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For stock clean up, use Murphy's Oil Soap if there is LOTS of grime and old flaking varnish. Scrub using a washcloth over and over until the cloth no longer picks up the black stuff. Use a toothbrush to scrub out the checkering. Murphy's Oil Soap will remove varnish, so use with caution. Mylands Friction Polish (also available from The Wooden Post) can then be used to restore the finish. Another option for cleaning years of gunk from a stock is Meguiar's Fine Cut Cleaner followed by Meguiar's Cleaner Wax Paste.
If you want to clean, but not remove any of the old finish, use Birchwood Casey Stock Sheen & Conditioner, Formby's Buildup Remover or Kotton Klenser.
. Apply with a washcloth until the washcloth no longer picks up the gunk. Then use Formby's Lemon Oil Treatment or Old English Lemon Oil to put some life back in the wood. Dr. Drew uses Old English Lemon Oil about every 6 months in the desert because of the low humidity. Let the Old English Lemon Oil dry for a day and then use Johnson's Paste Wax, Trewax or Renaissance Wax also available from Woodcraft or PicreatorEnterprises Ltd. Howard Feed-N-Wax can be applied regularly to protect the wood and finish also. It's amazing the color and contrast that will come out after a serious cleaning!
If the barrels have not been cold blued, you can safely remove most of the corrosion on the barrels using Kleen Bore's Formula 3 Gun Conditioner, WD-40, Mothers' Billet Metal Polish, or Blue Wonder Gun Cleaner and OOOO steel or bronze wool.
For the receiver (where the case colors are already worn off) use an all copper penney or a 3M Scotch Brite pad with Kroil (available from Kano Laboratories) or Kleen Bore's Formula 3. Flitz will clean the metal but WILL remove case colors and blueing.
Navel Jelly will remove rust AND BLUEING, as will Evapo-Rust and Certanium Ox-Away.
Dr. Bill is a big fan of Ballistol. It was designed for the German Imperial Army in 1905 and it is safe for wood, metal and leather. It is NOT petroleum based, rather mineral/soy bean oil based and therefore will not soften checkering. It's great for spraying down warm bores after shooting. By the time one gets to cleaning the barrels, the copper/lead and even plastic are loosened. For severe plastic fouling, use Ballistol with a bronze brush wrapped in 4-0 steelwool and attached to an eletric drill. A 16 oz. can retails for around $8.00.
Great care must be taken cleaning case colors. Dr. Drew uses Flitz Gun Wax that both cleans (and brightens) and protects. Case color (CC) protection is a conundrum however. After extensive research, Dr. Oscar Gaddy concluded that UV light did NOTHING to CC. Ken Hurst however recalls that Colt re-colored all their showroom guns yearly because of fading. Some oils and chemicals do indeed degrade CC, especially if acidic or alkaline. Just before his death, Dr. Gaddy started using Behlen's to protect his CC. Others recommend thinned TruOil. It is certainly reasonable to protect the colors and metal with a quality wax. Johnson's Paste Wax seems to work well around salt water.
To clean corrosion from the engraving, get some solid copper wire, like that used for household wiring (Romex) of 14~18 gauge. Strip the insulation off of one strand or just use the ground wire, cut it at a long angle with a pair of diagonal cutters. Use the fresh cut end as your 'pick' or tool along with some Kleen Bore Formula 3 or Ballistol to remove the rust. If it gets worn too smooth or rounded, just nip a small increment from its end to 'resharpen'. The Formula 3 will penetrate wonderfully and loosen the rust as well as prevent future rusting, and the copper 'tool' will not scratch a thing nor harm the engraving. It will be tedious work, but you should only need do it once. Do not be afraid to bear down or be aggressive with the wire's end, you cannot hurt anything, metal wise. You could put a gouge in the wood though if you slip, so pay attention. Use a piece of wire long enough to be comfortable held in your hand and bend the last 1/2 " 90 degrees or down for the working end if it makes it easier for you to use it that way. Dr. Bill likes to use a brass toothbrush with Ballistol.
For the best thing to re-oil or wipe down engraved surfaces, get a piece of real lamb's wool leather that has been clipped close. There is simply nothing more effective to insure you get a coat of oil on and into the engraving. A small piece will last you a lifetime.
To clean up and rejuvinate that classic leather Leg-O-Mutton case:
Pecard Classic Leather Dressing
Leatherique
Connolly Hide Care Cream
Motorcars Ltd.
Leathercare Direct
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