1873 Rehab and Recondition|Page 2|Restoration, Repair and Maintenance|Forum|Winchester Collector

Stocks an original set? Lighting?

Nice work on the wood, looks better! Now you know there’s nothing hiding and you should feel better knowing it. 

I think the stock looks great as it is unless you want to wipe on some boiled linseed oil and rub it off, etc. for protection and to slow moisture absorption. The color, now that it shows through, is dead right for an antique Winchester of that vintage. 

The forearm color maybe looks darker because of what’s still on top of it but once you get that off, hopefully without biting too far into the stain layer, perhaps a little colored oil rather than trying to hit the exact shade of stain…I’d be very slow to add stain, myself. 

Judging from the grain, it may be some of the color difference between stock and forearm is the difference between the natural darker color of heartwood and lighter color of sapwoood, now showing through the deteriorated stain Winchester used to homogenize wood color..

Just my opinion.  The gun is really looking good, at this point. 

Anthony said
I think you should change you’re moniker to, “Not Scared”! LOL!

Looking great as you’re pictures and intentions are sure proving the plan that you talked about.

Now is the most important time when you start to make progress, and you don’t take it too far trying to make it look new! IMO!

 

Anthony

  

Concur 100%.  Knowing when to stop is the ultimate badge of expert restoration. Lots of nice old guns have gone from nice to “for parts only” for lack of it. 

 I agree with Zebulon.  Put boiled linseed oil on it until all the dry spots disappear.  Then buff it with a rag. You could also peen the messed up screw heads.  Use a brass punch and knock the bad spots toward the groove center.  Once you move what you can then file the inner edges to clean up the groove. If it had more blue a black magic marker would cover the shiny spots.

I use a Sharpie that says Permanent.  I don’t have much of a problem.  I usually wipe down my guns twice a year.

I think you’re doing a very nice job at preserving the history of this fine family heirloom! It’s you’re gun, so doing it the way you see fit is you’re prerogative.

Sealing everything with Renaissance wax, inside and out, keeping the moisture and rust, out of the wood, and metal, wouldn’t hurt it, if you so chose too. Years ago I bought a bunch of industrial q-tips, from Brownell’s Gun supplies, of various sizes, and even the wooden sticks are stronger than anything else on them, making them great for what you’re doing.

Flitz Polish, is also good for the metal parts, as in today’s world it’s better than just wiping some oil on the metal, that will, evaporate or, disappear, with time. It just can’t be used on Case Colored metal, which you don’t have, so no issues there. 

Enjoying you’re progress and pictures. Thanks for posting!

Anthony

skierd said

So it really it seems like Poppy really just brushed this thing with a ton of shellac in order to protect it? The more of it I wiped off the deeper it went, around the metal and the joints and under the stock line and into the internals. As the Shellac came off it became more and more clear that the nice even brown coating was less patina and more oxidized old shellac over very fine grained light brown rust and the original blueing, so I made the decision to break the gun down most of the rest of the way to get the rest of the shellac off and clean out the rest of the dirt and grit and rust. 

I’ve been very lucky so far that really none of the screws or pins on this gun have fought me much. The lifter spring screws are in very firmly so I haven’t really tried to back them out yet (and may not, with everything else out I can get around them to flush out what’s underneath). I also haven’t attempted to remove the hammer pin or mainspring screw, and again may or may not depending on the resistance I get. 

I will not be re-blueing, but I will be boiling, carding, and oiling. I will not be re-staining the wood, just fixing the stock crack and tung oiling it. 

I fully understand that many of you will have the opinion that all I have managed to do is ruin this gun’s value. From a pure collector’s I guess I can see that, but for me and my family it’s more important that the gun gets cared for and put back in to shape. 

  

I for one don’t think you are ruining it.  Now, a full restoration would do that.  If you haven’t used tung oil before it acts just like boiled linseed oil.  You have to let it dry and then wipe it with a rag to get off any of the stickyness that is left.

Agree with Chuck that you are not “ruining it.”  Unless a rifle of this type and in the condition it came to you had been owned by Red Cloud or Naiche, a “Collector” [note the capital “C” to indicate “insufferable”] would not consider it “collectible” or give you a half book of S&H Green Stamps and a yo-yo for it in trade.  [Except for the shellac, that may overstate the case a bit.]

Which, in my eyes [ and those of many Members here],  is to entirely miss the point. It is a family heirloom and that alone entitles it to dignity and respect, even if you never touched it. 

However, for the husband of the direct lineal descendant of the original owner to PRESERVE and EXTEND the life of his wife’s ancestor’s rifle and use his considerable skills to restore its utility and appearance, is worthy and honorable in any civilized society.  

What you are doing is insuring that your own descendants are much more likely to take care of it. Guns with “condition” — original or restored – survive better and longer, after you’re gone. Fact, not opinion.