Antique color case cleaning experience needed

[Smcx]

Hey all. I just picked up an antique gun that has a case coloured frame. I don't actually have it in hand yet, but from the pics it looks like there is some colour left. I'm wondering if there is best practice for cleaning the grime and potentially letting the original colours (including remaining bluing) to show through.

Thx!

 

[The Kurgan]

Contact the very best in this country, Oskar Kob. Do a google search for his contact details. He will provide advice base on many decades of experience.

 

[brybenn]

Larry potterfield from midway has a couple vids on this

 

[BCRider]

For sure do not use anything that is either at all abrasive or in any way associated with removing rust. Color case hardening colors are quite fragile and literally only a few molecules deep. I'd stick with simple cleaning solvents such as low odor paint thinner, mineral spirits or Varsol and use a soft cotton 12Ga patch and a soft toothbrush as my tools. None of this will bother the metal itself or the coloring on any parts of the gun. After that depending on how you use or display the gun either oil or that Renaissance museum wax. Oil for actual use and wax for displaying.

I assume that the wood will also require cleaning. Most folks do not like my idea of using the original long term maintenance practice of raw linseed oil used as a cleaning agent and to freshen up and protect the wood. But normal maintenance instructions for oiled wood has always been to rub it down and wipe off the dirt and excess oil from days of old to now. The choice between using raw linseed or boiled linseed depending on the person and the gun.

 

[Sharps '63]

Raw linseed oil on case colours and left to dry offers protection.

 

[BCRider]

Might as well go with boiled linseed oil. That way it'll kick off and get hard in only a few days. The raw stuff takes days or weeks to get first of all sticky and then more time to finally harden to where a guy can handle it without leaving finger marks.

It may sound odd but after getting tired of my garden shovels being rusty and holding dirt like it was glued on I started coating them with a 50-50 mix of boiled linseed and mineral spirits just slapped on with a brush left in the jar of the mix then spread around with a small patch of paper towel. Not only does this prevent rust but the silly shovels actually look pretty darn pimp! ! ! ! The thin layer produced form wiping it around with the patch of paper towel dries hard in only a couple of days even in the cool of winter.

I've used the boiled linseed on my wood rifle stocks now for a lot of years. But I could see using it on CCH parts that I was going to shoot at the range as well for the durability and somewhat of a scratch resistant film.