doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Introduce myself and my projects, and ask a ????

Hello everyone. Every busy season I take on a new project to help me relax on the weekends and late at night after getting home from the office. This year I bought three side by side wall hanger shotguns for $300 and decided to try my hand at refinishing them. They are as follows; Ithaca NIG made circa 1908 (base A grade model), W.H. Hamilton unknow date of manufacture (anywhere from 1880 to 1920), and an LC Smith No. 0 made in 1891.

Here are the pictures. The Ithaca is the one without a forearm. The W.H. Hamilton is next to the Ithaca. The LC Smith is the one by itself.







Here is my start on the Ithaca. It had very bad rust on the barrel and pitting on the receiver. No finish was remaining on the receiver or other parts. The WH Mailton has severe rust build up on the barrel, receiver, and other small parts. It look pitted up close, but sanding down some of the rust reveals good metal underneath that isnt pitted. Basically I am using the Ithaca to experiment and get some techniques down, then I am moving to the WH Hamilton, and then to the LC Smith. So far I have used all hand sanding and filing where there were pits. I am going to try my hand at rust bluing and fire quenching the receiver to see if I can get a color case hardened look.





What I have learned so far is metal prep takes forever. I am nowhere near where I need to be. Its a lot more tedious then I thought it would be.

And finally to my question. I took the LC Smith apart and then put it back together. When I was cleaning my floor, I cam across this part, does it look familiar? It might go to the Ithaca as I just put that back together to.

Dace, I am sorry to have to tell you this, but it belongs to the LC Smith.It pushes the safety back to the on position when you open the gun, not necessary for operation, but to put it back you will have to take it apart again. Ain't this fun?

Jim

Dace,
Jim is correct. However many "Sweet Elsies" roam the earth without this piece as it is what makes the safety "automatic" and many shooters prefer to set the safety themselves each and every time. This is particularly so in Trap/Skeet/Live bird ring. Best, DR. BILL

I would be very cautious about any "fire quenching the receiver to see if I can get a color case hardened look". The only thing I know about Case Hardening is it is not for the average tinkerer. Some of our more knowlegable members may chime in.

I think you are off to a good start!

I am going to start with small parts first. I was talking to an old gunsmith and he used to heat parts in an oven to about 500 degrees and then immediately dunk the parts into used motor oil. Then he would leave a little oil on the part in patterns and use a torch to heat the parts to get the affect.

Do more research. The old gunsmith's method is not correct.

Please note cautions concerning colour case-hardening. One of the finest gunsmiths in Canada is currently trying to fix a colour case-hardening expert's work.

Dace,

There is a lot of discussion here about case color hardening. There are several members who can do the process. What you describe could result in a potentially dangerous situation. The schedule is very different for case hardening.

Pete

Dace,
I believe your process creates a blued finish. I have seen it done with screws. By dabbing it on in a pattern on the receiver and heating you might get a mottled appearance which might look a bit like case color but you risk changing the hardness of the receiver in certain area. Done wrong, the receiver might crack under the load of firing.

Re-coloring an action isn't something you should mess with. Leave it to a pro.