some for a SxS I am tarting up again and it worked wonders ! ATB Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matone Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 Fullers earth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joecash Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 looking good - grains flowing in the right direction too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retromlc Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 why bother?if it was gun oil at the stock/action area then go for it,but are going to re-oil or varnish? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triumphant59 Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 salicylic acid get it at a chandlers awesome for removing oil from soaked stocks no amount of heat, kitty litter, etc gets the amount of oil out that a couple of treatments of salicylic will do You can get salicylic acid of eBay it comes in various strengths up to 30%. Would that be strong enough or can you buy it stronger? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RossEM Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 To me, that band of grain looks as it should - walnut often has very dark, varied and contrasting patterns - are you sure it's actually oil and not figured grain? If this was my stock, I'd want to preserve that contrast. Salicylic acid should be used with caution, it can leave the wood with a bleached, milky look. Great for stripping pine, a bit heavy for walnut in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
team tractor Posted February 25, 2015 Report Share Posted February 25, 2015 Salicylic acid is good stuff as we use it at work but don't expect miricales as oil penetrates so deep it can't possibly all come out. I used it on my Brno stock and it improved the stock 70/80% . The stuff we use at work is not good to get on your skin so wear gloves and goggles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshwarrior Posted February 26, 2015 Report Share Posted February 26, 2015 Salicylic acid is very good on walnut but are you sure that it's oil it looks to me (but I'm on my phone) as if it's colour contrast in the the wood and won't lift. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilR Posted February 26, 2015 Report Share Posted February 26, 2015 Salicylic acid is very good on walnut but are you sure that it's oil it looks to me (but I'm on my phone) as if it's colour contrast in the the wood and won't lift. I think it's the contrast of the grain too. More interesting would be to see the head of the stock and what condition that's in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshwarrior Posted February 26, 2015 Report Share Posted February 26, 2015 I think it's the contrast of the grain too. More interesting would be to see the head of the stock and what condition that's in. That would be the normal area to get oil saturation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanWalker Posted February 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2015 Thanks for all the replies so far guys. I've given it a blast with the hairdryer and it is lifting plenty of oil out. Going to give it a rest for a couple of days and try again. What's the drill with the salicylic acid? Just dab it on and clean off with a cloth or go for a full soak? Can anyone recommend a brand name as I can only find cosmetic products online. I'll get down the chandlers at the weekend and see what they have in stock. For all the people asking whether it is oil or natural contrast - I'm afraid the phioto doesn't show it as well as I hoped but it is definitely oil. The grain is slightly lense dense and a bit more porous in that band and it has obviously soaked plenty of oil in over the years. I want to pull as much out as possible before I go wild with the alkanet root to get better contrast on the rest of the figuring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanWalker Posted February 26, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 26, 2015 Thanks again for all the help so far. I've given the stock a quick blast with the hairdryer tonight and it has brought out a bit more oil. The colour is starting to become a bit more even now. Any more info on the acid and how to use it would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanWalker Posted March 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 Hi all, thanks for the help so far, can I lean on you for a bit more now please? I've got my dirty little mitts on some salicylic acid, question is how to use it? I have it in powdered form. What sort of strength to dilute to and and direction on how to use it would be most appreciated. Cheers, Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul223 Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 I think the grain contrast looks to be right, be careful you don't spoil it. The open ended grain at the head of the stock is where your likely to have saturated oil, if anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshwarrior Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 Warm water dissolve what you can into it. Soak stock for 20 mins rest for 20 then wash clean with luke warm soapy water. Repeat as required watch for an unexpected changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanWalker Posted March 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 Cheers welshwarrior, will try that as soon as I get a chance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retromlc Posted March 9, 2015 Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 I still think thats ready to restart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanWalker Posted March 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 9, 2015 I still think thats ready to restart You'll just have to take it from me it isn't. It's not far off but I know that if I leave it as it is it'll look dreadful when I get on to the alkanet root. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bewsher500 Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 if that much oil is still coming out with just a hair dryer I would keep going personally Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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