Removing engraving on a Ithaca M37

Butcherbill

Butcherbill

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So I’ve got a M37 I originally bought as a parts gun, turns out I didn’t need to canibalise it in the end. I’d like to turn it into a police riot clone over the winter, it’s had the bluing removed from the receiver already. Barrel has been cut years ago and a Cutts Compensator installed, so it’s a perfect candidate for a riot clone as I see it. Its originality is long gone but all the parts are there, the finish on the wood has been stripped as well.

Wondering if the receiver engraving is shallow enough to be removed with a flat file and not effect anything, I was originally thinking of bluing the receiver but really like the look of the original parkerized finish. I had thought of filling the engraving and ceracoating the receiver, or painting and baking it with a flat high heat engine enamel.

It won’t be a purist riot clone so I’m not sticking to the original esthetic, I have a front ramped sight I’ll solder on and a Wilson Combat rear peep that will fit the radius of the receiver just like on an 870. I’d actually keep the Cutts on it if it was on a 20” length barrel or if I could find a more open choke for it, it came with a full choke. This will be a slug and buck gun, strictly a fun shotgun. Maybe it will get threaded for chokes but that isn’t my intention right now.

From what I can tell from internet pics, the mag tube and barrel weren’t parkerized and they came with or without stock checkering. Is this correct?

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If it were mine, I think filling in the engraving with a silver solder or the like, then a parkerized finish would be the way to go. I'd like to see pics of the progress whatever which way you go.
 
Painkillers said:
If it were mine, I think filling in the engraving with a silver solder or the like, then a parkerized finish would be the way to go. I'd like to see pics of the progress whatever which way you go.
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Oh don’t you worry, I’ll be taking pics along the way. I feel like filling the engraving might be the best route, seeing as the screws on the receiver sit proud. I’m not married to a blued finish. I’ll probably skim coat it with auto body filler vs solder but solder would be easy enough to do.
 
I don't think parkerizing will take to silver solder. In my limited experience I've had sections that were tig welded come up slightly different colour when parkerized.

The easiest would probably be to fill it then ceracoat it a matte grey/black to look like parkerizing.

If I recall the engravings in a Ithaca are pretty light, see if anyone has a scrap receiver you can test on before you commit to draw filing it out.

Just my 0.02 I'm not a gunsmith.
 
Easiest approach would be to just leave the engraving alone. Blast and park or blast and coat the receiver. The engraving will still be there, but it will be muted. Might as well finish the magazine tube and barrel to match, unless you want a two tone effect.
Trying to fill the engraving with silver solder could well result in a ruined receiver. The receiver is basically a thin walled box. Silver solder requires red heat. Lots of opportunity for warping.
I suppose the engraved areas could be blasted, filled with smeared on JB Weld, sanded flat and then coated. A uniform surface would be necessary for coating.
Just leaving the engraving, and refinishing with either park or coating is just about guaranteed to give an acceptable result with minimal effort and expense.
 
tiriaq said:
Easiest approach would be to just leave the engraving alone. Blast and park or blast and coat the receiver. The engraving will still be there, but it will be muted. Might as well finish the magazine tube and barrel to match, unless you want a two tone effect.
Trying to fill the engraving with silver solder could well result in a ruined receiver. The receiver is basically a thin walled box. Silver solder requires red heat. Lots of opportunity for warping.
I suppose the engraved areas could be blasted, filled with smeared on JB Weld, sanded flat and then coated. A uniform surface would be necessary for coating.
Just leaving the engraving, and refinishing with either park or coating is just about guaranteed to give an acceptable result with minimal effort and expense.
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I suggested "silver" solder specifically because of it's low temp flow properties. You'd lose temper long before the receiver was in danger of warping. Now, I have no idea how parkerizing would take to silver solder, (I believe parkarizing will only adhere to metals, so body filler I don't think will work) but if it does, some silver solders will flow in temps as low as 430 degrees fahrenheit...how warm does an egg have to be before it cooks? Lol. Either way, I believe we all agree that taking material off the receiver should be avoided?
 
Parkerizing is a process involving a chemical reaction with the steel. A surface layer of iron phosphate is created. It isn't going to work on a solder, high temp, low temp, silver bearing or otherwise.
A parkerizing/phosphate type finish is probably the easiest to do in a home shop. Easier than rust bluing, hot water bluing or especially hot caustic bluing. Blast the parts, then simmer them in the solution. Just about foolproof if the metal is clean. The final colour may vary, depending on the steel alloy.
Coatings are also easy. There are a number of them, some requiring baking after application, some not. Blast the parts to give a bit of texture for maximum bite, then spray on the finish. Bit of attention to detail required, drips and runs to be avoided. It is remarkable how durable coatings can be. Abrasion and chemical resistant; blasting or sanding are about the only ways to remove the best ones.
Some folks have reported acceptable results with certain rattle can paints.
 
Two diffeerent guns in your pictures. Which onbe is the one you want to refinish, Either way they aboth look good as is. I wouldn't change a thing on eitheer and just shoot them and enjoy them for what they are.
 
I have to agree with the old fart! :p The patina on those shotties are fantastic! I wouldn't think of refinishing them.
 
You can draw file and draw polish the sides... you will not be taking off so much as to affect strength... although you may be taking off more than you thought... it isn't the light markings you need to remove, it is the deepest markings...
 
A stationary bolt sander could take the sides down in no time...

A surface grinder could do a first class job of it.
 
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You could powder coat the reciever, then draw file the PC down to the metal (leaving the PC in the engraving) and repeat until the engraving is completely filled (probably only require two applications). This way you can choose any colour you want AND if you choose down the road, you can strip the PC, reblue and put it back to its original state.
 
looking at mine if I were to remove the engraving I would use my belt sander, its not deep and easily removed, the hard part is keeping it flat so keep moving it around and change orientation wile doing so, finish up on a flat plate lengthwise
 
Years ago I removed the markings on the sides of the receiver on a surface grinder. Around .006" per side was all it took to clean up.
 
The guns I posted pics of are not the one I’m working with, if I owned them I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s the general look I’ll be moving towards, I’m not going to try and make it original as that just won’t happen.

I’ll post pick of it once I start working on it, it’s currently completely disassembled and in many pieces. Nothing much to see.

Tiraq, my understanding is the engraving on the m37’s was rolled on, I think the best approach will be to fill it with JB weld or a quality automotive body filler and flat file/sand smooth, then a ceracoat or baked on paint finish. I like the non engraved receiver look of the police riot, have another m37 that’s original in shape and patina I’ll keep as is.

The receiver and mag tube have the bluing removed, I will decide after I cut the barrel and solder the front sight on if I’ll coat it to match or leave it blued.
 
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