[AClay47]

I've been using it for a week on an Enfield Mark IV, which is looking pretty good. I'm also using it on a Swiss K31, which has some very rough places on the stock. A friend has had great success with lemon oil. One ad says, about it, "Renews "dried-out" wood surfaces. Nourishes the wood by replacing natural oils....the very best for wood."

I ran across some information on orange oil, which is supposed to restore wood, but does not contain mineral spirits and is not combustible.

What do the C&R guys say?

 

[gordon gauge]

It's good stuff, even cuts thru most cosmoline type greases. Have not tried the orange oil though. GG

 

[carguy]

you could just save some of your money -- "lemon oil" is just mineral oil with lemon scent essense added to it .... Danish oil would be a better route to go ,as that you can slowly build up layers of it to actually protect the stock

 

[AClay47]

Interesting, carguy. I'm new at using Lemon Oil, but I've been told to use it to clean and renew wood, not as protection. So far, I have limited experience - about two weeks, but it has somewhat restored the stock on my Swiss K-31, where it was weathered badly. I'm not sure how much restoration it will do, but those who have used it say it takes 30 days of applying it daily to get proper results. One C&R expert, who refinishes rifles for pay, swears by it. He even suggested I use it on a Yugo stock I refinished with cherry stained Polyurethane after I expressed an interest in restoring it to stock form. It must be potent stuff!

My Enfield rifle's wood was nice when I bought it two weeks ago, but it looks better now. Maybe, that's the result of cleaning combined with a bit of renourishing old wood (it's a 1943 rifle)?

 

[Sangrun Hunter]

I've used both lemon and orange oil for my C&R rifles. I like the lemon oil better as it seems to cut the cosmo.

 

[AClay47]

Don't tell your wife!

Well, the wife has been watching me massage my rifles every night for two weeks. I guess I'm doing it right. Sometimes, I squeeze a bit right on the wood, then work it in with a circular motion of my thumbs. Other times, I use a soft cloth, which I moisten with a liberal dose of lemon oil. Last night, I was rubbing oil into the rifle's butt stock, when my better half asked what was I doing? I explained the lemon oil was supposed to clean and restore its surface, making it smooth and firm again. Then, she started giving me that look...

Now, I can't find the bottle. :bawling:

 

[gordon gauge]

:funny_pos But hey, if you notice a difference let me know so I can try it on my wife. GG

 

[Custer]

I've been using the lemon oil for awhile and interestingly enough I am in the middle of a 30 day treatment of a few of my rifles right now. (Yugo SKS, Enfield, Yugo M48A and K31) (not sure if is penetrating the K31 which has a mild coating of some shellac type finish).

I do no use it on stocks that are covered in heavy shellac as I doubt it would penetrate.

I have also been told to avoid it on laminated stocks as it could cause the glue in the laminated wood to break down.

 

[AClay47]

Thanks for the heads-up on laminated stocks. I have a laminated Mosin-Nagant, and I guess there could come a temptation to give one a little more gloss with some polish, but Lemon Oil has minaeral spirits in it, so it would have a different result than intended.

Thank heavens my wife isn't laminated!

 

[Custer]

Thank heavens my wife isn't laminated!

Women do keep some secrets, Clay. Part of the mystique.

 

[Shyquestor]

I've been using it for a week on an Enfield Mark IV, which is looking pretty good. I'm also using it on a Swiss K31, which has some very rough places on the stock. A friend has had great success with lemon oil. One ad says, about it, "Renews "dried-out" wood surfaces. Nourishes the wood by replacing natural oils....the very best for wood."

I ran across some information on orange oil, which is supposed to restore wood, but does not contain mineral spirits and is not combustible.

What do the C&R guys say?

It is mostly mineral oil that smells good. Read the ingrediants. Not that it won't penetrate unsealed wood and add some moisture and a bit of a temporary sheen. Makes your hands soft and good smelling, too! :thumbup1:

 

[AClay47]

Thanks Shyquestor! Welcome to GunCO!