It's been a while since I refinished one... (Tales of a refurbished Enfield P14)

louthepou

louthepou

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Hi folks,

I know, I know, my productivity has slowed down somewhat. Blame it on summer vacation, splitting fire wood, etc, etc...

Anyways, here's what I've finally been able to work on for the past couple of weeks.

I got this P14 part of a two-rifle deal (Thanks a.g.!), for a reasonable price considering the shape it was in. It probably had been a while since someone took it completely apart; but don't trust my words, here's a... pictorial! Woohoo!

First, taking a look at the rifle before I took it apart. Damage to the front handguard and rust on metal bits;
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj180/louthepou/Lee Enfield Refurb/Picture119.jpg

Handguard ring and rear handguard partially removed;
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj180/louthepou/Lee Enfield Refurb/Picture122.jpg

And (I like this one) underside of the trigger assembly once removed from the forend.
Picture124.jpg


So I started working on the metal parts. Removed all the crud, some of which was a mix of sand, dust, hardened grease... I suppose, anyway. Rust had to be removed, which left some areas of some parts (middle band, front band, etc) bare; so I had to reblue these parts. I know it can sound harsh on a project like this one; but if the rust is too serious, it needs to come off; and bare metal will just start rusting again soon, so... bottom line, what I didn't absolutely need to touch, I didn't touch. For example, the barrel was left with its original protective "gunk": http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj180/louthepou/Lee Enfield Refurb/Picture120.jpg

Then, I moved on to the wood. Both handguards needed repairs. The front one, I cut a square chunk where there was a missing piece.
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj180/louthepou/Lee Enfield Refurb/Picture131.jpg

I glued a spare piece of wood, slightly larger; I then carved the excess wood.
Picture117.jpg


Except for the repaired areas, only very fine steel wool was used for wood prep (after cleaning with paint thinner). Linseed oil was then used for finishing.

So all things considered, about 12 hours well spent. This Winchester-made P14 should shoot well, the bore and rifling are nice - can't wait to try her at the range!
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj180/louthepou/Lee Enfield Refurb/Picture132.jpg

Picture129.jpg
 
Nice work, Lou!

I don't think I've encountered a P-14 that was that dirty in my travels.

Let's hope she shoots well.
 
...so I had to reblue these parts. I know it can sound harsh on a project like this one; but if the rust is too serious, it needs to come off; and bare metal will just start rusting again soon, so...
Click to expand...
Try some Naval Jelly: it tends to passivate the metal once the rust is gone.
I think it is the phosphoric acid in it that does this.
PP.
 
Hey lou.

I am in the process of refitting an old No1 Mk3 back into her former all wood glory.

The problem I have is that the original buttstock is allmost blonde and the rest of the wood really dark. What do you use to darken the wood before applying the oil the finish the wood.

Pics to follow on the project.
 
I usually try to start with wood parts that match as much as possible to start with. In this case, I didn't mix and match parts, because the rifle came to me complete; I assumed the parts were on the rifle for a long time so they'd stay with it.

When I refurb a sporterized rifle it's a bit different. So I have some spare bits (butt stock, handguards etc) that allow me to better match grain, color etc.

In your case, you probably have walnut or something like that for the forend / handguards and beech or some other pale wood for the butt stock. Did you completely strip all the wood parts to make sure you know exactly what you have? I'd advise finding a dark butt stock and swapping yours for it? Staining will bring the color darker but the grain would still be wrong. In my opinion.

Lou
 
There is a rust converter out there that is safer to use. It won't eat the metal, and converts the rust into something you can easily wipe off. It is reusable too, so you can pour the remainder back into the jar.

There is another thread on this from last month. Do a search.

It leaves the metal looking like it was bead blasted.
 
DOOK said:
There is a rust converter out there that is safer to use. It won't eat the metal, and converts the rust into something you can easily wipe off. It is reusable too, so you can pour the remainder back into the jar.

There is another thread on this from last month. Do a search.

It leaves the metal looking like it was bead blasted.
Click to expand...

Is that naval jelly? I have used this before though not re-used.
 
No. Naval jelly is phosphoric acid. The same ingredient that makes Coke a good chrome cleaner/ engine degreaser/ window cleaner.
It will attack the metal if left on too long.
This stuff only converts the rust, or iron oxide into something you can wipe off. It works extremely well, and you can re-use it. It's also not toxic, and has little smell.

Dammit! You're going to make me do the search aren't you....


Ok, here you go:

h ttp://www.evapo-rust.ca/
 
DOOK said:
There is a rust converter out there that is safer to use. It won't eat the metal, and converts the rust into something you can easily wipe off. It is reusable too, so you can pour the remainder back into the jar.

There is another thread on this from last month. Do a search.

It leaves the metal looking like it was bead blasted.
Click to expand...

Evaporust. Lee Valley Tools carries it, and you may be able to find it locally if you hunt hard.
 
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