Ugly Stained Stock

[acavdragoon]

I have a dark ugly stained portion of a French flintlock musket that I’m not sure how to attack. Not wanting to sand it, then again not sure that would remove or lighten the stain. Any ideas on what to do about it?

 

[1950DAVE]

Enjoy it.

 

[andy52]

I'd leave it just as is.

 

[wiscoaster]

There's nothing you can do to completely eliminate that short of completely refinishing the stock, and I don't really think you want to do that. It would ruin it, of course. But you might try a little Murphy's Oil Soap and hot water, lightly and judiciously wiping and rubbing to clean and degrease it, which should lighten it up a bit.

 

[waksupi]

I like it as-is. Some people go to a lot of work to gain that appearance.

 

[Cruzatte]

I'm with the leave-it-alone crowd. It shows honest wear.

 

[yellowhammer]

I wouldn't mess with it, myself, except maybe clean exterior grime and wipe it down occasionally.

 

[acavdragoon]

I understand that Oxalic Acid will take the black water stains out of wood, I might try that. Anyone used that?

 

[TDM]

Soak a soft cloth with 91% isopropyl alcohol and rub the area. That should tone it down some. Don’t get too aggressive.

 

[bpalbee]

I'd leave it just as is.

I was thinking that too, it gives an impression of looking fairly authentic for a military arm of that era.

 

[hawkeye2]

If that's an original leave it as is.

 

[reiter1957]

Oxalic Acid WILL bleach out stains BUT you really need to totally disassemble the stock and mountings as it can wreak havoc on metal parts and the percentage of acid to mix in to lighten the wood also depends o n the wood itself…know this from working on wood blocks on our schooner, different wood shells all had remarkably varying responses to the mixes. You also have to be aware it MAY pop any glue or filler( like bedding) materials that could be lurking out of sight too!

 

[Eric Bye]

I too recommend leaving the wood alone. There's nothing wrong with honest wear and discoloration; they are part of the musket's history, and part of its charm.

 

[acavdragoon]

When I get my muskets I take them down, cleaning the stock to remove the dirt and grime that the decades has heaped upon it. After the cleanup I put BLO on the stock. I’ll asset it after the cleanup before the BLO application to see where I go from there.