Making a stock a lighter color

[daveboy]

I've refinished/restored many milsurp stocks. So, I know the basics, and would never do anything to harm an original, valuable stock. However, I am restoring a 1903 Springfield. The stock is an arsenal replacement, and is not "correct" for the original rifle. Also, it has been sanded and any cartouches left are barely visible. So, I'm not worried about harming anything of collector value. I've chemically stripped the old finish, steamed out any minor blemishes and am almost ready to lightly sand and apply BLO. However, this stock is slightly darker than I would like it. I know it will only darken more with the oil application. My question is this: Is there a way to lighten the stock color slightly? Would an application of household bleach do anything? How else can I lighten it?

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[rcathey]

Give wood bleach a try (oxalic acid).
You can find it in any home improvement store. Probably near the paint section.

[MasterChief]

Endless apologies if you already knew this:

After you bleach the stock and begin recoloring, you can "test" the wood for the end result by letting the stock dry thoroughly and wetting the surface with plain water. This will temporarily simulate the effect of the final oil finish.
If recoloring with spirit dye, you can darken the coloration by simply repeating with another application.
Fieblings Medium Brown is a good compromise color with a bit of red. You can thin it beforehand with a bit of denatured alcohol or use it full strength.

[daveboy]

I might give the wood bleach a try. I just know that household bleach will lighten anything it touches. So, I wondered about wood.

---------- Post added at 09:43 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:37 PM ----------

Endless apologies if you already knew this:

After you bleach the stock and begin recoloring, you can "test" the wood for the end result by letting the stock dry thoroughly and wetting the surface with plain water. This will temporarily simulate the effect of the final oil finish.
If recoloring with spirit dye, you can darken the coloration by simply repeating with another application.
Fieblings Medium Brown is a good compromise color with a bit of red. You can thin it beforehand with a bit of denatured alcohol or use it full strength.

No need to apologize. Actually, I use my own homemade dye with denatured alcohol and Rit dye. I use the dark brown and the dark red. I thin them so that they barely color the wood and do many applications until I get it like I want it. However, this particular stock, when bare, is a bit darker than I'd like.

[RASelkirk]

Give wood bleach a try (oxalic acid).
You can find it in any home improvement store. Probably near the paint section.

AFAIK, oxalic acid (wood bleach) can only take wood back to it's natural state (before oiling). If that's not light enough, I'd guess you're out of luck. I cannot recall any treatment to "lighten" the color of wood past it's natural color...

HTH,

Russ

[tatou]

On more than one occasions i have cleaned wood with TSP.
It will not alter the wood color but it will remove a lot of the grime, grease and oil that has accumulated over the decades in the wood pores, contributing in darkening of a stock.
It will also remove the top layer of a stain that might have been applied at some point.
I do not let it soak in, was and brush the soapy solution and rince right away with hot water, that way there is less chance to affect the wood itself.

I did try bleach on one occasion, but i didn't like the end result. It might have been me and the way i did it but the wood was affected and turned out pretty ugly.
In the end i find that wood is a living medium that does it's own thing... if it has a tendency to go dark it will go dark, anything you will do to it to lighten it will look out of place and not ''real''.
The only real way to get a light colored stock is to find one that is light to begin with.