M1 Garand cleaning and oil removal - Page 1

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - M1 Garand cleaning and oil removal

Posted: 12/31/2014 12:29:17 AM EDT

i have a 1943 SA m1 garand.
the wood on the front hand-guard and and real hand guard are a dark red ish tone.
The main stock is yellow ish tone one one side and red ish on the other i think its all wallnut wood but im not sure

i have been using Acetone made by Klean Strip on it its made some color come back
but the other to hand guards are still showing very little improvement over the past 3 days

i would take any ideas that will help me in the long run

Posted: 12/31/2014 2:05:39 AM EDT

[#1]

Check out the forum at the CMP. Those guys KNOW Garands.

Posted: 12/31/2014 2:41:20 AM EDT

[#2]

im waiting for my account to be active by them on there fuoms so til then i need an answer

and thank u

Posted: 12/31/2014 2:47:30 AM EDT

[#3]

If your stock is yellow it probably isn't an older piece of walnut. It may be a newer stock and perhaps even birch. Before you do anything... post up some pictures of your stock just in case it had good markings and is a collectable piece.

An easy way to completely degrease the stock is to use an oven cleaner. Do it outside, and completely spray the entire set of wood with the cleaner. The cleaner will dissolve the old oils and stains and leave you with more or less unfinished wood. You may have to do it a few times. From there you can reapply BLO or PTO. Please realize that without staining, you will likely not be able to match that historic red color, and probably won't get the wood to match itself, especially if two different types of wood.

Posted: 12/31/2014 2:58:18 AM EDT

[#4]

side view
overall side view

Posted: 12/31/2014 3:00:06 AM EDT

[#5]

the other side of the main stock is very dark no yellow coming though

Posted: 12/31/2014 6:48:35 AM EDT

[#6]

The right side looks like clean/unstained walnut to me.

My stocks were very much lighter after I cleaned them up.

I used that spray on foaming stripper from Walmart. Don't get that stuff on your skin, if burns like fire. It'll eat up regular little latex gloves, too.

I sprayed a good heavy coat on my stock/handguards and let it sit a few minutes then sprayed it off with a water hose while scrubbing with green stripper/scrub pads.

After the stock/handguards dried I sprayed them again with the stripper and repeated the scrubbing/spraying.

The stocks/handguards were very much lighter and cleaner afterwards and looked pretty nice after they were refinished.

Some guys actually use a stain on their stocks to make them darker again, after cleaning lightens them up. I tried it on a stock or two but really never got it to where I wanted it, so I just put on the boiled linseed oil or tung oil till the stock looked good.

Posted: 12/31/2014 3:16:06 PM EDT

[#7]

how fast did it lighten up ur stock and i will stop using acetone on my m1
because its taking a longer time then i thought and i will try ur method

and from the pics i put on here do u think all the wood is walnut

Posted: 1/12/2015 12:57:24 AM EDT

[#8]

how many coats did u put on ur m1 garand im planing on using BLO on mine

Posted: 1/12/2015 8:41:30 AM EDT

[#9]

im tying to get in like this

basic walnut color stock

Posted: 1/12/2015 10:27:52 AM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:
im tying to get in like this

basic walnut color stock

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If I'm not mistaken, your link shows a birch stock. You're probably better off purchasing a birch stock set from someone like Dupage Trading Co, than trying to make walnut look like birch.

Posted: 1/12/2015 11:26:58 AM EDT

[#11]

sorry about that i was trying to get a good pic of a walnut stuck m1 on google.
i thought al the wood on my m1 was all different wood but after i started
cleaning it,And it turns out to be all walnut wood. and im at that point where
i start to stain the wood ether blo or something else to bring back the color of the wood

Posted: 1/12/2015 1:33:53 PM EDT

[#12]

Strip the stock then stain all three pieces so they match.
If you decide to do a deep cleaning and refinish of the wood here is how I do it. Takes maybe 10 -15 minutes for a completetly clean bare stock . Its a really simple ,easy and alot less harsh than other methods
I first take Purple Power degreaser full strength and put it in a spray bottle.

I then spray down the stock with full strength degreaser, immediataly you will see years of grease. oil and dirt start to roll off. I do this in a utility sink but can also be done in a bucket etc.

