Quote Originally Posted by trajectory View Post
Hi, the piston washer on that model B might be an original one. It looked intact & was supple so I didnt replace it & it seems to work pretty well. I tend to make them if I need them. It's a bit of fun if you have the time & the bought ones sometimes need conditioning & fitting so I end up fiddling with them anyway. Your woodwork looks to have cleaned up well. Some stocks have marks & large patches which are almost black in colour & are really deeply ingrained. They can be got out but it's often a long job to do so. Yours looks to be pretty good.
Thank you trajectory.
One side of my stock is a bit darker than the other; I must have worked less hard on the darker side! It was a lot of rubbing with the steelwool. In any case it's better than how it was. Making leather piston seals is something I should learn. For now I will order one from Protek.

Does someone know how to get the phosphor bronze piston rings off correctly?
I have tried putting a small tool in the gap of the rings, but this way I will deform the rings, if I pull them out. Perhaps that's the only way.
I would rather have a good leather seal and no rings, than both (as I have seen that air leaks past the rings anyway).