character of old shotguns

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brybenn

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Recently I began redoing wood stocks of some of my guns. Im getting better with each one and bought several old sxs guns to restore. I picked up a sweet old Spanish. Box lock in need of work. Problem is my wife says I'm killing its character by sanding it down raising the dents and sharpening the checkering and re bluing the metal. It's a shooter not a valuable gun

So what do you think? Keep some of the scars and patina or Give it new life?
 
brybenn said:
Recently I began redoing wood stocks of some of my guns. Im getting better with each one and bought several old sxs guns to restore. I picked up a sweet old Spanish. Box lock in need of work. Problem is my wife says I'm killing its character by sanding it down raising the dents and sharpening the checkering and re bluing the metal. It's a shooter not a valuable gun

So what do you think? Keep some of the scars and patina or Give it new life?
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Nope, do 'er up, you will gain experience and get more money when you sell it.
Cat
 
I say keep scars. each one probably has a story. It takes 10 minutes to buy a perfect gun, but it takes 100 years to make it look like it does...
 
Never sand,carefully remove old damaged finish with a chemical stripper and steam out the big dings. Experiment with a french polish oil finish and try to preserve the patina on the metal.
 
It depends on it's origins and on it's value/condition.

The English tradition is to send one's guns back to the maker periodically, to have them adjusted and refinished. Provided that the work done is by a competent hand, it only enhances the value of the gun.

Collectors of American classic guns, however, put a premium on pieces that bear the marks of their provenance. Even more so if the provenance of the gun is known and/or the gun has a military history. Classic American guns should only be refinished due to repairs or a complete restoration.

Any gun worth less than $300 makes a good prospect for refinishing.
 
This really becomes a personal choice and there are those on both sides of the fence on this matter. It also depends on what type of firearm it is. If it's a military gun that has been used in battles, or is documented by being owned by someone of significance then I say leave them alone as that is part of documented history and the gun becomes part of that history. Or if the marks in a gun have sentimental value or a known story to you because a family member put them there, then maybe I would leave them untouched. But to the majority of guns that are just purchased without any connection to their past or how they got each ding, dent or scratch I say fix them up. For all we know a gun could have been owned by someone who didn't give a dam about it and maybe neglected everything they owned. Or a gun could have been owned by someone in the past who really wished they could have had the gun "maintained" or "restored" but couldn't afford to . So as mentioned, it is a personal choice and personally I could care less about the history of someone elses neglect.
 
My penny and a half's worth is keep doing it, now is the time to keep practising with stuff that with teach you the skills. I know I've been looking the Boyd's stocks and the fun to be had in doing your own custom checkering and finish. There are few who have learned the skills to bring something back to life.
 
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Refinishing is done to satisfy a taste.
I don't like to see an old gun refinished out of character, but a restoration, done to professional standards and in character with the original, is another matter.
 
I just strip everything down and sand with 220 grit and raise any dents and sharpen the checkering then hand rub oil finish it. Some I have use various stains as well to bring out the wood grain. I'm getting into re bluing as well. I only work on cheaper guns so basically anything I do it will still be a $250/300 gun. Ones I've done have sold very quick though
But I worked out a deal with th wife. Feel like I got robbed still. She gets to keep the Sarasequesta I'm working on and I can do what I want with the aya and other Spanish double I picked up
 
saskbooknut said:
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Refinishing is done to satisfy a taste.
I don't like to see an old gun refinished out of character, but a restoration, done to professional standards and in character with the original, is another matter.
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Yes, and I should have clarified in my earlier post that when I say to have guns restored or refinished, I am talking about having it done properly by professionals who know what they are doing. That does not mean running down to Cabelas and buying a bottle of tru-oil and cold bluing . Of course the gun has to be one that warrants the cost of restoration . But in regards to the type of guns that the OP is talking about, I say have at it using your own skills and refinishing techniques. They are guns that certainly don't warrant paying someone to work on .You won't really hurt anything and chances are that you will succeed in making the gun look better., if nothing else for your own satisfaction
 
Ya its not like they're ithacas parkers Merkels or any British bests. Just cheap shooters that will see honest hunting and skeet shooting. Hey Scott I should have a new to me straight stocked sxs Sunday if you want to try English grip again
 
I'd try to avoid sandpaper as much as possible when refinishing gun wood. Sanding removes wood and makes the stock smaller. I use paint and varnish strippers heavily, and a steam hose attached to a boiling kettle to raise dents and clean the wood where needed. Quite often i can get all the stains out and raise the dents with little or no sanding. If you do sand, for gawd sake stay away from the edges where it mates up with metal or fittings. Nothing says bubba like wood that's been sanded below the metal. It won't make much difference on guns that have no collector interest, but it will cut the value to half or less on some.
 
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