AlistairB Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 So I’ve been after a bit of a project gun for a while, and whilst chatting to a mate, I discovered he was going to get rid of his old side by side. Now I’ve seen this gun before and used it once for a giggle so I know it works. I also know what condition it was in - its nickname was 'the old nail'. On his ticket it was described as "Spanish", nothing more, nothing less, no maker’s name that is legible, nothing! The deal was done, the princely sum of 1 slab of Kent Velocity 28g 7.5's agreed, and as a result, I now have my project! The barrels have some off and been properly cleaned for the first time in 15 years. Once the plastic deposits were removed I found some very minor pitting in one barrel and a bit of corrosion on the end, most of the blueing has gone and it's just dull brown - they'll be off to RichardH fairly soon. The action is out and internals cleaned up, and the stock and fore-end refurb will start next week. So the question: From the bottom picture, you can see the metal work on the action is very dull - any recommendations on how to bring a bit of life back into it? Any other tips or hints welcome!! Ta AB Starting to come apart Stock has some marks but I think they'll lift and buff out before re-oiling Action out Managed to blow my upload limit for that post - this is the pic of the action that i need some advice on. Ta AB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham M Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 That doesn't look too bad actually (seen worse) The chequering is still OK and you can clean that out and deepen it a little using 3 sided riffler files (50p each from my local tools store) the stock can be sanded back after scraping of all the excess varnish using a broken bottle. I smash a bottle inside a cloth bag and then take out the long slivers which have a very sharp edge which makes them perfect for scrapers. Then fold several layers of newspaper and wet them, place them over the dents and apply a large copper soldering iron to them. Huge clouds of hot steam will vent into the wood, swelling the fibres and raising the dents. The stock looks as though it has a bit of figuring in it which will be enhanced with a nice bit of linseed, but if you can soak some Alkanet root in some pure turpentine and oil mixture (@ 1 part turp's to 4 parts oil) and leave it for a couple of weeks whilst you are doing the wood, you will find it @ 10 X cheaper then buying the overpriced stuff you get from a gunshop (and you will have loads of the stuff to play with) once you have sorted out the wood and have smoothed it as much as possible cover it in a liberal dose of Alkanet oil mixture and sand it with 250 W%D. This will form a slurry that will start to fill the pores. Wipe it off and leave overnight before applying a finger of oil and rubbing it hard into the grain. After three weeks of daily oiling and rubbing you will need to apply a couple of fingers of Terebine. This is sold in good paint suppliers a “Driers” and is used to dry oil. It will soak into the wood and seal the wood from the inside out. A few weeks work will turn that stock into a thing of beauty, but you do have to work at it. If everything gets too sticky, then you have applied too much oil and you just need to rub it all of with 0000 wire wool and start again. This isn't a problem though because the wood will have absorbed the oil and will now be perfect for that final finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlistairB Posted April 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 (edited) Cheers mate, appreciate your reply, seems like sound advice, not sure about ther broken bottle bit though, might just use wire wool for that bit. I'm off next week so that's when the hard work will start. AB Edited April 24, 2012 by blackla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triumphant59 Posted April 24, 2012 Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 What make and age is the gun, makers code wil be 2/3 letters on action and barrel flats year code will be a letter followed by the No1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlistairB Posted April 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2012 What make and age is the gun, makers code wil be 2/3 letters on action and barrel flats year code will be a letter followed by the No1 I'll check, but i know the guy i got it from had it for something like 30 years. AB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlistairB Posted April 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2012 What make and age is the gun, makers code wil be 2/3 letters on action and barrel flats year code will be a letter followed by the No1 The only thing i can find is FM in a circle and what looks like I1 - any thoughts? Photo of the stripped back stock, bit more work to be done on it before the oil starts going on. Barrels going in today. AB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archiebald Posted April 30, 2012 Report Share Posted April 30, 2012 that stock looks to be coming on very nicely, a couple of years ago i did a lig eibar which looked identical to that. when i stripped it i used nitromos and a dish scourer it took no more than ten mins to strip cleanly to bare wood and made the job perfectly clean and a pice of cake. after it had dried i sanded the stock down to a glass like finnish and stained it with whicks own brand antiqe pine. when that dried i then wet the shower walls and applied proberbly 10 - 12 very thin layers of tru-oil well rubbed in with cheese cloth (wet shower walls between layers with cold water to catch any dust) the finnish was really suprising and it braught out out a deep grain pattern i never new existed under the previous finnish! it was a great project but very scary seeing it laid on the sink draining board as bare wood :o but verry satisfying when finnished! good luck with your project and im watching with great interest! atb tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewj Posted April 30, 2012 Report Share Posted April 30, 2012 interesting and looking good i have just done a refurb on armas ego (iebar) they look very similar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archiebald Posted April 30, 2012 Report Share Posted April 30, 2012 forgot to add i freshened the checkering carefully with the back of the tip craft knife, cleaning the wood dust behind it afterwards with a dry toothbrush and then applied the tru oil to the checkering areas with the clean dry tooth brush and it came out neater than before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archiebald Posted April 30, 2012 Report Share Posted April 30, 2012 interesting and looking good i have just done a refurb on armas ego (iebar) they look very similar them spannish shotguns are great, some people frown at them maybe because of there often poor factory finnishes on the woodwork Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lewj Posted April 30, 2012 Report Share Posted April 30, 2012 yes true mine had a horrible cheap finish to it and beat to flip but now looks good with just a stain and tru oil finish ill post pics once its back from gun shop having a new firing pin fitted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlistairB Posted April 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2012 Two coats of oil on and it's beginning to look ok, got the offer of a chequering tool to clean it out but so far, as a first attempt, i'm happy with it! More photos tomorrow. For the sake of £42 it could go in the bin, so i'm happy! Barrels dropped off tonight to see what RichardH can do with them, they were brown rather than anywhere near black. We'll see! AB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlistairB Posted May 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2012 So this is the stock after 4 coats of oil, not looking too bad so far! Couldnt get that mark across the chequering out, but it adds provenance! AB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compo90 Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 i frequent shotgun world forum also..... i have a spanish side by side and the serial number starts LI which i have been informed from there is Industious Ilja this link is useful http://personales.jet.es/rafa/b_punzones.html my old spanish gun needs the same treatment the barrels have some minor pitting and need rebluing the stock looks like it has been used as an hammer...........would be interested in how you get on and maybe some advice later when i have time and some cash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlistairB Posted June 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 Picked up the barrels form RichardH last weekend. What a job, I wasnt sure how much he'd be able to do to them, so I wasn’t expecting a lot, but they look really good. Actions is back in the stock, so I took the whole thing for a test fire on Sunday to make sure I hadn’t knacked the action or not managed to get it back together properly, and the old girl worked first time. Also discovered she's choked nearly full (between 3/4 and full) and half. Unfortunately, at some point either putting it into or taking it out of the slip, i managed to somehow put a scratch all the way along the comb, so that'll have to be redone - hey ho, keeps me out of trouble! All in all as a first attempt, I'm very happy with it. AB Some photos (not great quality), stock and action reunited: The finished product (before the scratch!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arjimlad Posted June 13, 2012 Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 Lovely job you have made of that... you'll carry that with pride now. Time to get another old nail for out in the woods ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardH Posted June 13, 2012 Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 Looking very tidy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archiebald Posted June 13, 2012 Report Share Posted June 13, 2012 That looks great does that! Its a great feeling when a plan comes together! Atb tom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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