the best way to get rid of pitting on a project rifle

[Phil Russell]

If the pitting is not severe and you have the parts nicely cleaned, have a go at cold bluing. Maybe not as good or durable as a professional reblue... but pretty cheap. I have done this on old actions that a previous owner has painted grotty black; Cleaned parts down to 600 or 1200 grade paper then degreased etc and cold blued applied a few times as per instructions. I was surprised to see that after a few applications the odd pits I had seen were disappearing. Keep at it ... it should work. Preparation is the key to success.
Cheers, Phil

[valboskie]

Here are a few pictures of the rifle before I started do you guys think its salvageable

http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/z...pse0e7c2ed.jpg
http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps13d4509e.jpg
http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/z...psc643e78f.jpg
http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps29b9b9e5.jpg

Cheers
David

[davymole]

was given a tip by our local RFD as to the best way to remove old bluing was Brown sauce (any brand) and vinegar (I Laughted) but it worked as its still acid and was cheaper,as for the cleaner/degreaser the wifes nail polish remover and her face pads as wipes hardly cost ME anything tried it yesterday and it worked great but less brown sauce on the eggs in the future seen what it did to the actionI also have used valve grinding paste finish off with the fine you can still get the double ended tins today,I used to it recrown a barrel over the weekend turned out fine

[valboskie]

My msn cave is the dining room table the wife is not happy .

How do you use the grinding paste to remove the pitting.
Would I use the paste on some wet and dry cut into strips and used shoe shine style
Or would I need to buy an electric bench grinder and add some polishing mops

The deepest pits are on the breech block in the photos the ones on the barrel are starting to shift
5 hours of sanding with 80 and 240 grit wet n dry .
I want to finish the barrel before really starting the cylinder more seriously.

I have a vulcan in the same state maybe slightly worse after 27 years in a loft so I need to get some good results with the we falcon so I can make the vulcan as nice as I can.
Atb
David

[Blackrider]

was given a tip by our local RFD as to the best way to remove old bluing was Brown sauce (any brand) and vinegar (I Laughted) but it worked as its still acid and was cheaper,as for the cleaner/degreaser the wifes nail polish remover and her face pads as wipes hardly cost ME anything tried it yesterday and it worked great but less brown sauce on the eggs in the future seen what it did to the actionI also have used valve grinding paste finish off with the fine you can still get the double ended tins today,I used to it recrown a barrel over the weekend turned out fine

Would also agree with the BROWN SAUCE method but only use that "Houses of Parliament brand" as it Handles Pitting !

[davymole]

Here are a few pictures of the rifle before I started do you guys think its salvageable

http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/z...pse0e7c2ed.jpg
http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps13d4509e.jpg
http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/z...psc643e78f.jpg
http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps29b9b9e5.jpg

Cheers
David

Like me it will keep you in the man cave for a while but its well worth it just for the satisfaction that you did this and well done

[Phil Russell]

A few points to consider: If the rifle is for your son to plink with, is it really worth the cost of a professional re-blue, including any post and packing charges? For very little more than these costs you could get a perfectly respectable new rifle for him to use.
However, if you really want to renovate the Falcon then, if it was mine and I wanted to do it up as a plinker, not as a collectable in a collection, I would strip the stock back to bare wood, stain it with something like a Peruvian Mahogany stain, add Danish oil for maybe 6 coats and end up with a decent looking, glossy stock. If you do not want to use Danish oil... why not a good durable varnish for the plinker? The action I would cold blue (cost of cold blue preparation approx £7.00 and you can do more than 1 rifle with it) or, if desparatee, a spray on black coating ... but cold blue would be better and more satisfying to do. Factor in any spares you might need, but most you could do yourself e.g breech seal, piston washer. You may or may not need a new spring but I suspect the spring in the rifle would be OK for short range plinking.

