HEAT GUN

[carls sks]

just ordered a cheap one (heat-gun) to try on recent Chinese  sks i got ( i know about putting in black bag wrapped in paper towels out in the sun). anyone used a heat gun on the stock? i used mineral spirits and it did pretty good job. thanks for any tips when it comes.

[carls sks]

anyone use one ?

[Justin Hell]

This last time, I did use one....SO MUCH cosmoline....and my stock was likely an oil finish rather than shellac, as I didn't find a hint of it anywhere.....oddly, the buttstock was nearly totally dry...and the grain was raised and hairy....but the rest of the stock was absolutely oozing the stuff out.   

I found that getting it just to the point of boiling the cosmo, that it helped bubble out the filth....but you have to wipe fast, it's like you need a third hand. You have to be careful not to scorch the wood though. If your stock has shellac, it might not be a good idea to get it that hot though...as it might just flake it off.   

[Bob_The_Student]

I have. I hang the receiver from the rafters or the stock, so they are vertical, and put a large cardboard box underneath and keep the heat gun moving constantly. The metal gets warm enough that the cosmoline melts and/ or drips and I wipe it off as it lessens. The stock I try to get warm then I wipe and repeat. I have never had a problem. Stock is the part you need to be careful with, obviously.

[carls sks]

got the heat-gun the other day and took is for a ride. used it on the stock and have to say it worked great. not a lot of weeping (mineral spirits on first cleaning did its job). just used low setting and went slow because i was not sure if it would hurt the finish. happy camper.