Ugly Stained Stock

[nhmoose]

But real usage. I would leave it be.

 

[TRow]

I like it the way it is. Character.

 

[acavdragoon]

Leave it be.

You have to do the maintenance! You just can’t leave it to rot and rust away! Every mechanical item needs maintenance, it’s not like restoration, it’s maintaining it for use. Rust is not a patina!! And neither is dirt and grime!

 

[acavdragoon]

There have been a lot of original guns ruined by "restoration".

I’m not restoring it, I’m cleaning it to use! It’s called “maintenance”.

 

[acavdragoon]

leave it as is and order something from Kibler to finish bright and shiny!

I already have 10-12 Kibler’s! Sorry I’ve lost count…. I’m not making this musket shiny to look like new! I plan on shooting this musket as well as all my other muskets. I’m doing the maintenance on it.

 

[1950DAVE]

Oxalic acid will lighten the wood even around the stains. My experience with it was the wood around the stain lightened proportionally as much as the stain itself. The stain was still there only lighter as will the other wood.
It’s your gun, do as you wish.

 

[M. De Land]

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

Well you certainly are not likely to make it look worse. I'd use some of that citric finish remover, then Brownell's sells stock whiting which pulls oil and water stain out of wood.

 

[SPQR70AD]

I am the oddball around these parts. Have no use for patina. Never understood the love of patina....it is crud, dirt, neglect.

I do not understand that either. it is like buying an old filthy unmaintained house and leaving it alone cause it has character

 

[cynthialee]

I do not understand that either. it is like buying an old filthy unmaintained house and leaving it alone cause it has character

I swear patina worship was developed by some self appointed experts back in the 1800's to feel important and come off smarter than the other fella. Dude, that isn't character, it is dirty, old and keeping it in that state is the real shame.

Bringing an old item back to as near as new condition as possible is the real flex. What sounds more impressive:
I spent a couple hundred hours restoring the thing to look brand new.
or
I left it alone so that its character and history is maintained.

The only history being preserved is generations of owners refusing to fix the damn thing.

 

[acavdragoon]

Well I received my French musket today and it’s a lot worse than anyone would consider happening to a musket! Not only did it have water stains on it, but it also shrunk!! I’m making light of it …. It ended up being a fully functional 58 caliber flintlock musket for a child or a cadet.

Everyone can rest at ease, other than a cleaning and oiling it’s going to remain the way I received it. Just so I don’t get blamed for it, a wire wheel was used on the side plate and barrel. I didn’t do it!

 

[SPQR70AD]

I swear patina worship was developed by some self appointed experts back in the 1800's to feel important and come off smarter than the other fella. Dude, that isn't character, it is dirty, old and keeping it in that state is the real shame.

Bringing an old item back to as near as new condition as possible is the real flex. What sounds more impressive:
I spent a couple hundred hours restoring the thing to look brand new.
or
I left it alone so that its character and history is maintained.

The only history being preserved is generations of owners refusing to fix the damn thing.

I love bringing old tools axes etc back to life. I have many old rifles and I redo the stocks and they look great. look how they sell BP revolvers with antique finish

 

[Whitworth]

Well I received my French musket today and it’s a lot worse than anyone would consider happening to a musket! Not only did it have water stains on it, but it also shrunk!! I’m making light of it …. It ended up being a fully functional 58 caliber flintlock musket for a child or a cadet.

Everyone can rest at ease, other than a cleaning and oiling it’s going to remain the way I received it. Just so I don’t get blamed for it, a wire wheel was used on the side plate and barrel. I didn’t do it!
View attachment 362987
View attachment 362988

I thought that looked like wire wheel work on those side plate screws. It's a lot easier to darken wood then lighten it. A bit of darkening on that side plate would be a great improvement IMHO. Two cycle engine exhaust goo has always been my go to for touching up of walnut. YMMV

 

[wiscoaster]

.....

The only history being preserved is generations of owners refusing to fix the damn thing.

I think I might own a few of those.

 

[Oldbear63]

I am in the "just leave it for historical preservation" camp, though perhaps a light application of one of the original oils (linseed?) might better preserve it. A museum curator would cringe at the idea of applying a non-reversible treatment like linseed oil though.

 

[SOLANCO]

First, do no harm.

 

[yellowhammer]

...Never understood the love of patina....it is crud, dirt, neglect.

I wouldn't call it love, maybe "respect for the history of use" is a better choice of words, in my opinion.

You could buy a weapon, clean it to a microscopic clean room level and never touch it with bare hands, and then seal it up in a nitrogen charged hermetic time capsule, and it will still develop some level of patina. You can't escape the 2nd Law Of Thermodynamics - Entropy increases - everything winds down.

I have weapons I bought in the 1980's that I assure you are not neglected and certainly do not have crud and dirt on them. They show the patina of age and use; you can't avoid it if you use them as intended.

 

[Nor'Easter]

Oh boy. My opinion.....
No military arm was allowed to look like that during service use. The Sargeant would have 'boxed' both your ears - twice.
.
Grunge is probably appropriate for a 'barn gun'.
.
All others, depends on the gun and it's history.
.
Just please don't "bubba" it. If doing something, do it right.

 

[Harry Marinakis]

Recently I refinished my stock. Washed it down with hydrogen peroxide, which cleaned off a lot of junk and bleached to wood. Then I reapplied aqua fortis. Looks great.

 

[SDSmlf]

I am the oddball around these parts. Have no use for patina. Never understood the love of patina....it is crud, dirt, neglect.

I am neutral on patina preservation on contemporary guns. Personally, I like the look of the appearance of some well earned wear and tear on a gun, but nothing wrong with bright and shiny on a new gun.

From the ‘financial’ or ‘investment’ point of view, it seems patina or whatever one wants to call it attracts more than it’s share of buyers and might be the smart move. And especially with an original piece, collectors, the smart money appears to be with the leave it alone crowd.

Ultimately it is easier to clean up a gun, new or old, than return it to how it looked with whatever earned wear and tear it may have had before a clean up.

All comes down to what the current owner of the gun prefers.