Type F and Wax

[Resolve]

Good morning,
Not too long ago I read on a gun manufacturers website that prior to cleaning one of their rifles you should put a coat of wax on the stock. Then after cleaning and oiling is completed, buff out the wax. They also specified to muse Type F tranny fluid for oil as it has a paraffin base and will not hurt the stock finish. My questions are:

• Does anyone do the wax on stock procedure when cleaning?
• Is it necessary or maybe just something proprietary to the type of finish they apply?
• What type of wax should be used?
• Does anyone use Type F in lieu of gun oil?

I suppose I can call them and ask them what type of wax they use but wanted to get the opinions of you folks first in case it is something that is not needed.
As always, thanks in advance for any advice.

Stay safe! Off to the quack to get my wrists looked at.
R

 

[Johnny Tremain]

That might be an oil article, most ATF is synthetic now.

 

[Brokennock]

I think it was the TVM website that has/had a thing on cleaning and caring for your gun that included this information.

No, I don't use ATF in or on my guns.
I do occasionally put some beeswax or mix of beeswax and a fat source (mink oil or neatsfoot oil most often) on the stock,, mostly where stock and barrel meet. For that matter I often apply a thin coat of the same to exposed metal surfaces.
If the recommendation is for furniture wax I highly recommend Goddard's Fine Cabinet wax. I have a custom recurve with a solid cocobolo riser. The builder only finishes with that furniture wax,,, I've been lightly reapplying it and buffing it for many years and the bow's finish looks practically like new.
The other highly recommended wax for both stock and metal is called Renwax I believe. (I might be misremembering) It is used by museums on their wood and metal pieces including arms. It is used and mentioned on this forum quite a bit.

 

[Some_Mook]

ATF has detergents in it to dissolve the varnish that accumulates inside an automatic transmission's valve body. These detergents can be powerful enough to dissolve the adhesives used to attach the clutch friction materials to the clutch plates - one of the reasons why replacing transmission fluid on an older unit is sometimes not a good idea.

That said, I personally would not want to use ATF on a gunstock. I do make batches of Ed's Red solvent for cleaning metal, but not wood.

YMMV

 

[SOLANCO]

I think it was the TVM website that has/had a thing on cleaning and caring for your gun that included this information.

No, I don't use ATF in or on my guns.
I do occasionally put some beeswax or mix of beeswax and a fat source (mink oil or neatsfoot oil most often) on the stock,, mostly where stock and barrel meet. For that matter I often apply a thin coat of the same to exposed metal surfaces.
If the recommendation is for furniture wax I highly recommend Goddard's Fine Cabinet wax. I have a custom recurve with a solid cocobolo riser. The builder only finishes with that furniture wax,,, I've been lightly reapplying it and buffing it for many years and the bow's finish looks practically like new.
The other highly recommended wax for both stock and metal is called Renwax I believe. (I might be misremembering) It is used by museums on their wood and metal pieces including arms. It is used and mentioned on this forum quite a bit.

I can not find Goddards in a paste form. Do you use the spray bottle?

 

[Resolve]

I think it was the TVM website that has/had a thing on cleaning and caring for your gun that included this information.

No, I don't use ATF in or on my guns.
I do occasionally put some beeswax or mix of beeswax and a fat source (mink oil or neatsfoot oil most often) on the stock,, mostly where stock and barrel meet. For that matter I often apply a thin coat of the same to exposed metal surfaces.
If the recommendation is for furniture wax I highly recommend Goddard's Fine Cabinet wax. I have a custom recurve with a solid cocobolo riser. The builder only finishes with that furniture wax,,, I've been lightly reapplying it and buffing it for many years and the bow's finish looks practically like new.
The other highly recommended wax for both stock and metal is called Renwax I believe. (I might be misremembering) It is used by museums on their wood and metal pieces including arms. It is used and mentioned on this forum quite a bit.

