Refinish wood on gun

[propster]

Borrowed an older shotgun that was in pretty good shape to a guy for slug season. Claims he had some sort of scent spray on his hands, which transferred to the wood on the grip and up on the forearm. It's not bad and I'm not upset but just wondering how one might get it off, or if you can recommend who I might bring it to? It's kind of a milky white film, that I can't seem to even scrape off or get started under my fingernail. He said he tried RemOil on the wood to wipe it off. I'd never heard of using oil that was meant for lubricating the metal parts of a gun on wood - do you suppose that could have helped "seal" this film into the wood somehow? Thanks for your advice.

[Steve Foss]

What kind of wood is it, and what finish is on it? Both those things will have an impact on what to do. Can you take a digital pic of the area in question and post it here?

You might get some Formby's furniture refinisher. You rub in on lightly with a soft rag using circular motions and it softens and redistributes the finish. We've had good luck with it in quite a few cases when restoring whitened/damaged finishes on antique furniture.

If it's varnish or polyurethane, oiling it won't help because the oil wont take off the discoloration (not what it's designed to do) and it won't penetrate the finish.

You can also sand and refinish the portion in question, but if you haven't done any of that before it's a lot more hassle than the Formby's.

[icehousebob]

I've worked with a lot of stocks in my mis-spent youth in a gunshop. What might work is to gently rub with the woodgrain with 0000 steel wool. If the bad stuff comes off, the wood can then be touched up. I like to use Tung oil, working in a couple of coats. When dry, use some Old English polish on it. The Formbys would also be a good option. Be sure and remove the stock from the reciever before working on it, so you don't harm the metal finish. Like Steve said, if you're not experienced in stock finishing, it can be difficult to match the original finish.

[propster]

Been gone for a week, thanks for the advice

[Phred52]

propster, Icehouse says a lot! Without seeing the stock, and obiviously it's not a collectable gun, I'd rub it down with 0000 steel wool to remove the factory finish, then personally I'd lightly rub it with laquer thinner (to remove any remaining oils in the wood) and then start rubbing with tung oil until 'refusal'. Let that dry over the summer months, in early fall, try another LIGHT application, If it takes it GREAT, If not use it as is. If it won't take any more tung oil, it won't take any water. Enjoy your gun!! Phred52