I used enough cotton rags and cleaning products to clean up a small city but it is done. I started the process with denatured alcohol, WD-40, Hoppes no,9,copper wool, steel wool, orange oil, more WD-40, and finished up the cleaning with plumbers waterless hand cleaner. What a mess, but it came clean and the rust was removed as much as I wanted. As others have done, I did not want a restored rifle. NO sanded wood or steel on this thing. It had to look like it had seen many a battle and a century and a half of life. The tricky part was knowing when to stop. After I was satisfied with the cleaning I wiped all the wood down with alcohol again and let it all dry. The final wood finish was a Tru-oil stock finish that I rubbed into the stock with my hands and let dry for about an hour. I then rubbed the oil finish off and buffed it down with clean cotton cloths to remove any evidence of refinishing. The results were a nice original finsh that was sealed and stabilized. The metal got coated with Breakfree CLP and the whole thing was re-assembled. I am very happy with the way it all turned out. I may have to do another one. It was kinda fun.
[attachment 104503 P9110085.JPG]
[attachment 104504 P9110086.JPG]
[attachment 104505 P9110088.JPG]
[attachment 104507 P9110090.JPG]
[attachment 104508 rs2.jpg]
[attachment 104509 leftside.jpg]
The pictures do not do it justice but it is just what I wanted, an old original warrior. To refinish and try to make something like this look new would be like winning the gold medal and having it bronzed. I love the age and history reflected in the dings and discoloation of this rifle! DC
[attachment 104503 P9110085.JPG]
[attachment 104504 P9110086.JPG]
[attachment 104505 P9110088.JPG]
[attachment 104507 P9110090.JPG]
[attachment 104508 rs2.jpg]
[attachment 104509 leftside.jpg]
The pictures do not do it justice but it is just what I wanted, an old original warrior. To refinish and try to make something like this look new would be like winning the gold medal and having it bronzed. I love the age and history reflected in the dings and discoloation of this rifle! DC