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Double Rifles, Single Shots & Combinations >> Building Double Rifles & Gunsmithing

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Oz
.224 member

Reged: 24/05/08
Posts: 39
Loc: Australia

Cleaning old engraving
#108010 - 24/06/08 01:17 PM

I have a couple of engraved rifles, A Tolley from 1894 and a Hollis from a similar era. The engraving on both has filled with a mixture of sweat, dirt, oil and other substances only wondered at to the point where it has achieved the strength of epoxy

this has left them looking muddy and ill-defined. I don't want to go the way that some have of heavy duty buffing until it shines like a mirror nor even removing the smooth grey patina (I figure it's worked just as hard as I have to get that grey)

Any suggestions to just remove the concreted guk from the engravings but leave the overall patina in place? Free beer to the best answer when you visit the Eagle Park Range near Geelong in Victoria!
Cheers
Oz

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Once upon a time, long long ago
there was a contented young woman
happy with the choices made by her husband

But it was only the once,
and it was a long long time ago

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tinker
.416 member

Reged: 12/03/05
Posts: 4835
Loc: Nevada

Re: Cleaning old engraving [Re: Oz]
#108012 - 24/06/08 02:05 PM

I don't think I'll be making it to Victoria any time soon, but I will note a couple of things.

One thing is that gunk tells a story and to some people has value.

Another thing to note is that ultrasonic cleaning in a mild soapy solution can get the scum off the metal parts, leaving what's left of the case hardening intact.

Another thing that's worked for me is wrapping the metal parts in Kroil soaked cloth for a couple of days and wiping them down from there. It leaves some crud in the deep recesses, leaving character while clearing the general haze of years of caked crap.

--Tinker

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--Self-Appointed Colonel, DRSS--

"It IS a dangerous game, and so named for a reason, and you can't play from the keyboard. " --Some Old Texan...

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Glenn_Fewless
.300 member

Reged: 08/05/08
Posts: 103
Loc: Wisconsin, USA

Re: Cleaning old engraving [Re: Oz]
#108016 - 24/06/08 02:31 PM

Mr. Oz:

You might have a go at the engraving with a toothbrush and some sort of solvent. ATF (Automatic Transmission Fluid) will likely work pretty well. Best to use your wife's toothbrush as ATF leaves a nasty after taste...

Glen

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AkMike
.416 member

Reged: 19/11/05
Posts: 2576
Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Re: Cleaning old engraving [Re: Glenn_Fewless]
#108018 - 24/06/08 02:57 PM

Quote:

Best to use your wife's toothbrush as ATF leaves a nasty after taste...Glen

Is that the voice of experience talking Mr Fewless??

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"When you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing; when you see that money is flowing to those who deal not in goods, but in favors; you may know that your society is doomed." Ayn Rand

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Pugwash
.300 member

Reged: 24/03/07
Posts: 113
Loc: Scotland,UK

Re: Cleaning old engraving [Re: AkMike]
#108072 - 25/06/08 04:44 AM

Hi Oz,
A good way to clean very dirty guns is to take it to bits,then put all the parts into a saucepan of boilng water with washing soda in it(I tend to do this when the wifes out).Bring it back to the boil and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.Put wire on the large bits so you can handle them as they'll be hot when you take them out.I normally put the small bits in half a coke can with loads of holes punched in it so it'll drain when removed.As you remove them they will dry instantly.As they dry spray them in oil such as youngs 303 or similar.This process removes years of crud from every nook and cranny and bring the remains of any colour hardening back up again.I normally reassemble the gun using vaseline with a small amount of oil melted together,then left to reharden,as a lubricant grease.This way of doing a strip and clean is suitable for any old and most new rifles and shotguns.
Pugwash

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bigmaxx
.375 member

Reged: 13/06/07
Posts: 660
Loc: Bowling Green KY U.S.A.

Re: Cleaning old engraving [Re: Pugwash]
#108075 - 25/06/08 05:06 AM

I have some engraved Colt single action armys I shoot, they get pretty funky. I use EEZOX synthetic solvent and an array of nylon bristled brushes of various shapes and stiffness. I have had good results and it wont harm gold either. Just be gentle and take your time.

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One day at a time...

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400NitroExpress
.400 member

Reged: 26/11/03
Posts: 1154
Loc: Lone Star State

Re: Cleaning old engraving [Re: Oz]
#108077 - 25/06/08 06:09 AM

Most of these guns had varnish over the case-hardened areas. Much of the gunk down in the engraving is old varnish. A toothbrush and any solvent that will dissolve varnish will work.

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"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."

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Birdhunter50
.375 member

Reged: 03/06/07
Posts: 815
Loc: Iowa,U.S.A.

Re: Cleaning old engraving [Re: 400NitroExpress]
#108563 - 30/06/08 12:59 PM

Kerosene gently rubbed into the engraving with Q-tips will get most if not all of it out. Bob H.

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Der_Jaeger
.375 member

Reged: 09/10/08
Posts: 607
Loc: SE Pennsylvania

Re: Cleaning old engraving [Re: Birdhunter50]
#116620 - 10/10/08 10:52 PM

I have a Merkel 247SL and I have very good luck using a soft toothbrush and Flitz polish on the sideplates. Not only does it clean out the gunk that builds up in the engraving, but it keeps the action looking new. I wear thin leather gloves that I purchased years ago at Griffin & Howe while hunting and that seems to keep it more clean than using bare hands all the time.

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