doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Stupid repairs and bad restock jobs.

Went to a gun show today that was a waste of my time, as many are for double shooters. Wish I liked black guns, bad camo and weird jerky more so I could fit in more.

The only decent double there had a new butt stock. Why on Earth does anyone replace a Black walnut butt with English and not replace the fore end as well? Talk about stupid to do and bad to look at. To me it is like a lady only having one breast implant or one side of her face lifted. Either go back with Black or do both in the same wood.

There were a hand full of doubles that had been abused by owners but the restock was the worst of the lot. Hot blue, polished gun, heavy coats of varnish over old finish, recoil pads installed by a blind man, you name it you can find it at gun shows.

Its surprising how often I have found tumblers replaced on good English boxlocks,often poorly.
Not something you can really check for at a show either.
Makes one wonder why they went to the trouble of making a new one rather than welding up and reshaping the tip on the old one.
Also surprising how often one comes across restock jobs,that,while often well enough fitted used something that would have been more appropriate for a stock crate.

GDU

I can't agree with you more on the stocks. It seems as if forearms are just not on the list of stock makers to make.

Maybe some day I will find a black gun that is exciting to me, but I can't see how that would happen.

Perhaps the cost of replacing a perfectly good forend wood is troubling to some? Not much change out of �1,000.

I have a Lefever I grade with a stock that is as nicely inletted as any lower grade Lefever you'll see. But it appears to be made of white oak. The inletting is indistinguishable from factory. Also strange are guns which are very nicely inletted, but the final exterior shaping is ... well, you are left wondering if the intrepid stocker even ever looked at an original.

On the plus side, one double I bought a few weeks ago had a stock finish that looked like alligator hide. It was very thick and darkened and looked like it had been left too close to a wood stove or something. This alligatored finish even extended over some of the action and forearm metal. I thought I recognized what it was and made a very good deal because it was so ugly. When I got home, I saturated a rag with some 99% isopropyl alcohol and started rubbing. After 20-30 minutes, the alcohol had removed virtually all of the old, dirty, cracked garnet shellac. This shellac was laid on so heavily that about 95% of the scratches and little handling dents were in this thick removed surface. The checkering which had looked worn smooth and indistinct was simply clogged with heavy dirty shellac. Alcohol and an old toothbrush made it look almost factory fresh. Underneath was virtually all of the original finish which the alcohol didn't even soften. It was in great shape and a little wipedown with stock wax had it standing tall. Total stock restoration cost: about half a buck for alcohol and a dab of wax. And the original finish is still there! Shellac must have been much more commonly used in this manner, because I have ran across this several times, and this is why I recommend always starting with alcohol as a finish removal solvent.

Seems like every time I start thinking that gun shows or flea markets are a waste of time, I find some diamond in the rough. I do wish the gun show promoters would all ban vendors whose tables don't have at least 80% gun related content. The shows that are heavy with jerky and Indian jewelery are the ones I don't ever return to.

So keith:
What exactly was under this mess?
Jim

Quote: "What exactly was under this mess?"

My question as well!

Keith,
How about posting a picture.
Steve

Original G grade Lefever finish and checkering was buried under about 1/16" of old alligatored shellac. It appeared the gun had maybe 20 or 30 years of normal use and care before the shellac was slopped on. Certainly not new in box condition, but very presentable and that's as far as I'll ever take it. That heavy, ugly, and easily removeable top coat preserved and protected everything underneath from another 80-90 years of use and abuse. As stated, the checkering which was totally filled cleaned up nicely. Several fairly deep scratches did not go through the shellac to get to the original finish or wood. The original LAC buttplate was also covered and looked filthy and worn. Underneath was a nice sharp specimen with only a couple little dings. The scalloped grip cap was covered and you couldn't even see the screw slots. Even some of the metal had been covered, and the case colors are much stronger where they had been fossilized under that shellac. Since it was reversible and easily removed with a little alcohol and some elbow grease, I almost wish whoever did it had coated the barrels and all, because much of the blueing on the Damascus tubes is a smooth mottled patina. Shiny bores, uncut, and no dents and I got it for little more than a parts gun price because it was butt-ugly.

So, in short, as a protective finish the shellac was a resounding success, right?