I then take a soft nylon bristle brush and go over the stock.
Rinse very well with hot water while rubbing with brush .
I will usually do procedure one more time except the last time wipe dry with cotton towel.
If stock is very oil soaked it may take another cleaning .
I then let the stock set to dry out of direct heat source.
If it drys slowly you have a less chance of wood warping.

This is what the wood looks like after drying

I let the stock dry for a day or two before refinishing

Posted: 1/12/2015 11:41:39 PM EDT

[#13]

im at that last part M1G of the refinishing i have some dark spots im trying to get rid of im just at the point to what type of stain i should us BLO or something else
im trying to increase in value in general and try to make it ether one of a kind m1 garand or what it look when it severed

Posted: 1/13/2015 6:56:11 AM EDT

[#14]

BLO is not a stain. You need tostain parts so they match first then add several coats of BLO to protect the wood

Posted: 1/13/2015 8:28:39 AM EDT

[#15]

whats the best stain to use on my wood stock then u would use

Posted: 1/13/2015 8:44:32 AM EDT

[#16]

I mix my own alcohol stains so I cant help you with what is commercially available

Posted: 1/14/2015 5:36:08 PM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:
whats the best stain to use on my wood stock then u would use

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I have used this with decent success.

http://forums.thecmp.org/showthread.php?t=27670&highlight=stain

This guy is a major collector or milsurps and has a mix of stains that closely matches the "red" that many surplus rifles have as a result of the aged BLO or PTO.

I've also used a minwax Red Mohagany stain which is pretty close, although a bit too red.

Posted: 1/15/2015 4:35:21 AM EDT

[#18]

i heard that if minwax Red Mohagany stain is to dark just take 000 steel wool to little it up a bit but im not sure if thats ture
also where do u buy that guys stains

Posted: 1/15/2015 6:28:58 AM EDT

[#19]

Read the warnings on the BLO container. The rags you use to apply the BLO to the wood can catch fire if not disposed of properly after you finish with them. When I was using BLO I'd take the little rag/cloth out and lay it in the gravel outside the shed till it dried out. You'll know its dry because the cloth gets as stiff as a piece of plywood. The BLO can heat up as it dries out and evidently hot enough to cause a cloth or brush to catch fire.

Posted: 1/15/2015 6:46:25 AM EDT

[#20]

Quote History

Quoted:
Read the warnings on the BLO container. The rags you use to apply the BLO to the wood can catch fire if not disposed of properly after you finish with them. When I was using BLO I'd take the little rag/cloth out and lay it in the gravel outside the shed till it dried out. You'll know its dry because the cloth gets as stiff as a piece of plywood. The BLO can heat up as it dries out and evidently hot enough to cause a cloth or brush to catch fire.

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Correct, as any oil finish can

Posted: 1/15/2015 7:54:49 AM EDT

[#21]

when i was planing on using a paintbrush to apply the blo instead of rags

Posted: 1/15/2015 5:14:44 PM EDT

[#22]

Quote History

Quoted:
when i was planing on using a paintbrush to apply the blo instead of rags

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Yes but you have to wipe it off with rags
You do know you dont apply it like paint or varnish?
Apply the BLO, let set for 30 minutes- or so and wipe it ALL OFF. Let set overnight and reapply , continue until happy with the results
If you do do wipe it all off and leave it on the stock you will end up with a stickey mess that never will dry

Posted: 1/15/2015 8:41:23 PM EDT

[#23]

Quote History

Quoted:
i heard that if minwax Red Mohagany stain is to dark just take 000 steel wool to little it up a bit but im not sure if thats ture
also where do u buy that guys stains

View Quote

I ordered it by sending him a PM through the CMP forum. Not sure if he has a website or other method.

Posted: 1/16/2015 12:12:46 AM EDT

[#24]

ok

Posted: 1/20/2015 6:14:00 AM EDT

[#25]

well i toke my m1 garands wood to a specialist and he said that all there match each other by the gain its all walnut
but when he toke a look at the stock he said the lighted part of the stock is very badly sun bleach and the only way to get rid of that is staining the whole thing
more work for me lol

if anyone know how to cure wood thats been sun bleach

Posted: 1/20/2015 6:21:05 AM EDT

[#26]

I doubt its sunbleached but more than likely sapwood, not unusual to see on some walnut stocks. Stain all three pieces to match, its not that big a deal

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - M1 Garand cleaning and oil removal

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