Yep, it was TVM. Thanks for the info, folks. I'll continue to do what I've been doing and maybe every now and then some Renwax.
Be safe, have fun!
R

 

[garypl]

I think it was the TVM website that has/had a thing on cleaning and caring for your gun that included this information.

No, I don't use ATF in or on my guns.
I do occasionally put some beeswax or mix of beeswax and a fat source (mink oil or neatsfoot oil most often) on the stock,, mostly where stock and barrel meet. For that matter I often apply a thin coat of the same to exposed metal surfaces.
If the recommendation is for furniture wax I highly recommend Goddard's Fine Cabinet wax. I have a custom recurve with a solid cocobolo riser. The builder only finishes with that furniture wax,,, I've been lightly reapplying it and buffing it for many years and the bow's finish looks practically like new.
The other highly recommended wax for both stock and metal is called Renwax I believe. (I might be misremembering) It is used by museums on their wood and metal pieces including arms. It is used and mentioned on this forum quite a bit.

What brokennock says - I make a mixture of beeswax, lanolin and olive oil so it’s soft enough to spread and I apply it in the nooks and crannies at the back end of the barrel and around the lock plate to seal any tiny gaps where powder residue or water can seep in. Takes a few seconds and is easily reapplied when you next clean your rifle.

 

[Brokennock]

I can not find Goddards in a paste form. Do you use the spray bottle?

No, I have a couple cans of paste wax. I bought it many years ago.
I'll have to see if I can fond more or I'll switch to Renwax if and when the time comes that I need to.

 

[Felonious]

I clean my stock (and everything else) with Ballistol. I don't think I would use transmission fluid when there's so many other products, specifically designed for wood, available.

There's quite a few DIY cleaning solution recipes that use automotive oils, and most of them seem to be pretty old. I would imagine before the internet and shipping got to where it is today, it was a lot more common for people to make things with what they had. Specific gun oil, or at least a reasonable cost oil, may not have been available to a lot of people, but transmission fluid and diesel definitely was. I'm sure it worked just fine for 99.5% of shooters too.

Today, for about $25, I can have close to a lifetime supply of oil designed specifically for cleaning muzzleloaders delivered right to my door, I just don't see the need to mix and test my own.

 

[Absoroka]

A very experienced gun builder once suggested to me to use ATF-F for patch lube. Don't think wood would like it.

 

[kyron4]

Johnsons paste wax in the yellow can.

 

[Pilgrim]

I used a light coat of Briwax on my SMR and it really looks good.

 

[Howard Pippin]

Good morning,
Not too long ago I read on a gun manufacturers website that prior to cleaning one of their rifles you should put a coat of wax on the stock. Then after cleaning and oiling is completed, buff out the wax. They also specified to muse Type F tranny fluid for oil as it has a paraffin base and will not hurt the stock finish. My questions are:

• Does anyone do the wax on stock procedure when cleaning?
• Is it necessary or maybe just something proprietary to the type of finish they apply?
• What type of wax should be used?
• Does anyone use Type F in lieu of gun oil?

I suppose I can call them and ask them what type of wax they use but wanted to get the opinions of you folks first in case it is something that is not needed.
As always, thanks in advance for any advice.

Stay safe! Off to the quack to get my wrists looked at.
R

Good morning Resolve.
Being as how I was a different kind of shooter for the first 40 years of my life, I guess you learn to do things different. One thing I discovered was, I needed a good gunstock finish. Thank goodness the first one I bought was superb and I have used it on every rifle that I own, unmentionables and mentionables and I even used it on knife Handles that I made out of oak. The dishwasher wouldn't even take the finish off of them. When I get a new muzzleloader, I the first thing I do is treat stock inside and out with, Birchwood Casey Truoil Gun Stock Finish. I've only made two gun stocks, and they were sealed with this stuff. They really have survived quite well.
They shed water In the rain, hot water when cleaning don't bother them, and the finished does not scratch white like some things do. It probably isn't cricket, but neither are the cleaners that I use to clean the bore, I might use the weapons of the 18th century but I live in the 22nd.
Squint

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