Brazilian 1952 R.Farmage 30.06 help needed

[Bearclaw]

G'day guys.
I acquired a Brazilian girl ( well could be a guy, you just can't tell with them ) a month or so back. Now it is in great condition, supposedly unfired surplus that came into Australia in the mid 70's. Other than the damage done to the stock by the previous owner he also decided to use a six inch brush to paint it with varnish without removing the metal work.

Two questions.

1) How do I remove the front band, do I press the catch in and tap the metal band forward.

2) Can anyone tell me what the orginal finish of these guns. From underneath the handguard it looks like linseed oil.

Regards,

Myles

Information

Warning: This is a relatively older thread This discussion is older than 360 days. Some information contained in it may no longer be current.

[m4a3sherman]

Hello- the Original finish of the stock was something akin to a linseed oil, and for all intents and purposes, you'll want to use that when you refinish it. Of course try not to sand off the... "custom finish" on it now, rather, use a chemical to avoid more wood reduction. As for the front band- It should just be that you'll depress the band spring and tap the band forward. This can sometimes require a third hand as the springs can be hard to negotiate. Some of my Mausers' bands slide right off like silk and other might as well be glued in place.

So, pictures good sir! Let us see your Brazilian pool boy (or girl, since it is indeed hard to tell with those Mausers) ;-)

[Patrick Chadwick]

Don't laugh - you are lucky!

My very first "doer-upper"was a 1908 Brazilian, which some genius had painted all over with brown floor varnish. It looked so horrible that the dealer reckoned it was only fit for decoration, so he took what it would have been worth as what in Mauserland is called a "deko", subtracted what it would have cost him to do the work in conformity with current regulations, and sold me the sad looking object for a neat ... no I won't say. Let's just call it peanuts. I bought it for my first attempt at refurbishing an old service rifle, thinking "if I make a hash of this, I won't have lost much except my time". It turned out to be easy to remove the varnish. Since then I have done several "treacle rifles", and have learnt that they are often in remarkable condition beneath the gunge, which has actually acted to preserve the wood and metal from scratching and rust.
Search the forums for "treacle rifle" and you will find an extreme example to encourage you.

The good news is: varnish is EASY to remove with the gel-type paint stripper. PLEASE follow my advice and do NOT use ANYTHING aqueous.

You need:
A pot of the gel-type paint stripper.
A natural bristle brush with metal binding - nothing plastic!
A burnisher - as described in my series on restoring the Argentine Rolling Block - made from the metal cover plate off an old 3 1/2" diskette. If you use a palette knife or similar, make sure that ALL edges have been thoroughly deburred, even sightly rounded. A sharp edge on a scraper or pallete knife can really gouge the wood!
A small can of methylated spirits.
A small can of natural terpentine.
A very small can of linseed oil.
A roll of paper kitchen towelling.
A subdivided box for all the bits, when you dismantle the rifle.
A clear workbench, appropriate screwdrivers etc.
... And lots of time and patience.

The series on the Argentine RB describes it all in detail , so I am going to exercise a bit of creative laziness and ask you to search it out yourself.

And please show us a picture of the rifle as it is now, so that it can be compared with the finished result.

Patrick

[Patrick Chadwick]

Here are two photos of the treacle rifle. This was the extreme example referred to in the previous post.

Before:

Attachment 24438

After:

Attachment 24439

As you can see, the job may be messy and time-consuming, but it is worth it!
Note that the scratches on the varnish had not actually penetrated to the wood - the "treacle" had protected the wood!

So do not despair - your rifle may turn out very well.

Patrick

[Bearclaw]

Thanks guys,

I have started to pull it appart so I will put most of it back together (Only have one hand at the moment "broken wrist") and take a picture or two.

Myles

[Bearclaw]

I put it back together as best I can with only one hand. Sorry about the photos. The stock is in good condition except for the milimetre of varnish. Metalwork is all good except for the rust on the bolt from sweat from the hands of the holders. It all matches and the timber grain looks unusal may come up a treat with the oil. The butt plate looks unusal I haven't seen a similar one. Is it correct to the rifle. Also is it a 96 action. I can't tell and just get confussed. I can't complain it was free.

[xa-coupe]

Doesn't look too bad Myles. You must have had fun doing all thsi with one busted hand !
I like the price you got it at.. I wish they were all that price

[Patrick Chadwick]

Well, you have now seen how the worst treacle rifle I have yet seen turned out - I think that your rifle will come up beautifully, and you will discover that the varnish has actually preserved the wood and metal underneath.

But please follow the detailed instructions I gave in the series on the Argentine Rolling Block. That series took me (in all) a couple of weeks to write, and it makes me wince when I read of people soaking wood in caustic soda, putting it in the dishwasher etc. That kind of treatment ruins the surface and can warp the wood, which then needs another century to settle down while you laboriously restore the wood surface that was wantonly destroyed.

I apologise to all who feel (quite correctly) that this is a bit of a bee in my personal bonnet, but any furniture restorer would have fits at some of the brutal methods that people use on objects that have to be far more precise in their fit and machining than any piece of furniture. So NO water and NO abrasives of any kind!

Best wishes for a good recovery of your wrist. In the meantime, dig out the Argentine RB series. That was a serious case, and as I already wrote, with a little elbow grease and patience that rifle may come up a stunner - it already looks quite good through the varnish!

Good luck, and please show us when you have made some progress!

Patrick

[Bearclaw]

Jeff it's a good looking gun bar the varnish. I started to pull it apart again but still having trouble removing the front band glued on with varnish I think. I know it will restore up well, just thinking she/he is goin to kick like hell. I have been told much worse than a No5.

Myles

[xa-coupe]

The 30-06 is a big round for a smallish rifle. I remember it was fun in a garand, semi auto soacking up the recoil and all .. a light bolt action means the mauser will kick like hell !!