Rifle Mildew

[servicepub (RIP)]

Only two ways to deal with this problem;
1. strip them down, smelt the metal and burn the wood, or
2. sell them to me at a major discount off their value.
Whichever you choose you will not have to deal with unsightly mildew issues again.

[Lang]

I think the G96 guys are on the right track. Linseed oil can be a disaster -use the gun oil (of whatever brand you choose on the woodwork). Linseed is organic and particularly in warmer climates and I presume even Canadian collections are in a warm house it will start turning to black spotted staining mould all over the weapon. Anyone putting linseed oil on house outdoor decking or outdoor wood furniture will know it finishes up a black mess in very short time.

The residual moisture in the wood will leave the white furry mould like in photo above but can be cleaned off with damp cloth then reoiled with G96.

My little used gun collection requires the damp cloth fur removal about once a year no matter how much oil is soaked into the wood. Jiff don't sand it back unless you are going to sporterise or hotrod your weapon, I too also suspect it will devalue an original piece.

lang

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Lang

I think the G96 guys are on the right track. Linseed oil can be a disaster -use the gun oil (of whatever brand you choose on the woodwork). Linseed is organic and particularly in warmer climates and I presume even Canadian collections are in a warm house it will start turning to black spotted staining mould all over the weapon. Anyone putting linseed oil on house outdoor decking or outdoor wood furniture will know it finishes up a black mess in very short time.

The residual moisture in the wood will leave the white furry mould like in photo above but can be cleaned off with damp cloth then reoiled with G96.

My little used gun collection requires the damp cloth fur removal about once a year no matter how much oil is soaked into the wood. Jiff don't sand it back unless you are going to sporterise or hotrod your weapon, I too also suspect it will devalue an original piece.

lang

Well, all I can say is that I've been using hand-rubbed linseed oil since I bought my first rifle in 1969, and I've never had problems with it. If the stock is clean enough and you spend enough time rubbing multiple coats of oil into the wood, it will keep rifle stocks in the same condition as, for instance, a 19th century cricket bat which I have here.

Ref the sanding bit, we're primarily talking about the old cheapie $25 Lee Enfields you used to be able to buy just about anywhere - well-used but badly maintained, with stocks gouged and dinged and covered with layer upon layer of varnish and sometimes even paint. The combination of stripping and sanding gently worked really well.

Nothing was lost and much gained by refinishing them in the manner I spoke of earlier. Would I do this on an 18th or 19th century musket? Don't be ridiculous. Here we're talking about old, beat-up service rifles which have little intrinsic value of their own and which can be made into magnificent presentation pieces.

[Lynn Eades]

Which type of linseed oil are we talking about? There is Raw, and what ever the other one is. (cooked?) One is good for softening hard leather seals,but it causes the seal track to rust?, if I recall? Can some one wise me up.

[cletrac (RIP)]

Boiled linseed oil is the one you're looking for. Raw linseed oil stays sticky for a long time. Most of those gun stock finishing oils you see are basically just boiled linseed oil. If you ever refinish any type of gun stock it's the only way to go.

[Ken Hughes]

mold spores are everywhere,in the air that we breathe every day,you cant get away from it.That is why when things get wet,like books,go moldy.
In libraries,the rear books are kept in a controled enviroment to stop this happening.
they do need moisture to stop the books drying out and going brittle though.

[Lang]

Linseed certainly leaves a nice finish if regularly rubbed but I still have bad experiences of the black spot mould. It does start to yellow with age also = Jiff I bet your old cricket bat has nice creamy yellow colour. If you were wanting something particularly good on wood what about a more resistant and possibly even nicer finish of Marine Teak Oil. Just because it is called Teak Oil doesn't mean it can't be used on all wood.

People with million dollar boats are able to choose the best for their oiled woodwork and furniture and certainly don't use linseed. By using very fine steel wool with the wood grain and plenty of oil the most beautiful natural finish can be achieved. Just by doing a few extra coats you can get everything from the "dry" grainy finish of a brand new weapon to a full smooth polish of a much pampered older one. Teak oil is available at every paint, furniture and hardware store. Just a suggestion.

It would not worry anyone much these days but I can remember when I was a kid in the school cadets on the range. All the SMLE rifles had been cleaned and the woodwork oiled to within an inch of its life with the weekly full maintenance (all with standard military gun oil, which I suspect was probably just sewing machine oil with a fancy number???). Anyhow the upshot was after about a hundred rounds in half an hour - the kids shared rifles - the oil was running down your hand and arm as the barrel became very hot and the oil flowed out of the grain of the forestock. Too much of a good thing!

Lang