Stock discolouration

[TungaDunga]

Hi There,

I recently put a rubber stock extension sleeve on a nice shotgun butt and after a month when I took it off the wood below has visbly darkened leaving a line. I'm not that keen on the line, what should I do?

Many thanks

 

[Steff]

You will have to grind it off and redo the finish. The rubber cover has caused the wood to sweat. The grain has opened up and sucked up the oil on the surface. Not good.
If you want to use such a stick-on extension only do it on lacquered wood. And even here remove it when not used.

 

[TungaDunga]

You will have to grind it off and redo the finish. The rubber cover has caused the wood to sweat. The grain has opened up and sucked up the oil on the surface. Not good.
If you want to use such a stick-on extension only do it on lacquered wood. And even here remove it when not used.

Thanks Steff, Will I have to grind off the whole stock up to the chequering on the pistol grip? When you say grind, steel wool it off? Needless to say I'm not using the rubber extension again!

 

[Steff]

Thanks Steff, Will I have to grind off the whole stock up to the chequering on the pistol grip? When you say grind, steel wool it off? Needless to say I'm not using the rubber extension again!

No, sandpaper please. You want to avoid tiny little bits of the steel wool to get stuck in the grain and start to rust later.

 

[Foxyboy43]

Hmmm.
A real PITA - I have seen very expensive guns suffer badly from the colour change caused by these “boots” - to be truthful I have found it is very difficult to get the colour match back without having to do the entire stock, maybe something you wouldn’t wish to tackle? If it is an expensive gun get it done by a professional, if not, leave the boot on.

 

[deerstalker.308]

Before you reach for the abrasives, what is the finish on the stock? How bad is the discolouration? Some photos would help. Oxalic acid works a charm on wood for lifting stains, but depending on the finish you currently have you may need to strip back a bit.
Absolutely nothing wrong with using wire wool, it’s very widely used for this purpose, just be sure to clean everything up before moving onto final stages.
Personally if it’s a nice enough stock to care about I’d get a pro to sort it, @AdamBragg would be able to provide a quote and or advise.

 

[old keeper]

I got caught out in the same way years ago. As has been said the only way was a complete stock refinish. It turned out okay in the end as the stock looked better than the original. I still use the "boot" occasionally but put a bit of talc in it and take it off ASAP.

 

[TungaDunga]

Before you reach for the abrasives, what is the finish on the stock? How bad is the discolouration? Some photos would help. Oxalic acid works a charm on wood for lifting stains, but depending on the finish you currently have you may need to strip back a bit.
Absolutely nothing wrong with using wire wool, it’s very widely used for this purpose, just be sure to clean everything up before moving onto final stages.
Personally if it’s a nice enough stock to care about I’d get a pro to sort it, @AdamBragg would be able to provide a quote and or advise.

 

[TungaDunga]

@deerstalker.308 Looks like an oil finish to me. Quite tempted to do it myself but don't particularly want to do foreend or pistol grip chequer end but I might have to? I like a darker finish so prefer the colour on the discoloured section.

 

[AdamBragg]

Unfortunately, the only way to remove the stain is to refinish the stock. Happy to help if you need.

 

[Heym SR20]

Before redoing the whole stock, just try leaving it for a while. If that does n't work, then some 0000 wire wool or 1,000 grit wet and dry and boiled linseed oil. Go over the area affected creating a slurry and wipe it off, then blend it in with the rest of the stock.

 

[TungaDunga]

Before redoing the whole stock, just try leaving it for a while. If that does n't work, then some 0000 wire wool or 1,000 grit wet and dry and boiled linseed oil. Go over the area affected creating a slurry and wipe it off, then blend it in with the rest of the stock.

Thanks - I will give it a go before I do the whole thing. Many thanks!

 

[TungaDunga]

Unfortunately, the only way to remove the stain is to refinish the stock. Happy to help if you need.

Thanks Adam.

 

[Lancaster]

Hi There,

I recently put a rubber stock extension sleeve on a nice shotgun butt and after a month when I took it off the wood below has visbly darkened leaving a line. I'm not that keen on the line, what should I do?

Many thanks

If the gun is worth it I would let a professional sort it out for you.

Looks like an oiled stock, you might be able to get it back by using turps to draw and redistribute the oil using wire wool and then sanding the stock back from 600 to 2000 grit paper repeatedly filling the grain and refinishing with red Alkanet oil.
It takes a lot of time, not in terms of hours of labour, but once it's applied with a mop and/or wire wool it has to sit for a few days between numerous coats then rubbing back to fill the grain before each coat.
Then finishing oil needs to be applied, again it needs to sit to settle and dry/cure and be knocked back every time.
Ideally you would want to To try and blend the colour to match the hand of the stock to avoid the chequering, but to do the job properly you won't be shooting that gun again this season.

 

[Steff]

Gents,
steel wool is NOT an adequate tool for non sealed wood. It‘s fine to be used on lacquered wooden surfaces but not on open grain wood. Especially not if you are also watering it to lift the fibers and further smoothen it.