The biggest cost of all this would be your time and I suspect you could do most of it in a day. The stock finishing would take longer as the stain/Danish oil/varnish needs to dry between coats.
Cheers, Phil

[valboskie]

A few points to consider: If the rifle is for your son to plink with, is it really worth the cost of a professional re-blue, including any post and packing charges? For very little more than these costs you could get a perfectly respectable new rifle for him to use.
However, if you really want to renovate the Falcon then, if it was mine and I wanted to do it up as a plinker, not as a collectable in a collection, I would strip the stock back to bare wood, stain it with something like a Peruvian Mahogany stain, add Danish oil for maybe 6 coats and end up with a decent looking, glossy stock. If you do not want to use Danish oil... why not a good durable varnish for the plinker? The action I would cold blue (cost of cold blue preparation approx £7.00 and you can do more than 1 rifle with it) or, if desparatee, a spray on black coating ... but cold blue would be better and more satisfying to do. Factor in any spares you might need, but most you could do yourself e.g breech seal, piston washer. You may or may not need a new spring but I suspect the spring in the rifle would be OK for short range plinking.

The biggest cost of all this would be your time and I suspect you could do most of it in a day. The stock finishing would take longer as the stain/Danish oil/varnish needs to dry between coats.
Cheers, Phil

Phil I have already done the stock with Gorgian red cherry gel stain and 7 costs of libron dainish oil.
I was going to just leave the action alone and just let my son use it but I could not leave well alone.
My plan is to cold blue it or try and rust blue it with Donald if he let's me.

The spring is bent So it needs replacing I can get some tool leather for the piston seal and breech seal but have no clue how to cut them out of such a thick piece of leather.

The falcon is a .22 and was putting out 5.5fpe before I stripped it.
I don't think it has ever been apart before in its life.
Atb
David

[Phil Russell]

The spring is bent So it needs replacing I can get some tool leather for the piston seal and breech seal but have no clue how to cut them out of such a thick piece of leather.

The falcon is a .22 and was putting out 5.5fpe before I stripped it.
I don't think it has ever been apart before in its life.
Atb
David

For cutting thick leather I often clamp the leather between 2 bits of hardboard or plywood and use a hole saw in an electric drill. Or: cut out as best you can with a sharp knife/scissors. Remember to allow plenty of size so that the finished cup washer is OK. Remember you can always trim the outside down if too deep. I would normally add about 1" to the piston diameter.
Once I have a leather disc, I treat it with a shoe leather stretching liquid (iso-propyl alcohol) which makes it pliable. Or soak a day or two in neatsfoot oil. Then fasten disc to end of piston using the original fixing parts (bolt, screww, washer etc). Now get a jubilee clip that is a loose fit on the piston body. Feed the leather disc into the clip and tighten it a bit to begin forming a cup. Keep tightening at intervals until the jubilee clip is tight around the piston body. You may have to move it a bit now and then to keep the disc central. Once at the 'clip tight' stage it is best to leave it soaking in neatsfoot overnight. When ready, you may need to trim the outer edge a bit but remember that when compressed, the outer edge will move back to give a flat bottomed cup so do not overdo it. Try the piston and seal for fit. If too tight, carefully reduce outer diameter of the cup with something like 240 grit (cleaning after!) or even a few strokes of a file or put piston assembly in a lathe and trim a bit of leather off the cup. Aim for a good sliding fit.
Breech seal can be a bit more fiddly to cut. I usually use a set of wad cutters ... about £6 a set from tool stalls. I cannot remember the exact measurement for a Falcon but many rifles are 12mm outer diam and 8mm inner. If your leather is not thick enough, just add a card or steel shim under the washer. I have also cut discs from plastic tubing (e.g. home brew tubing) and it works well.

Happy shooting.
Cheers, Phil

[ccdjg]

