I may not know much beyond the last chapter I read (and you can't have the tune in your head until you've put your book larnin in practise and made all the mistakes in the book) but I do know to "travel light" with the remuddling. Yesterday evening I bought a model 12 skeet (ws-1, 3-pin duckbill rib) from 1961. Not much question it's a safe queen but as usual there are those little things (slight bit of pin rust right side of that mirror-blued receiver, couple dings on the toe of the stock, and some nasty scratches in the cove under the comb nose right side suggesting that somebody might have cleaned some bird dirt or something hard out of that cove with somehting like 100grt sandpaper. What do I need to clean this gun up? Well, I don't need aircraft stripper, roaster pans of acetone, Murphy's Oil Soap, and an advanced degree in Winchester red stain and overcoat. I don't need six grades of microabrasives for paint. I've got a small felt rubber that I use with pumice. I've got one I use with rottenstone. I've got a rag in a can black with Simichrome polish. I've got a bottle of the best finish patcher you'll ever see courtesy the British invasion. So I used a bit of slackum as lube and the pumice to reduce the scratches at thumbhole (being careful not to go thru the finish at sharp edges). Did the same at the local finish loss at toe. Followed with the rottenstone rubber and slackum both areas. Followed with rottenstone rubber and a couple drops of slackum over entire stock faces, non-checkered areas of grip area. Wiped down and followed with Simichrome rag over entire stock and forend. Just lightly polished receiver faces with the rag. Stuck a kleenex in the receiver and didn't get black so put a drop of Ed's Red on the bolt and a drop on the stide and slideway and cycled the gun a few times with the slide release depressed. Oiled exterior with Ballistol on a Kleenex, cleaned out a few corners and between rib posts with a Q-tip. To me this is "cleaning and touchup" and I'm very happy when that's all I have to do to get below what probably should be known as safe scum. Can't possibly be worth more than what I paid but I doubt you'd spot the Shinola job if you saw the gun for sale. It would appear a bit cleaner, bit shinier, bit newer, blemishes a bit less apparent at arm's length.
jack
