Any woodworking buffs here?

[adolf hamster]

So I have a bit of a fun problem.

I've been trying to refinish the stock on an airsoft gun and not-really-a-woodworker me ended up applying a load of tung oil and not being happy at the finish being too light.

So I've got my hands on some lovely wood stain which will give me a lovely colour but problem is it doesn't want to absorb in due to the aforementioned copious amounts of tung oil.

So is there any decent way of removing it? I was thinking maybe petrol or acetone, I'm happy to sand it but I reckon the oil will have soaked in too far for that to work.

If I can remove enough to get the stain to stay then go over it again with the oil it'll be nice.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

The oil will eventually go away itself. Wait a year then stain it.

 

[LuckyBenski]

Acetone is horribly aggressive. It'll melt anything plastic it touches for instance. Avoid unless an emergency.

Heavier spirits like white spirit and petrol will leave their own oils behind. Not so useful.

Try methylated spirits and if that doesn't do it, cellulose thinners. Cellulose thinners will also damage paints, varnishes and plastics.

Get it good and wet, scrub with an old toothbrush, dry with kitchen roll to absorb the diluted oil/excess spirits.

The thing with oils is that less is more - well, too much is too much. Wood can only absorb so much and it's not varnish - there are no drying agents or hardeners. Make the first coat good and wet but wipe the excess within a few minutes. Thorough sanding to at least 320 grit or even up to 600/800 creates even absorption. After the first couple of heavy coats wiped off, you can apply thinner coats. Just wet your rag/napkin and wipe all over the piece. Keep wiping for a bit then change to clean napkin to buff off any excess. Good drying time between coats is important - remember there aren't drying agents like with a paint or varnish.

 

[famas]

Agree with all of LuckyBenski' advice. If you can get hold of some cellulose thinners it should soften the hardened oil enough to remove with a scotch brite pad or wire wool. Keep applying fresh thinners regularly wiping away the excess.
Give the stock a really good sanding afterwards before applying your stain.

It's also worth trying the stain you have on a scrap of wood with the tung oil on top as adverse reactions can happen when applying different finishes to each other.

 

[darreny]

Agree with the above, though maybe try corian cleaner before thinners as it's less aggressive