The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

I've heard many of you talk about using lemon oil on your stocks. Will this remove the already existing shellac and or harm the bluing on the metal in any way ?

I don't like to use it, since it isn't really needed, (just wipe with a rag), but it shouldn't hurt the finish, and it won't harm the blue. It does smell nice.

The best thing you can do for your stock is to maintain a constant preserving level of humidity & temperature. Lemon oil is essentially a cleaner & the lesser evil in the 2 kinds of oils; Drying and non-drying. Lemon oil is non-drying & is the least harmful initially since it doesn’t undergo a chemical reaction. They have a very slow evaporation rate and remain on the surface for weeks after applied, and a small amount of residue will remain indefinitely. Will Lemon Oil ruin a stock with one application? Not really... But repeated dousings will mess with things over time & are best avoided.

Drying oils like tung oil or linseed oil are especially harmful since they actually undergo a chemical change & bond with the surface. Do not use these on your stock.

Also, if the original finish on the wood is not oil based by nature one should be careful in applying it on a finish like shellac. With that said; I do use Lemon oil on the stock during my initial take-down & cleaning of every gun I acquire. I find it removes debris, gunk & grease very well & is better in my book than applying heat or other cleansers to the wood. After that initial cleaning I primarily stick to constant storage temperature & humidity & leave the wood be.

I use it to polish the original shellac finish on a $2000 antique phonograph, done so for 15 years with no problems, it will not harm your rifle's finish.

Doesn't change the finish at all, just make it cleaner and shinier.

wipe it down with a cheap grade of Vodka

Lemon Oil is found in many brands of furniture polish and is often recommended by furniture mfg.I use it on gun stocks in place of regular wax,which can build up over time.Vodka is a good one to use while applying aforementioned lemon oil. JGC

I use it to clean the stocks, it really cuts through the grease and grime.

It also temporarily shines up the stock for picture taking.

Use it first before taking barrel bands off and after, before sliding barrel bands back on.

Jolly Green Chopper wrote:Lemon Oil is found in many brands of furniture polish and is often recommended by furniture mfg.I use it on gun stocks in place of regular wax,which can build up over time.Vodka is a good one to use while applying aforementioned lemon oil. JGC

Lemon oil is a compound of chemicals today, there is no such thing as an oil of lemons although an oily essence can be easily extracted from lemon rinds and yes that is where the essence comes from too. One of its major ingredients is mineral oil which is a major component of Balistoll which being I am not fond of the smell of lemon or furniture is what I use for cleaning and maintaining of wood, metal, and even leather. It darkens leather but it will soften old already dark leather which is what I tend to use it on as in older slings etc. What you are smelling in furmniture polish is the essence of Lemon which is also what you detect in Pledge which is also loaded with silicone and that is not what you want on wood and such. What you use on wood is a very personal choice and frankly in about 200 years when we are all gone they may have an accurate choice on what is the right product to use and what does not do damage in the long run. I for one won't care much then so pick one and you may be right after all? Bill

Mind you, I did this before I knew about this forum. I got my Mosin from a local Big5 and it had the usual bear grease and tarnish ... er, varnish. Now I really like GRAIN in my wood so I stripped off the varnish with lacquer thinner. Took a while but the thinner would take some of the varnish and flash off so nothing would soak in. Once the varnish was gone I was left with a true representation of what the wood's color is and a lot of grain. Then I LIGHTY sanded the stock and hand guard with 2000 grit sandpaper that brought out the grain even more. It also brought out a metallic flavor to the wood that would shift depending on sunlight and which angle the wood's surface was viewed. So now I suppose the rifle belongs in the "sportster" section. Occasionally I will wipe the stock and guard down with an old t shirt and lacquer thinner and have it stored in an Allen soft rifle carrier. If I haven't seen it in a while, I am always amazed at the look and color of the rifle. Again, no waxes, no varnish, no oils, nada. Just dry 83 year old Russian birch. Haven't shot it yet, might be a case queen for the rest of it's life (but I really doubt it).

John

one finger john wrote:.....so I stripped off the varnish with lacquer thinner. Took a while but the thinner would take some of the varnish and flash off so nothing would soak in.....Then I LIGHTY sanded the stock and hand guard with 2000 grit sandpaper that brought out the grain even more....Occasionally I will wipe the stock and guard down with an old t shirt and lacquer thinner.

one finger john wrote:Mind you, I did this before I knew about this forum. I got my Mosin from a local Big5 and it had the usual bear grease and tarnish ... er, varnish. Now I really like GRAIN in my wood so I stripped off the varnish with lacquer thinner. Took a while but the thinner would take some of the varnish and flash off so nothing would soak in. Once the varnish was gone I was left with a true representation of what the wood's color is and a lot of grain. Then I LIGHTY sanded the stock and hand guard with 2000 grit sandpaper that brought out the grain even more. It also brought out a metallic flavor to the wood that would shift depending on sunlight and which angle the wood's surface was viewed. So now I suppose the rifle belongs in the "sportster" section. Occasionally I will wipe the stock and guard down with an old t shirt and lacquer thinner and have it stored in an Allen soft rifle carrier. If I haven't seen it in a while, I am always amazed at the look and color of the rifle. Again, no waxes, no varnish, no oils, nada. Just dry 83 year old Russian birch. Haven't shot it yet, might be a case queen for the rest of it's life (but I really doubt it).

John

what a sad story....

Not only did you strip it down, but you still seem rather proud of the results. That's fine I guess; It's your rifle after all. I do know we (Forum members) don't care to hear about it or see it.

On a closing note... Storing your rifle in an as you say "Allen soft rifle carrier" (I can only assume it's a zippered rifle case) isn't wise as those cases retain moisture & surface rust will be the new glaring feature of your weapon sooner than you think. Which again is your decision since it's your rifle.

But I digress... I'll step down now.

Yes, it is my rifle. Yes, I am proud of the work I have put into it. Yes, moisture and rust could be a factor, but here in Los Angeles we are in a semi-arid climate, during a drought. Much different than a high humidity state or close by to either ocean. Yes, the carrying case is an Allen zippered case that fits the rifle snugly end for end but still has room to wrap a clean, dry towel around the rifle's midsection with the case zipped. Yes I did lightly sand the wood work, remember I am a professional massage therapist and I have excellent "touch". 95% of the cartouches are still very evident and readable. This is of course, after the initial sanding performed originally by the re-furbishers.
I can understand the zeal that shows in your post. You may have many Mosins in various states of, not restoration, let's say existence. I have one. And I have invested time and energy making it the nicest, cleanest, and when I take it out to the range, the best shooter I can. I feel everyone should have one "pretty" rifle in their collection.
If you feel strongly about the clean up of my rifle and moving over to the sporter section wont do, I will leave gracefully.

If you would like to see my Mosin, PM me your email address and I will send you pictures and along with a full description. You can share those pictures with the forum with any comments you might want to add. Unfortunately I am not as computer literate as I should be.

John

one finger john wrote:Yes, it is my rifle. Yes, I am proud of the work I have put into it.....

John

FYI, there's two issues here John. Folks here aren't gonna like what you did, but at the end of the day, it's your business. The bigger problem for most here is that you posted about it. That is a very clear no-no and spelled out in the forum rules.

If I had taken the time to read the whole rules & policies section ("not all policies are written down [too long and you wouldn't read them anyhow]") I would have seen that refinishing or the description thereof is not allowed ("you wouldn't read them anyhow"). It is your house and I am am a guest
My offer to send pictures of my Mosin to anyone who wants is still open. Just PM me and I will reply.

John