The Midnight Model 12

straightshooter

straightshooter

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You may be aware that I've been experimenting with a new wood finishing technique. I call it "Walnutz".

This is totally new to me and I developed it from scratch, so it has been a fun adventure. My first attempt was with a vintage Husqvarna SxS. The second and third guns I worked on were Winchester 1897s (one blued and one in the white). This, then, is my 4th project. The gun belongs to my friend and hunting partner. He did great work for me digitizing my 92 yr old mother's slides from back in the '60s and '70s, so this was supposed to be my way of saying thanks. Needless to say, I didn't want to mess this up.

He had a new repro stock on the gun (see 'before' photos) that was terribly ill fitting. Also, he wanted the finish to be a matte finish. So this is the one and only matte finished Walnutz restoration to date.

It turned out as well as I could have hoped. The deep bluing looks good with the Walnutz finish. I inspected and repaired or adjusted every part on the gun, as needed. While I had it in pieces, I ultrasonically cleaned it.

Normally the ejection port side of the bolt and the shell carrier are not blued on a Model 12. The bright metal shining out of those ports cheapened the look, IMHO, so I blued those as well. This is better than highly reflective surfaces on a hunting gun, anyway. The overall look is what earned it the name The Midnight Model 12.

In any event, you can judge for yourself how this project turned out. The first batch of photos at the link below are the 'Before' shots; the second batch are the 'After' shots. In the last batch of photos are all the Walnutz projects I've done so far. The Husqvarna appears in only the last few, as it was an afterthought. In these group shots, you can see the comparison between a gloss Walnutz finish and a matte finish.

The images are posted at this link: https://img.gg/OGNZ5S4
 
I am the owner of this gun. All I can say is that the photos (nice as they are) do not do justice to this work.

When I handed the gun over to Straightshooter it was in shabby shape. The pictures don’t show that well either. The Model 1912 was worn, filthy and everything felt a little loose.

When I got it back it was as clean as new. Everything is tight and the action is as slick as greased lightning. Even the Polychoke feels new.

The bluing is flawless and the “midnight” look is very appealing. The wood treatment is amazing. The deep brown colouration suits the gun to a tee. The method Straightshooter uses is unique and provides a very natural, high grade walnut look. I am more than impressed, not an unfilled pore to be seen and the satin finish is impeccable.

The 95### serial number places the date of manufacture about the middle of 1915. The gun is 108 years old. Now it’s good for another century.

What Straightshooter is not telling you is how much work and experimentation he did before starting work on his first project. Using an old stock blank his technique was developed by application, experimentation and stripping it all off and starting again. Only when the technique started yielding good results did the first project begin.

Same with the bluing. By repeated experimentation he came up with a technique that works. The ultrasonic deep cleaning and decreasing provides the perfect canvas for the special bluing treatment.

I’m sure Straightshooter can provide a list of the products he used. I’m here to tell you that the products used are almost irrelevant. It is the hours of learning, practice and development of the techniques that create the end result. By any measure this is skilled craftsmanship. An art form.

You can buy paint at a store. It takes more than that to create a great painting. The kind of paint used is of little significance in the finished work.

So, a public thank you to Straightshooter for this labour of love. To say that I am thrilled with the result is a gross understatement. I hope you can continue to exercise your hard earned skills. They are worth your effort!
 
Sharptail said:
I am the owner of this gun. All I can say is that the photos (nice as they are) do not do justice to this work.

When I handed the gun over to Straightshooter it was in shabby shape. The pictures don’t show that well either. The Model 1912 was worn, filthy and everything felt a little loose.

When I got it back it was as clean as new. Everything is tight and the action is as slick as greased lightning. Even the Polychoke feels new.

The bluing is flawless and the “midnight” look is very appealing. The wood treatment is amazing. The deep brown colouration suits the gun to a tee. The method Straightshooter uses is unique and provides a very natural, high grade walnut look. I am more than impressed, not an unfilled pore to be seen and the satin finish is impeccable.

The 95### serial number places the date of manufacture about the middle of 1915. The gun is 108 years old. Now it’s good for another century.

What Straightshooter is not telling you is how much work and experimentation he did before starting work on his first project. Using an old stock blank his technique was developed by application, experimentation and stripping it all off and starting again. Only when the technique started yielding good results did the first project begin.

Same with the bluing. By repeated experimentation he came up with a technique that works. The ultrasonic deep cleaning and decreasing provides the perfect canvas for the special bluing treatment.

I’m sure Straightshooter can provide a list of the products he used. I’m here to tell you that the products used are almost irrelevant. It is the hours of learning, practice and development of the techniques that create the end result. By any measure this is skilled craftsmanship. An art form.

You can buy paint at a store. It takes more than that to create a great painting. The kind of paint used is of little significance in the finished work.

So, a public thank you to Straightshooter for this labour of love. To say that I am thrilled with the result is a gross understatement. I hope you can continue to exercise your hard earned skills. They are worth your effort!
Click to expand...



As someone who has dabbled in restoration for years I can appreciate what kind of effort this takes.
 
Great piece of work on a fine old 12. like to see them kept alive unlike some of the plastic (yes I shoot them too) stuff we have now
 
Absolutely stunning work! Turned out amazing, great job!!!! Now we know who to contact when we need some walnutz finish ;)
 
Thanks, again. It has been a journey to develop this technique, but the rewards of having vintage guns in excellent condition and looking their best has been worth it.

After the Midnight Model 12, I worked on an AYA sxs. I was very pleased with the way it turned out as well. It was essentially the same process: disassembled, ultrasonically cleaned and degreased, worn or broken parts repaired or replaced, barrels and furniture reblued, case colours refreshed, dents and scratches in stocks raised, checkering refreshed, stocks refinished with Walnutz hand-rubbed Truoil finish, and reassembly and testing.

This image was taken (coincidentally) by the owner of the Midnight Model 12 - GunNut "Sharptail".

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Here's a few more conventional images of the AYA:

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I'm keeping my processes and methods as proprietary information while I'm still in good enough shape to do the work. As I'm no spring chicken, I would expect my focus to switch to sharing what I've learned with interested parties in about 10 years.
 
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