From Bad to... Umm, Not Quite As Bad?

DiMP

DiMP

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For a while I have wanted to take an old gun and make it nice again. I looked all around online and did a bunch of research trying to figure out how I wanted to do it. I wanted something unique. I started with an old Iver Johnson shotgun that I paid very little for. My plan centered around making a good truck/camp gun. Something that would hopefully survive the elements. I don't have the facilities to try my hand at Hot Blueing yet, so I started researching other options. Much to the disdain of my buddies, I considered Chrome (or similar) but I don't have anywhere local that does it and I wanted to see the whole process unfold. I looked into powder coating, but the local guy who does it "didn't feel comfortable working on guns". With the idea of shiny chrome still in my mind, I wondered about just sanding off what remained of the old finish and leaving it bare metal. I didn't think that would last long without rusting, so I had to come up with a solution. After some pondering, I settled on a clear coat for the metal. Using a friend's sandblasting set up, I blasted the whole shotgun, gave it a wipe down and applied Engine clear coat. I couldn't find anything online of people clear coating their guns, so I figured I'd attempt it on a $50 gun. Engine paint is designed to be high heat resistant (not a big deal in a single shot firearm) and resistant to gas and oil (which means it should stay intact through cleanings)

I must say I love the look of it, and if it continues to last, I think I might try it again. I was donated an old Cooey 84 that has definitely seen better days by a buddy who came by my place as I was applying the clear coat to the Iver Johnson. I might attempt more sanding and polishing on the Cooey prior to clear coat to see if I can make it shine.

The Original
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Close Up Of Receiver
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Grit Blasted And Clearcoated
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If you like the bare metal look but want to try something different you could try a mirror finish and then coat that.
Its done very carefully starting with a very fine paper to a scotch bright and finally a buffer wheel with fine compound.

I once mirror finished some hand made handles for a restaurant. They were then black chrome dipped. That would look amazing on a firearm.

Food for thought.

Tip: if your getting into poilishing you need a steady hand and pay attention to your lines. Any twists or crisscross movments will make marks that will stand out.
 
rem74283 said:
If you like the bare metal look but want to try something different you could try a mirror finish and then coat that.
Its done very carefully starting with a very fine paper to a scotch bright and finally a buffer wheel with fine compound.

I once mirror finished some hand made handles for a restaurant. They were then black chrome dipped. That would look amazing on a firearm.

Food for thought.

Tip: if your getting into poilishing you need a steady hand and pay attention to your lines. Any twists or crisscross movments will make marks that will stand out.
Click to expand...

I was hoping to go closer to mirror next time. Thanks for the advice!
 
Any plans of painting it black? Or better if you bead blast for the 2nd time, buff it and do a cold bluing. I like mine blued shiny black. But if that is what you want, go for it. You are happy, then you win!
 
hawk-i said:
My guess is you devaluated our gun by 50%.....doesn't look all that bad though!
Click to expand...

Oh no! It's only going to be worth 25 bucks now? lol
I figured I'd try it on a cheap gun just to see how it works out.

icedog said:
...the world would be a boring place if we all liked the same things
Click to expand...
Bingo!
 
It's called experimentation for a reason, do a test, like leaving it in a salt bath for a while or burying it. If you don't like the result, strip it and try polishing it like the other guy said. Why not?
 
Interesting, I have been searching for someone that left the barrel raw. I'd be curious to see how it turns out. I was thinking of polishing a barrel on an old Mossberg 400 but I'm not sure how to treat it afterwards to stop it from rusting.
 
Intriguing... I have a similar old gun, acquired for practically nothing, that I've pondered refinishing. The greyish metal would look really cool with grey furniture, IMO. But it would feel practically sinful to refinish the wood, and where could one find synthetic replacements?
 
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