Black powder staining and wood?

[John Spartan]

Took apart a newish muzzleloader after a shoot and noticed residue from black powder staining the interior (rougher finish) wood of stock.
This was from me using a Ballistol/water mix for a quick hose-off of the action and bore immediately after a shoot prior to getting it home for a through cleaning. Have done this previously with other guns but apparently I did it this time with too much gusto washing concentrated BP residue inside the stock.

Tried multiple things to remove this (stock interior) wood blackening but still there slightly. Don’t really care about “looks” but wood and metal. Bad for the wood long term? Bad for the metal where it may contact this wood? Last thing I used was 100% Ballistol and a toothbrush.

 

[DuncNZ]

Wash it out ,then let it air dry Ballistol wont hurt it it leaves behind a residue that acts as a preservative for both the wood and the metal . I stored my traveling Ballistol in a bottle with a wooden plug , plug lasted for years ,

 

[John Spartan]

Thanks!

 

[leadhoarder]

I wipe the stock interior down with ballistol and water mixed. It cleans up the residue but there seems to be some very lug staining of the wood from the powder. I think of it as a patina and do not mind it.

 

[John Spartan]

Yea I am not concerned about looks but the, albeit minor, residue that might damage wood or metal contacting long term. Having seen the “untreated results” of not cleaning BP residue I may have been overly concerned. May...

 

[TreeMan]

Yea I am not concerned about looks but the, albeit minor, residue that might damage wood or metal contacting long term. Having seen the “untreated results” of not cleaning BP residue I may have been overly concerned. May...

Wipe it out, let it dry, and go about your business. The little bit of blackish cleaning slop isn’t going to hurt anything. Oil everything up and put it away. Too many people give the impression that black power is some sort of acid that will eat through an Abrams tank. The water in the cleaning solution will do more damage to the wood and metal than the Blackpowder remnants in the solution. Your gun also isn’t going to rust on the way home from the range. Save that cleaning job for when you get home. It’s just unnecessary to worry about it for that duration of time.

 

[DuncNZ]

Ballistol works its way under water and displaces it . Never keep Ballistol in an antique copper oil can , the Ballistol attacks the copper and turns green , don't ask me how I know this .

 

[oldwood]

Ballistol.......Thanks Cutfinger. Don't have a lot of experience w/ it. Didn't know it went after brass. I'll learn about what it can do for me in time.

 

[leadhoarder]

Isn’t ballistol water soluble? I always thought it mixed with water and would not displace water.

 

[DuncNZ]

Ballistol.......Thanks Cutfinger. Don't have a lot of experience w/ it. Didn't know it went after brass. I'll learn about what it can do for me in time.

It goes after copper , that is why it was developed by the German army as a bore cleaner . It was used as an antiseptic , that isn't on the bottles sold in the USA , also cleaning gramophone records , leather ,all sorts . It has an affinity for steel and gets under anything that coats the steel . I am not aware it goes after brass , it has not hurt any of mine .

 

[oldwood]

Cutfinger......... Looks like I'll play with Ballistol and copper. I use copper on Mtn. rifles for thimbles ,inlays , side plates , etc. Always looking for ways to age copper. .....oldwood

 

[DuncNZ]

Cutfinger......... Looks like I'll play with Ballistol and copper. I use copper on Mtn. rifles for thimbles ,inlays , side plates , etc. Always looking for ways to age copper. .....oldwood

Try it on a piece of scrap first

 

[oldwood]

Roger that.....

 

[Art Caputo]

The black staining of wood is most likely just carbon, easily absorbed into untreated(unsealed) interior wood surfaces. It’s unlikely that it would be a source of wood or metal damage, particularly when cleaned up, with the. lock properly lubricated. In some cases I have found a cleaning of the carbon stained wood areas with a bit of MAP on a soft toothbrush can remove the carbon staining without harm. Once done, and the area rinsed and dried, a bit of beeswax, or even a sealer will help toavoid further staining.

 

[DuncNZ]

Isn’t ballistol water soluble? I always thought it mixed with water and would not displace water.

It does mix with water but when the water evaporates the Ballistol remains behind and protects the metal surface . It is the principal of Dutch Schultz's dry patch method , the water Ballistol solution soaks evenly into the patch material then the water evaporates leaving the oil evenly distributed throughout the cloth fibers

 

[morehops52]

I have multiple rifles going back to '78. I've never hosed off anything at the range. I do wipe it down with a rag and sometimes oil if it's humid. I DO make sure I take care of it at home that day. Once or twice I got it the next day. There is no rust on any of my pieces.

 

[hanshi]

All I do after finishing up at the range is to wet then dry patch the bore. The rest is done at home.

 

[AimSmallMissSmall]

The black staining of wood is most likely just carbon, easily absorbed into untreated(unsealed) interior wood surfaces. It’s unlikely that it would be a source of wood or metal damage, particularly when cleaned up, with the. lock properly lubricated. In some cases I have found a cleaning of the carbon stained wood areas with a bit of MAP on a soft toothbrush can remove the carbon staining without harm. Once done, and the area rinsed and dried, a bit of beeswax, or even a sealer will help toavoid further staining.

I came across this posting after doing a search for "cleaning black marks off stocks" and found some great ideas/methods. For my own personal edification, what is "MAP" that Art Caputo mentions above; "a bit of MAP on a soft toothbrush can remove the carbon staining without harm." Thanks.

 

[Grenadier1758]

Here's three pages of what MAP is.

https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/threads/map-for-barrel-cleaning.139222/

Equal parts of Murphy's Oil Soap, Rubbing Alcohol, and Hydrogen Peroxide.

 

[AimSmallMissSmall]

Thanks for the quick reply and the link to the other MAP barrel cleaning information!