doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com I got my LeFever Back!!!!!

did the factories coat guns?

Jerry

I see no evidence of it. Coating may help to preserve them, but lacquer, shellac, linseed oil, or anything else will scratch, wear and degrade, or flake off, and then need to be removed and reapplied. I think gently cleaning and oiling with a good gun oil is plenty. Case colors should last a very long time unless you physically remove them over time with abrasive dusts, salty perspiration, grimy gloves, or aggressive cleaning. Some waxes even contain very fine abrasive particles, and can polish out and damage that extremely thin color layer over time.

I believe antidotes above are all good but I'm going with Mr. Dudley. I've been gunning for more than 70 years in one of the continent's harshest environments: the salt water-sodden North Atlantic coast. An oily rag keeps rust away if guns are cleaned after shooting, before plucking.

In my experience Do Not use oils containing Silicon. Back some years ago these were highly touted as being par excellence. I used some to wipe down the outside of one of my guns & it promptly removed the case colors. fortunately it was not a high condition original antique but a new inexpensive Italian made Richland double. I immediately quit buying siliconized oil.

.....Watco or Formby�s Satin Tung Oil. Remarkably tough! Very easy to apply without streaking and dries thin. Flexible. Clean barrels thoroughly with lacquer thinner or acetone and then wipe on with a wetted blue shop towel. Dries overnight and cures in couple days. Also excellent for actions and trigger guards. On actions I use a soft 3/8� camel hair brush.

I assume you mean silicone. Silicon is quartz silica/sand. Not judging, just saying.

I have been using this product for over 20 years on all my guns, including case-colored RBL's, with zero ill-effect. I would highly recommend it. Works great to smooth up the sides of a recoil pad.
https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/33010091
JR

Amen to the watch natural

Silicone is great stuff. But not on any surface that may need to be refinished in the future, including gunstocks. I have heard that it can also cause problems with getting slow rust blueing solutions to take evenly on metal.

https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/wood...ishing-tip.html

I use it for waterproofing boots, and it is great for keeping door gasket seals on cars and trucks from freezing after it rains, and then temperatures plunge. But I don't spray it on the seals because I don't want any to get onto the paint on the doors. Ask any body shop about the problems with silicone contamination when refinishing. I spray it on a rag or paper towel, and carefully apply it to the rubber seal. Years ago, I bought some G-96 Silicone treated gun socks, but never used them after reading that they might cause serious problems if I ever needed to refinish my gun.

4 votes now for Watco Danish Oil Finish, including Brad Bachelder as noted by Paul
http://parkerguns.org/forums/showthread.php?t=9779

Rangoon oil has also been recommended for the barrels
http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=413823

Protecting case colors is another issue, and we've had numerous debates here

U.S. makers (no idea re: Lefever) did apply something. Hunter Arms used lacquer, mixed with 1/3 lacquer thinner, applied with cotton balls to protect the case colors.

As Keith said, resulting eventually in this



Ithaca Flues



I vote Renaissance Wax for the case colors
https://restorationproduct.com/shop/renaissance-wax/

Silicones, also known as polysiloxanes, are polymers that include any inert, synthetic compound made up of repeating units of siloxane, which is a chain of alternating silicon atoms and oxygen atoms, combined with carbon, hydrogen, and sometimes other elements.

Silicone does contain Silicon. That was what I accredited the loss of the case colors to, of course I could have been wrong. It was however the First & Last time I used oil containing silicone on a case colored part & the only time I ever had a problem. The opinion it was the cause did not really seem unfounded to me, & still doesn't. Anyone can take it for whatever they feel its worth.