Grime or patina?

[IronsightsRifleman]

I recently acquired a WW II vintage M1 carbine. The finish was blotchy, dark, and sticky. I wasn't intending on refinishing it, but it clearly needed to be cleaned. A little alcohol dissolved away what must have been shellac, and I ended up with bare wood using just the alcohol wash. So, now it's getting a few coats of BLO and it certainly looks much nicer and it's no longer sticky to touch.
Was I wrong to have messed with it? At what point is a finish worth preserving, and when is it better to restore a stock to its original beauty?

[hermosabeach]

If you are going to use it- who cares. Make it functional

[hermosabeach]

How is the wood under the action? Some guns are oil soaked tent pegs— the wood is so soaked it becomes soft

[sofbak]

The authentic finish would be raw linseed oil, but blo is close.

Any arsenal stampings or trench art on the wood?

[IronsightsRifleman]

Originally Posted by hermosabeach

How is the wood under the action? Some guns are oil soaked tent pegs— the wood is so soaked it becomes soft

Bone dry, no signs of rot, original machining marks visible. I hadn't thought to check that, guess I got lucky.

[IronsightsRifleman]

Originally Posted by sofbak

The authentic finish would be raw linseed oil, but blo is close.

Any arsenal stampings or trench art on the wood?

Good to know about the raw linseed oil, but too much work for me even if I had known.
Trimble TN (correct for my NPM) clearly engraved.
BA/IPI arsonal mark faint but visible. No P mark. A painted number at the base of the hand grip, which survived unmolested by my cleaning.

[sofbak]

Keep those numbers/stampings intact.

FWIW, raw linseed oil is flaxseed oil and sold in the health supplements section of some grocers and walmart. You can add a coat (or more) over the blo at your leisure.

Acids in the raw oil oxidize over time to produce that deep reddish brown tint.

[beerman]

Welcome to the Postal Meter club. Mine is an NPM witH a TM stock. Mine went through Agustin arsenal, yours Benecia. One of my favorite guns. Let’s see some pics

[sofbak]

^^^Ummm. That's Augusta Arsenal.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusta_Arsenal

[SVT-40]

Originally Posted by sofbak

Keep those numbers/stampings intact.

FWIW, raw linseed oil is flaxseed oil and sold in the health supplements section of some grocers and walmart. You can add a coat (or more) over the blo at your leisure.

Acids in the raw oil oxidize over time to produce that deep reddish brown tint.

Linseed oil alone will not dry in any reasonable time period. It should not be used on gun stocks. It will result is a sticky mess.

Boiled linseed oil with a small amount of turpentine mixed in is the preferred finish.

Apply in light coats and rub off as much as you can. Reapply when the first coat dries.

Leave any cloth used out to dry completely before throwing it in the trash. Otherwise you risk spontaneous combustion.

['ol shooter]

Alcohol was an unfortunate choice, real mineral spirits, not the imitation crap, will gently clean the finish without removing it.
Too late for your rifle, you'll know better next time around.
After the mineral spirits have flashed off and the stock is dry, a damp cloth with a few drops of Dawn will remove any silicone that may have been applied such as Pledge furniture "wax".
My stocks get Renaissance or Bri-Wax, depending on whether I want a satin or bright surface.
Johnson's paste wax is good to go too, I use it mostly as a bedding release.

[kendog4570]

To really get the "right" look to your wood, go at it like you have 2300 of them to do that day. When they were made or refurbished, they were not lovingly caressed in any way. Linseed oil with a little japan drier works good. If you know what you are doing you can get the arsenal look with Tru Oil too.

Less is more...

[The War Wagon]

Originally Posted by IronsightsRifleman

I recently acquired a WW II vintage M1 carbine. The finish was blotchy, dark, and sticky. I wasn't intending on refinishing it, but it clearly needed to be cleaned. A little alcohol dissolved away what must have been shellac, and I ended up with bare wood using just the alcohol wash. So, now it's getting a few coats of BLO and it certainly looks much nicer and it's no longer sticky to touch.
Was I wrong to have messed with it? At what point is a finish worth preserving, and when is it better to restore a stock to its original beauty?

If it came off with alcohol, it was grime.

[huntingsocal]

+1 on being careful with the rags

I was using BLO on a door. Had it laying flat across two saw horses on the driveway

Got distracted with a phone call or something and set the rag down on top of the can of BLO, thankfully it was closed

Came back outside not long after and noticed there was ash floating around the driveway and the top of the BLO can was discolored

Rag has completely burned up

That stuff is not to be left unattended

I consider myself lucky for being stupid and careless and not causing any actual damage

[kendog4570]

Originally Posted by The War Wagon

If it came off with alcohol, it was grime.

Shellac is an evaporative finish and alcohol will dissolve it no matter how old it is. Just like fresh wax will mix with dried wax no matter how old it is.

Highly unlikely any of Uncle Sams folks put shellac on it though.

[IronsightsRifleman]

Because the alcohol was so dramatic, I immediately thought shellac. I agree that shellac was not a USGI finish. I'm wondering if what I had was just old, dried, cosmoline?

In any case, it may sound odd, but I feel that my carbine is now... happier.