How did I do?

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Thank you for the response. With so many views, I would have figured more people would of responded. I was hoping to see tips and what not.

This rifle was hung outside for 10+ years then shoved under a case in the store for another 20+ years. So not only was I dealing with Sun damage but just neglect all the way around.
 
The museum did not want to restore it to working order, but as a presentation piece. The trigger assembly is very simple, but one of just four pieces had broken. Plus I don't have any 32 Cal. bullets...do they still make them? lol
 
I used Rem Oil for the initial wet down. I did that because 1. I have always trusted Rem Oil, but 2. I know how it reacts with wood and cleaning. I did use some 0000 Steel Wool with the Rem Oil for the initial cleaning.

Once I was confident in the wood and restoration, I used a quick wipe with Mineral Spirits on a flannel patch. I then applied Restor-A-Finish Walnut to the bleached sun side to try and darken it up a little to match the other side. Then I applied a wood conditioner.

Then the final wipe down on the wood and metal is with Renaissance Wax. This was all done via hand rub and flannel patches. Took about 4 hours to disassemble rub down and reassemble.

Now what I did to clean and prep the metal is a whole other subject lol and that was a bit of a process too!
 
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With in the next month or so, I will be taking in work. Think there is a market for this kinda work online? Some people might be affraid of such service from online. Either case, hopefully in the next month or so I will have things in order to do such work on a regular basis.
 
Might I suggest next time, instead of using Rem-Oil lubricating oil on the wood, you use Formby's Lemon Oil Furnature Polish & 0000 steel wool.
That is what restorers use on valuble antique furnature.

It will cut all the old black dirt & dried gun oil off the wood, without making it prone to picking up more dirt and turning black again over time.

Gun oil is BAD for wood, and that ain't no joke.
I don't care who ya are!

rc
 
Thanks for the reply rcmodel.

I have used both lemon and orange oils and quit honestly about 20 others. I know in the industry of Furnature any gun oil is looked down upon. But! Rem Oil is a great product to use to wipe your gun clean even if you get it on metal or wood.

Reason being is, Rem Oil is designed to clean the residues one gets from shooting that you do not get on furnature. Furnature does not get the oils, grim, residues that firearms get. So for the initial cleaning I like Rem Oil. Sorry if I did not convey properly in early posts, but I did use Rem Oil with 0000 Steel Wool. After I got the initial grim off, then I had used typical furnature grade oils to bring back the beauty in the wood with out destroying the natrual finish.

The Sun bleach side was a bit difficult and would enjoy more feed back in dealing with sun bleach areas. I hope you understand the reasons why I choose Rem Oil on the initial wipe down on any gun.

Thanks,
Jason
 
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For what was requested you did good work.
Yes 32 caliber bullets are still made.

Rem Oil is not the best choice for this type of work. I applaud your thought process but there are several excellent products made for wood that use the same process you did but without imparting hydrocarbons (OIL) into the wood. Unfortunaly even the little Rem Oil you use will have a degree of effect on the wood of this age/condition.


One thing to do with sun bleached/dried wood is wrap it in wet burlap and let it soak the wood. It swells the fibers and tightens the wood structure, but it takes time to learn this trick properly.
 
I think you did a very good salvage and stabilization job on that old gun.
I hope it belonged to a prominent person so as to be worth your time and the museum's money. It is a Warnant System Flobert, as produced in the untold thousands in Belgium in the late 19th and early 20th century. They were advertised at $2.90 in the 1897 Sears & Roebuck catalog. (A Remington No 4 Rolling Block in .22 or .32 was $5.00.) Resale value and collector interest are very small.
Caliber is almost certainly .32 RIMFIRE. If Mark knows a source for that, he can make a lot of friends.

I am sure we have all seen gunstocks ruined by long term lube oil soaking.
But I don't think that a surface cleanup is the same thing. And I don't know how a gun oil is formulated differently from a furniture oil labeled "petroleum distillates" to make it damaging with light applications.
 
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