For cutting thick leather I often clamp the leather between 2 bits of hardboard or plywood and use a hole saw in an electric drill. Or: cut out as best you can with a sharp knife/scissors. Remember to allow plenty of size so that the finished cup washer is OK. Remember you can always trim the outside down if too deep. I would normally add about 1" to the piston diameter.
Once I have a leather disc, I treat it with a shoe leather stretching liquid (iso-propyl alcohol) which makes it pliable. Or soak a day or two in neatsfoot oil. Then fasten disc to end of piston using the original fixing parts (bolt, screww, washer etc). Now get a jubilee clip that is a loose fit on the piston body. Feed the leather disc into the clip and tighten it a bit to begin forming a cup. Keep tightening at intervals until the jubilee clip is tight around the piston body. You may have to move it a bit now and then to keep the disc central. Once at the 'clip tight' stage it is best to leave it soaking in neatsfoot overnight. When ready, you may need to trim the outer edge a bit but remember that when compressed, the outer edge will move back to give a flat bottomed cup so do not overdo it. Try the piston and seal for fit. If too tight, carefully reduce outer diameter of the cup with something like 240 grit (cleaning after!) or even a few strokes of a file or put piston assembly in a lathe and trim a bit of leather off the cup. Aim for a good sliding fit.
Breech seal can be a bit more fiddly to cut. I usually use a set of wad cutters ... about £6 a set from tool stalls. I cannot remember the exact measurement for a Falcon but many rifles are 12mm outer diam and 8mm inner. If your leather is not thick enough, just add a card or steel shim under the washer. I have also cut discs from plastic tubing (e.g. home brew tubing) and it works well.

Happy shooting.
Cheers, Phil

Great advice. The only thing I would add is that a good set of cork borers (available on the bay for about a tenner if you bide your time) will make cutting smaller leather washers very easy. They come in 1mm increments and being made of brass are easy to keep sharp.

[valboskie]

For cutting thick leather I often clamp the leather between 2 bits of hardboard or plywood and use a hole saw in an electric drill. Or: cut out as best you can with a sharp knife/scissors. Remember to allow plenty of size so that the finished cup washer is OK. Remember you can always trim the outside down if too deep. I would normally add about 1" to the piston diameter.
Once I have a leather disc, I treat it with a shoe leather stretching liquid (iso-propyl alcohol) which makes it pliable. Or soak a day or two in neatsfoot oil. Then fasten disc to end of piston using the original fixing parts (bolt, screww, washer etc). Now get a jubilee clip that is a loose fit on the piston body. Feed the leather disc into the clip and tighten it a bit to begin forming a cup. Keep tightening at intervals until the jubilee clip is tight around the piston body. You may have to move it a bit now and then to keep the disc central. Once at the 'clip tight' stage it is best to leave it soaking in neatsfoot overnight. When ready, you may need to trim the outer edge a bit but remember that when compressed, the outer edge will move back to give a flat bottomed cup so do not overdo it. Try the piston and seal for fit. If too tight, carefully reduce outer diameter of the cup with something like 240 grit (cleaning after!) or even a few strokes of a file or put piston assembly in a lathe and trim a bit of leather off the cup. Aim for a good sliding fit.
Breech seal can be a bit more fiddly to cut. I usually use a set of wad cutters ... about £6 a set from tool stalls. I cannot remember the exact measurement for a Falcon but many rifles are 12mm outer diam and 8mm inner. If your leather is not thick enough, just add a card or steel shim under the washer. I have also cut discs from plastic tubing (e.g. home brew tubing) and it works well.

Happy shooting.
Cheers, Phil

Thank you phil
This is the first leather washer I have ever seen.
I will source some leather a friend offered some tool leather so I will check the thickness.

Would soaking the original seal bring it back to a usable state.
I'm not sure what to look for.
Cheers
David

[T 20]

Here are a few pictures of the rifle before I started do you guys think its salvageable

http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/z...pse0e7c2ed.jpg
http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps13d4509e.jpg
http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/z...psc643e78f.jpg
http://i833.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps29b9b9e5.jpg

Cheers
David

That's not too bad David

Some of the marks you think need removing would probably not show if you Fume/Rust blued it.

Deep and wide pits are the only ones I bother about now though I did leave a couple on my 77 :-

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/...1012006294.jpg






All the best Mick

[thisisdonald]

Those photos are inspirational mick... I really need to nail this rust bluing this year!

[valboskie]

Those photos are inspirational mick... I really need to nail this rust bluing this year!

Donald I need results like micks .
When are we cutting your hedge and building your shed.
Next week lol.
Cheers
David

[battyone]

That's not too bad David

Some of the marks you think need removing would probably not show if you Fume/Rust blued it.

Deep and wide pits are the only ones I bother about now though I did leave a couple on my 77 :-

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/...1012006294.jpg






All the best Mick

Wow what had they done to that? Chucked it in a pond?
Very well done!