Removing lacquer from case color hardened receiver

[jertex]

I have a 100 yr old Marlin 39 that is in excellent condition and the previous owner put some kind of lacquer or clear coat on the receiver, presumably to preserve the finish. That would be OK but he did a mediocre job & you can see some brush strokes and a spot or two that he didn't smooth out well & it puddled (it doesn't show up in pics). Any suggestions on the best way to remove it without damaging the finish?

 

[Col. Harrumph]

I once had a repro cap 'n ball revolver with a case-colored frame that was finished at the factory with some sort of clear coat. Plain ol' lacquer thinner removed the clear coat without harming the colors underneath. I have read somewhere however that some repros today have painted-on case colors. In any case your 100 year old rifle (nice looking BTW) probably has genuine hardening and not paint. Maybe test in an out of the way place, like the upper surface of the loop?

 

[edwardware]

. . . a 100 yr old Marlin 39 that is in excellent condition and the previous owner put some kind of lacquer or clear coat on the receiver. . .

To be clear: the finish you wish to preserve is a surface treatment that in the surface of receiver metal, not some sort of paint-on, right? Real oxidative case hardening, not Crayola?

Denatured alcohol will easily thin/strip shellac, and the only effect on the metal will be thoroughly degreasing it. Lacquer thinner will do the same for lacquer.

If it's modern polyurethane. . . a modern stripper will work, just read the bottle for warnings re: metal or aluminium.

My only caution re the metal is that you should not leave it dry (degreased) for very long at all. Oil or recoat it, promptly.

 

[jertex]

Good information. And yes, it's the original case color hardened treatment, not a painted-on imitation. I will definitely try it in an obscure area so as to be sure, but this will probably be my weekend project.

 

[edwardware]

this will probably be my weekend project.

Good. Two notes:
- unless it was done by someone in the classic furniture industry, it's probably not shellac.
- polyurethanes weren't widely available until sometime in the 90s.
- Whatever you do, keep the solvent off the wood.
- for recoating, modern spray lacquer or automotive clear coat has come a long way!

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

I run across this fairly often with estate sale guns and most particularly if they present as wall/mantel guns.

First, I try a quick determination of the period of the application. Usually guesswork. Try to get a chip off to see if it is clear, relatively clear, opaque or yellowed/collored.
Second, I note whether or not it was applied to the entire gun at the same time.
Third, if not (on the second) I begin to disassemble to determine if the metal work was done totally and independent of the wood. Here, it is important to note possible effects on screws and hardware as in the case of partially filling screw slots, threads and the like.
While apart, I will start with alcohol as noted above to test-strip an out of sight location if the surface treatment exists out of sight on the gun. As in beneath the forearm.

If it does not exist out of sight, I will pick an otherwise high wear, low visibility point like inside the lever on yours.

It can go on but I'm hooping you get the gist of my incremental and sequential manner in approaching this scenario.

Many times, I will end up determining that a fella had prepped the gun for rough-use with materials at hand or suggested by Popular Mechanics, American Rifleman and such. He just didn't do it very prettily.

So, the key points are:
Be aware of the effect of the goo when disassembling/reassembling.
Be aware of the effect of your chosen *stripper* on original finish.
Be aware of potentially heightened atmospheric induced rusting once stripped.
Note that what works on metal may be more aggressive than you want on the wood.

But really, and I can't stress this too highly, be sure to fully clean the screw slots prior to EVEN TRYING a screwdriver.

Todd.

 

[jertex]

- polyurethanes weren't widely available until sometime in the 90s.
- for recoating, modern spray lacquer or automotive clear coat has come a long way!

Just an FYI for a bit of trivia, my dad & I were using Varathane in the early '70s on his various projects and the can had a picture of their ad from the '50s.

I haven't decided what to use to preserve the case color. Many suggest simply using Renaissance wax, which is also what most suggest for nickel-plated revolvers, but whatever this guy used, where he didn't just slop it on, looks extremely good. I'll probably start with lacquer and see if I like it. Anyway, I start the project today.

 

[jaguarxk120]

There's a good chance the protective finish is a varnish of some kind.
Remember if you take that protective coating off, the the case colors will be subject to wear and will come off.
A wax no matter what kind will give the same protection as the lacquer/varnish coatings.

 

[edwardware]

. . . my dad & I were using Varathane in the early '70s on his various projects and the can had a picture of their ad from the '50s.

whoa. . . I did not know polyurethanes went that far back!

 

[Armorer 101]

In the states along the Gulf I would use clear spray lacquer, two light hanging coats, with the metal cleaned and warmed first. Make sure the humidity is low else the lacquer may flash. Wax will not wear as well, as lacquer. The hot sun and humidity is hard on case coloring.

 

[Riomouse911]

I have a pre-safety 336 .35 Rem that I bought from a guy in Michigan that has a varnish job on the metal and wood. I was told it was coated to keep it from rusting when hunting during snowstorms.

Not the most beautiful job, but it has zero rust.

Hopefully you’re able to get it all cleaned up and back to beautiful again soon!

Oh, Marlin screws can be really narrow and bugger up easily. If you don’t have any you may want to get a set of Marlin-specific gunsmith screwdrivers like the Grace set. Pricy, but ill fitting screwdrivers are gun killers .

Stay safe.