Parker VH 28 bore restoration

Like my friend James stated Americans love their Parkers, but if you ever had a chance to own or handle an unfired Parker you will see right away that it’s not just about “Americana”….they were probably the best finished and fitted large production shotgun of their time.
Unfortunately they do wear out…but if they’re not abused they keep on going, just like this one had for almost a century….they can be brought back, and sometimes made a little better!

On this one the top lever was a bit sloppy and showing signs of wear

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Also the barrels were off the face and as often is the case the dolls head had suffered some damage


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This is often tricky work because to do it correctly all the mating surfaces need to be addressed to have the correct outcome after hardening
 
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With the wear taken out of the top lever it can now rotate properly on its axis….this along with addressing the locking bolt are crucial to restoring the locking mechanism.
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Once the action part of the mechanism is back to original specs, then it’s time to deal with the barrels, strike them true to the breach and repair the doll’s head

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Claudio, always blows me away watching you work. I never get tired of it and am always learning something new. Thanks for doing this thread.
 
Fantastic!
Consider every pic ‘liked’!
I love seeing the metal surfaces ground down, reworked and reset, and in this case made better than new.
It’s nice to see this basework preparation before any finishing is started, wood or metal, and how you scrape, grind and sand the surfaces, levelling them off, even through any preexisting engraving.
Great lines on the stock work too.
And the metal to metal and wood to metal inletting.
Wonderful attention to detail all around.

Seeing the progression in these pics makes me think about how Construction/assembly, to Shaping, to Surface prep, somewhere in here fits Engraving, to Finishing, are each distinct categories and arts of their own requiring specialized skill sets.
You make it look easy 😆

Thanks for sharing Claudio!
 
For those of you unfamiliar with Claudio's work, or just really interested in seeing what goes into restoration, here is another thread (in a different discussion forum) of a gun he worked on a few years ago. It has received nearly 400,000 views. Each gun typically requires different work, but the final finishes are the same...the case hardening, the bluing, the wood finishes.

Claudio will be at the Upper Canada Double Gun Classic on June 14. Anyone interested in fine old doubles or stunning gunsmithing should consider coming out to the Oshawa Gun Club. Always a great time.

https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=569690
 
Thank you Mr Parks and Jay…I just wanted to show the amount of work that goes into a restoration of this type.
Michael, as you know I’ve posted a few of these over the years… only was mostly done on the other site, fortunately here the picture posting aspect has evolved whereas there it has not, making it almost impossible to contribute.
And since I have a bit of spare time, you guys get to put up with this stuff….
But joking aside I’m hoping that it helps enlarge our community and inspire more up and comers to get involved in our great pastime.

And on that note…

If you want to achieve a good end result, polishing must be done in a way were the true surface is the priority, and if any engraving needs to come off and be re-cut, so be it.
This also means blending new cuts to existing original work….tricky yes, but not impossible
Gravers need to be matched and cutting must be done with the same “weight” and because this was a production item engraving was usually executed with speed…has a certain flow and feel, it has flaws, and it all has to be taken into consideration or it will not look correct.A6AA9FD2-F7F8-43F7-84E3-E8840EF4937A.jpeg
You can see the soft edges on the lettering below…this is needs to be addressed

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It's wonderful work you do, Claudio, and it's a joy to follow along with the process. There is so much to appreciate in a double gun, its design and manufacture. I too look forward to seeing the final result.
 
I've had the pleasure of following Claudio's work many times......on my guns and others....often in his workshop with him. Always blows me away. This one is no different.
 
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