mrfritz44

I plan to get through the winter doldrums by refinishing my Thompson Center 45 caliber Hawkins muzzleloader the ole man got me when I was 12. I've got it cleaned and disassembled, and although I've built a Lyman kit, I have some questions on where to go next.

Its got a gloss finish on the stock and quite a bit of black/dirty wood under the metal components. What would you do to first strip the gloss finish, and second, clean up that hidden wood yet prevent it from getting soft enough to be ruined? Should I soak it in something?

I also plan to brown the previously blued metal and need to strip this blue finish. I've heard on this board that naval jelly works, but I haven't been able to find it at the local hardware stores. Others have told me that I can brown right over the blue with no problem or variation in shades. How should I attack this?

Thanks in advance for the adviec,

Fritz

PS: A question regarding how to treat this gun in the future. My dad used to recommend WD-40 as a universal lubricant after cleaning. Recently, I've heard that this acts as a corrosive and shouldn't be used. If this is so, what do you recommend for coating the barrel (inside and out) between uses, and do you lube the metal areas that come in contact with the stock?

Thanks again,

Fritz

rich e

When I did mine, I disassembled the gun and used a finish stripper to take off the gloss finish, I think it was called Strip-eze, just apply, let sit awhile then wipe off, don't sand the finish off because then your wood to metal fit of parts won't match.It took a couple of coats to get all the finish off,I then stained it the color I wanted, vary lightly sanded the raised grain and applied a tru oil finish. As for stripping off the bluing on the barrel, Birshwood Casey has a bluing finish remover and degreaser, works great, vary easy to use and does a nice job, I've also heard about navel jelly, but it sorta leaves a finish like it was sand blasted from what I heard. Also heard vinegar will take off blueing, but I've only used the bluing remover degreaser. This is also a good time to add an inlay or two, or a toe plate. Kinda adds some personnel touches. good luck & take your time.

mauser06

haha crazy.....im actually doing mine right now...only mines a flinter in 50cal.....im just doing the stock and fiberoptic sights and a sling and sending the lock back to get fixed...it doesnt spark like a champ...and i know it could....metals all good or id brown it....i hate the stock....it had a clear on it that turned white everywhere i bumped it with something hard....it was crazy.....i used a spray on stripper to get that off.....took 2 coats to get it off and alot stayed on but i got a good bit off......guess i should been more patient....but i sanded alot easily.....some areas are tough like the comb and grip area and such.....but tomarow i will finish removing a few minutes of the old finish and start sanding.....you will be surprised whats under the clear.....the wood is beautiful....atleast mine is....that clear made it look crappy and look like plastic.....im going to tru oil mine then clear it......hope it turns out good.......good luck to you......next year ill practically have a new rifle.....i hated that finish on the wood.....even before it started flaking and turning white!

mrfritz44

Thanks for the tips!

Have you guys ever heard of or done a beeswax oil finish? I used this recipe on my never finsished 8mm Mauser and it seemed to add a nice natural satin finish to it:

1 part beeswax
1 part boiled linseed oil
1 part turpentine

You have to hand rub it in like crazy (a very time intensive finish) but it gets real nice. It was a finish used on military rifles newly issued to the troops because it held up well under combat, was easy to fix, and gave the troops something to do to keep them busy. I've never used Tru-oil.........I may have to check that out.

Thanks,

Fritz

cayugad

I did a warm linseed oil finish on my .54 caliber T/C Renegade and it turned out real nice. It too was a kit gun some 20+ years ago, and the barrel needs to be re-browned but it shoots so nice I hate to mess with it. All you do is warm the linseed oil and rub it in with your hand. It takes a lot of time and a lot of coats. After you rub it in, put the rifle in a nice warm room and let the stuff soak into the wood. After a while the rifle will take on a real nice shine. Then when ever it gets a little dull or weathered, just rub another coat of linseed oil back into it and let it dry......

mrfritz44

Any tips on finishing brass? I mean the brass turns brown and ugly pretty quick so I was wondering if there was a way to finish it in a nice even coat like say, a brown for brass?