Finishing small arms

[tom]

Not finishing with I hasten to add but with regards to cleaning, bluing, treating wood etc.

Does anyone have any tips on say removing light rust from various surface treatments, dents out of wood that sort of thing?

I know theres bits on the subject buried in threads but I thought I'd start one dedicated to cosmetic restoration as opposed to proper gunsmithing of live guns.

Anyone think its a good idea?

ATB

Tom

[woodsy]

Hi Tom

The best way to remove light rust is a sqirt of WD40 (or two squirts of WD20 ;D) and allow it to soak for a few minutes and then rub the area with steel wool. This will remove the rust but not affect the original finish. Stubborn patches may require two or three goes. Stock dents may be removed by degreasing the wood as much as possible and then apply a thoroughly wet patch of cloth (folded two or three times) to the dent and apply heat to the pad. A household iron on high, or a soldering bolt will do the job nicely. This drives steam into the pores of the wood and raises it back where it can be rubbed off with steel wool and re-oiled. If the grain of the wood has been cut or gouged then this will not work as well as it does for dents. When cleaning either wood or metal, the use of sandpaper should be avoided wherever possible as this will remove all original surfaces and also round off edges. Every effort should be made to keep all edges sharp as nothing gives a refinish job away faster than rounded edges! Good luck!