SKS clean up

[highfructosecornsyrup]

the history
I picked this up not quite a year ago from yellowsled i believe. It was cosmo covered and pretty nasty ( you all know how that goes). IT was my first cosmo job and I enjoyed the work. I used mineral spirits to soak the metal parts and it did a good job. The stock I didnt do much, I gave it a lil heat around 100º to warm it up and wiped it down. I had wiped it with some mineral spirits but not much just to get some of the sticky off. I have fired it several times and it shoots like a dream.

Where I stand now.
I really really like the character these old rifles have, so Im not interested in taking away anything. Most of the blue came off during the boils so Id like to reblue it. Im guessing if I clean it up, prep and degrease I could cold blue it.

The stock, Im not looking to refinish it. I really like some of the wood grains especially under the hand guard. I have done some research in to this and i have seen people get great results with a light steel wool, mineral spirits and some BLO or TUNG oil. Basically remove all the black and pull some of the lighter color out of the wood. dents, dings, chips are all part of the character so ill keep em.

My question is
how would you approach this particular rifle? Im curious for some ideas before I go ahead and do anything on my own....here are a bunch of pics.

 

[Docster]

I'd approach it simply; do a little as possible

perhaps some tung oil to the stock applied with a cloth
no bluing

That's it. Clean out every pore, including the firing pin to make it safe to shoot, then shoot the hell out of it as it was designed to do. Leave it in original condition as much as possible.

JMHO; I'm no expert, but perhaps Machodoc and/or Yellowsled could add some here.

 

[yellowsled]

I am a big fan of Murphy's oil soap for the stock. That's what I use on my goopy guns with wood stocks.

 

[Boom Boom]

Don't do anything to it besides cleaning. Looks beautiful exactly as is.

 

[Machodoc]

OK ... it's a beautiful firearm. The bluing didn't come off with boils. Whatever came off wasn't bluing, so it doesn't matter. Leave the metal as is, other than to oil it. It looks fine.

For the most part, your furniture looks really nice. There may be a little bit of grunge on the right side that you can clean up by using 0000 (ultra-fine) steel wool and some GoJo mechanic's hand cleaner (without pumice). You do not want to really scrub the wood. Just lightly wipe those darker areas with the 0000 and hand cleaner, wipe off with a paper towel to see if the color is evening out, and then repeat if you need to. You are just after grunge ... not finish.

When you are done, wipe down well with mineral spirits (charcoal lighter fluid is about the same thing, but cheaper and easier to get). Let the wood dry overnight, and then really rub in a light coat of boiled linseed oil.

I apply BLO with bare hands (the can says not to) by putting the palm of my had over the top of the can and then turning it upside down. That puts a smear of BLO onto my palm. Really work that into the wood and repeat until you have the whole stock done. I put enough on the first coat so that it is just beginning to feel slightly slippery (not wet), then let it dry for 12 hours, or so. The next coat is put on even more sparingly ... just to where it feels a little greasy ... then let that dry. Usually 2-3 coats is enough.

You want to really work the stuff into the wood. You are basically sealing up the outer cells of the wood. You aren't trying to "paint" the wood or achieve a thick, glossy, finish. You are trying to clean the wood and any remaining finish that may have survived, then sealing it with BLO to protect it.

In extreme cases, where the cells of the wood have been really badly weathered out by improper storage, I think it's OK to wipe on an oil-based stain that matches the original color of the wood (or enhances the color of the wood if there are patches where the original finish/color survived). Do that before you apply the BLO.

 

[august1410]

I can't offer any advice on the rifle.

I do give you a big for a goofy screen name, though.

 

[highfructosecornsyrup]

I appreciate the feed back. So far you guys convinced me to keep the blue away (as it prob wasnt blued to start with and confirmed a couple nice ways to clean up the stock. maybe Ill post some after pictures...

That's it. Clean out every pore, including the firing pin to make it safe to shoot, then shoot the hell out of it as it was designed to do. Leave it in original condition as much as possible.

JMHO; I'm no expert, but perhaps Machodoc and/or Yellowsled could add some here.

oh yeah I cleaned the hell out of the firing pin. I make sure when I charge it I do it carefully and keep a tight grip on it. I guess I should take some advice on using the sprung firing pin, seems like safety isnt worth trying to keep it original..

OK ... it's a beautiful firearm. The bluing didn't come off with boils. Whatever came off wasn't bluing, so it doesn't matter. Leave the metal as is, other than to oil it. It looks fine.

Awesome, thats exactly where Im at with the stock, Ill give it a good wipe down. About the bluing, maybe it was just turning from the heat? I noticed its gotten darker after shooting it, ive put maybe a few hundred rounds through it since Ive had it (some of the only ammo that was still cheap enough to shoot during the awb scare). After I started to put together the rifle I CLP'd every part, the metal seems to be keeping nice and since I dont keep this stored for years at a time i clean it enough where it stays oiled. Afterall, who doesnt like shooting these? much cheaper than my m1a which part of this project is warming me up to clean up a couple surplus m14 stocks...

 

[highfructosecornsyrup]

I can't offer any advice on the rifle.

I do give you a big for a goofy screen name, though.

thanks man, I dont drink soda so im glad you caught the humor...