Painted Find, Redux

[Stuartr]

Back on 20 January I posted a note as a newbie (which I certainly am) and asking for information and advice on a 1890 rifle I had recently acquired.. The weapon (SN 75384)was in the grab rack of a local gun store and not destined to go anywhere fast -- rhe previous owner had painted the old gal's stock orange, the metal black enamel, and had browned the barrel. The bore was frosty, however. Bozo the Clown would have been proud of it. Still, it showed promise.
The stock stripped easily and came back with just a few coats of raw linseed oil. The metal was as easily worked, and I came out with a beauty. Rick the Librarian posted pix of one of his rifles and asked for before and after shots of mine. I couldn't comply. One of my cameras had gone missing and the other doesn't work. The attached is from a borrwed camera I never really got the hang of. Please accept my apologies for being so tardy in responding and f;r the poor quality of the pix.
Now, another request for help: The previous owner painted (over the inspection stamp and firing proof with white paint, apparently with the intent of "enhancing" the stamps. I taped over them when I was working on the rest of the stock, not wanting to lose them entirely. What should I do? What would be the value ;of the piece with and without the stamps? Please advise

[Dick Hosmer]

Well, if you are a patient soul, you could do this:

Take a sturdy needle, and put a dowel handle on it, leaving plenty of metal exposed so it has some "spring". Get a strong magnifying glass, some FINE steel wool, an old toothbrush, and some turpentine. Fasten the stock, somehow, in front of a comfortable chair, with GOOD lighting, and go to work! Wear eye protection!!

DON'T RUSH IT!!!

BTW, looks GREAT so far.

[jon_norstog]

Stuart,

You did good! Was the stock **really** orange? The rifle is low enough number, it could have been in Cuba. Or it might have gone to China or the Philippines. Who knows?

I hope you will love this baby by taking it out and shooting it once in a while.

jn

[Dan Shapiro]

As Dick says, GO SLOW! TAKE YOUR TIME! Oh, and make sure the work area is well ventilated! Don't saturate the area with the turp, that and the toothbrush (a good one, not worn out) will probably get most of the crud out for you. EYE PROTECTION!

[madsenshooter]

Nothing like a little TLC.

[dave]

Just use paint remover on it, no reason to have taped over it to began with. Speaking for myself only, I would not do the needle/pick thing. First time you slip with it you will have a nice scratch in area around stamping and no matter how careful I would end up with it looking like it was 'picked out'. This is from personal experience with a Mauser military.

















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[Stuartr]

Much thanks to all who responded. I'm not sure how to do the pick-needle job. Jon Norstag: someone attempted to match the colors of the handguard and stock in favor of the handguard (much redder). It came out more orange than red.

[Rick the Librarian]

I used Jasco paint stripper on a couple of stocks I did and the results were excellent. The inspection stamp was preserved, as was the stock. Takes a little bit of elbow grease but it gets the job done.

[Dick Hosmer]

The needle is but one tool in the arsenal. A lot depends on what kind of paint is involved, how much there is, and how well it is adhering. I never intended to imply that it was to be used with enough force to make a scratch. I do not care for paint remover, expecially when applied to a small spot only.

[Rick the Librarian]

Dick, if you are referring to my Jasco comment, I would normally agree. However, Jasco has always worked for me. It is relatively gentle and doesn't disturb the wood or markings. I admit I haven't used it just for detail work, like the inspection stamp. It also worked like a charm on some very old, dried masking tape on a stock I had.

[5MadFarmers]

The Krags had a unique finish which is hard to duplicate. I'd be averse to using chemicals.

I bought a musket a long time ago. It was painted pretty thoroughly but the paint had dried and was flaky. I just used wooden tooth picks to remove it. Strangely effective that was. Given the small area of paint on that rifle I'd give it a try.