Chassepot in the White

[Patrick Chadwick]

"Of course. I can't imagine anyone doing any of that..."

I don't need to imagine it - I've actually had the result in my hands.
In an thread on restoring a "treacle rifle" I once showed how, with a little care this

Attachment 61054

can be turned into this:

Attachment 61055

But Bubba knows better, so he bead-blasted an entire '88 carbine, repeat entire - without dismantling it - and produced this:

Attachment 61053 Attachment 61051

The tragedy is, that the wood had a perfectly healthy core, and could have been made to look like my previous example.

Attachment 61052

Surely a prize exhibit for Bubba's Hall of Shame?

[browningautorifle]

Yes, I've seen it too...just can't ever get a grasp on why exactly. So, I stopped letting it bother me.

[rescuerandy2]

Ouch! Promise to use a wire-wheel with love and respect. Randy

[rayg]

Not sure how this would work on a patina finish. But toilet bowl cleaner with what ever the acid is in it, can't remember which as I'm typing this. But it removes rust bluing to white metal finish in seconds . I believe patina is also a form of rust and it may do the same as with bluing. Nothing to lose and worth a try. You may not have to use any abrasive except in heavy pitted areas. Ray

[vintage hunter]

toilet bowl cleaner with what ever the acid is in it, can't remember

It's hydrochloric acid, IIRC. I would be hesitant to clean a firearm with anything containing hydrochloric acid due to the possibilities of hydrogen embrittlement. Definitely don't use it on any of the springs or other heat treated parts.

[rescuerandy2]

Here is a shot of the one of the problem areas. Randy

Attachment 61071

[WarPig1976]

What I would do with that in my humble home workshop. Rust/blue remover or Naval Jelly followed by hand polish with rubbing compound.

hydrogen embrittlement.

Good article in this months American Riflemen on metal fatigue. Just the act of finishing the metal causes hydrogen embrittlement. Heating the parts afterwards removes the hydrogen. Would never have thought that....

[vintage hunter]

Heating the parts afterwards removes the hydrogen. Would never have thought that....

Yeah, it does, but there's a bit more to it than just heating the parts. And the process has to be started within 4 hours of the metals last exposure to hydrogen or else the damage becomes permanent.

[Aragorn243]

White vinegar will take the patina off pretty quickly and isn't as caustic as toilet bowl cleaner.

[darwinmauser]

Have a look at soda blasting, it is what car restorers use to clean metal ,it will take off rust but is very kind to sound metal, follow up with a light polish should make it look the part.