I would stain that wood with a dark walnut minwax stain and not rub it off too aggressively. Just even out the colour. Let it dry for several days because there is a lot of oil in those stains. Then I would finish it with a tinted polyurethane. Something in walnut colour again. You want to cover that wood, not enhance it.
Working on vintage family gun
- Thread starter Bland
- Start date
If it were mine, I would hit it with walnut coloured fiebings leather dye (which is an oil based stain that will wick into ANYTHING). Not much else will penetrate beechwood. Hardware store stains will only sit on the surface and will wash out and look uneven when you apply finishes over them, a peculiarity of this wood species. You can do multiple leather dye coats and it will darken as more dye is absorbed by the beechwood. Let it cure 24 hours, then finish in either Birchwood Casey Tru-oil (if you want glossy and waterproof) or with Lee Valley Linseed Wax finish if you want a more traditional oiled finish.
When these economy-priced european shotguns were made for the north american market, it was known Yanks like a stock to look black-walnut coloured, which was hard to do on the inexpensive (but effective) beechwood stocks, so usually they simply used a darkly coloured varnish instead of a penetrating stain. The problem, of course, is that the slightest damage to the finish showed white-ish wood. In europe, they just oiled the beechwood as most shooters there had different tastes than in the USA.
You see the same issue on some of the cheap(er) birch stocks that were used on CIL and Lakefield single shot shotgun in the 70's and 80's, as well as the early 870 express stocks, before they started just leaving them birch coloured. Like beechwood, birch is another species that does not take stain very well.
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Certainly did not mean to take this long but life really got in the way. Ended up with eleven pins in all and quite a bit of epoxy. My honorary post doctorate in hindsight tells me that I should have researched more on colouring the epoxy before mixing. In my defence the nearest hardware store is 2 and 1/2 hour round trip. Not sure I can hide those glue lines now. Lesson learned. My cousin probably would prefer if it was green and yellow (JD colours) anyway. The shrinkage was very pronounced throughout the stock and that beechwood sure chips very easily. I went with Tung and Teak oil ,about 8 coats. There is a nice subtle curly grain in the stock. Putting everything back together was a long process. Finally got everything lined up and functioning properly. Still on the lookout for a new firing pin spring, not too concerned about that. Check out the checkering, looks like the guy was late for a hot date. The other side is perfect. There is a very excellent repair on the forearm, no idea when that was done, maybe at the factory. So no manufacturer's name anywhere, your basic utility gun that did rather well over the years all things considered. This was my first major rebuild and fully appreciate the help from all those who took the time to answer my questions.
So now the big question...... Researching the repair of the 'off face' issue opened up the option of Tig welding the hook and then hand filing. I thought ( and we all know what thought did) that welding of any kind was a no-no on doubles. Mr. Midway on youtube says otherwise. He also shows a method using Loctite and shim steel. Opinions on the Tig weld method would be much appreciated. There is a welder in Smithers who is a magician so if it is a viable option that is the way I will go. Thanks in advance.
So now the big question...... Researching the repair of the 'off face' issue opened up the option of Tig welding the hook and then hand filing. I thought ( and we all know what thought did) that welding of any kind was a no-no on doubles. Mr. Midway on youtube says otherwise. He also shows a method using Loctite and shim steel. Opinions on the Tig weld method would be much appreciated. There is a welder in Smithers who is a magician so if it is a viable option that is the way I will go. Thanks in advance.
Actually Claven2 ,both ways are acceptable ,I know a little about this ...not every gun can be put back on face via a new pin ,and there are other acceptable ways as well ,a shim can be a viable alternative for a cheaper gun ,not the "right" way by a long stretch but it will work when there is just a little slop in the action .
The shim is the simplest alternative ,the other methods need to be approached with caution and education when filing metal from a set of barrels it doesn't grow back easily! and damage can be irreversible.
Bland, feel free to pm me with any questions .
The shim is the simplest alternative ,the other methods need to be approached with caution and education when filing metal from a set of barrels it doesn't grow back easily! and damage can be irreversible.
Bland, feel free to pm me with any questions .
gunsaholic
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Winnipeg, Manitoba
Welding the hook is a very common method--as long as whoever is doing it knows what he is doing. There is also a video by Jack Rowe showing where he displaces metal on the barrel lug by striking it with a hammer. Apparently this is also an accepted British method.
Funny I'm in the process of doing the exact same thing to my grandfathers old double barrel Manton. It was rusted to hell and the stock was broken, one of the firing pins was snapped off and the retaining pin was mangled. Had a couple of rain days to work on it and almost ready to re-stain/ varnish the furniture. Need to clean the metal again and give it a final polish. Still playing with the idea of making a new firing pin and retapping the retaining pin. Either way I figured it'd make a great wall hanger as its so bloody old I don't think I want to risk firing even a light load. I'm pretty sure its not worth much but it kind of has some sentimental value which has motivated me to polish the old turd.
Peening the lug (hook) is a method that I considered but was not recommended on a gunsmithing webpage I was using as reference. They claimed it was temporary fix at best. I prefer the weld because it would be more permanent. The welder in Smithers is very experienced. The shrinkage really contributed to the breakdown of the stock. As Claven2 mentioned the finish for the NA market was not the same as for the European one. Oiling this stock from the beginning would have been the preferable method IMO. So any guess on manufacturer?
PM sent CJ
Working on a family gun has a certain satisfaction Pfiwarrior. Too bad you do not have the confidence in this gun to use it, better safe than sorry.
Bland, I think your gun is a "JABC". Don't waste your money trying to put it back on face. It's a nice wall hanger project with sentimental value. Hang it up.
gunsaholic
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Winnipeg, Manitoba
Hard to really say as so many looked very similar but it kind of looks like it could have been made by Janssen & Son.
Thanks for the interest, your basic hardware store special, I guess. Will be picking her up next town trip from the welder and get the files out and see how well I do bringing her back on face. My cousin is looking forward to getting his Grandfather's gun back. Those racoons better start getting nervous.
This has been a learning project on a gun with nothing left to lose. I see where you are coming from. To date my expense has been the dowling the rest has been 'found' in my cluttered basement. The weld will be very affordable and the rest just my time. Family project so not necessarily a practical one.
Hey, I get that...some of my gun projects make no sense in practical terms. They can be darn satisfying though!
