doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Case Color Protection

Sorry if this question is a repeat, I did in fact do a search and did not find anything.

Protection methods for case coloring offer several options. One that I have recently heard is True Oil? After some time has passed a light solvent will strip the old True Oil preparring for another coat. Who has done this and what kind of results did you get?

Another method I recently heard is a shellac finish that to me seems a little worrisome. The process to strip that shellac sounds invasive to the original finish? Any experience with this?

One more, True Oil has been mentioned a lot recently. Can you apply True Oil to an oil finished stock without stripping the old finish?

Mark,
I'd go with lacquer on the case colors. True-oil and shellacs are not clear and will mute the case colors IMO. Oscar recommended a brand with a name something like Behlens or such as the best that he'd tried. I've used a crystal clear lacquer intended for polished brass that has worked well.

Chuck,

Have you taken the lacquer finish off and re-applied? If so, how long did the first application last and under what kind of conditions? What did you use to take the lacquer off?

Thanks,

MC

For short term care where the gun is in use (longer term if in is lightly used), use wax. Renesance Wax is the paste of choice for most (synthetic with known neutral Ph), but plain 'ole Johnson's Paste Floor Wax did good service for me for 20 years.

Agree with CH that lacquor is better for the long run. True Oil will work, is more durable than wax, and less durable than lacquor. I wouldn't bother with shellac.

True Oil over any stock finish will start forming a new wear surface - no damage. Many guns with an oil finish can be brought back to life by rubbing out and cleaning the old oil and adding new.

Mark,
Recoating with any finish is a pain. IMO, you should take all the metal off the wood, strip the clearcoat off with acetone or MEK. Then you need to relube the gun, probably needed it anyway. My little 410 needs recoating and I've put it off for a while, but maybe in this off season I'll get to it.

Chuck is right ! I would suggest you send action to John at Classic and he will strip, clean and recoat with a water thin varnish he uses. He applies three coats and bakes between exch coat. It has no runs or orange peel effect & is clear. FWIW, Ken

Oscar put TruOil on my Parker almost 5 years ago and I am happy with the look and durability of it. I use TruOil frequently on gunstocks so it's always on hand. I also expect it to be easy to remove if that is ever necessary.

Mark,

The lacquer on my guns lasts about two full hunting seasons. That is November through March. I strip the gun, then soak it in lacquer thinner. I then clean with a toothbrush as necessary. I hang the receiver and other parts from soft iron wire and spray with clear gloss lacquer. I start by spraying the topstrap with the lever to the right. I then release the lever and spray the rest of the receiver. Keep your coats light. You don't want to fill the engraving. If you scew up you can alway take it off with lacquer thinner. The whole process including stripping, cleaning, spraying, drying and reassembly takes about 2 hours. Remember to lightly lubricate the receiver prior to reassembly.

Phil