Defarbing an Enfield....

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Defarbing an Enfield....

Hallo!

Adding some "Japan Dryer" agent to modern boiled linseed oil will speed up its polymerization (drying) and eliminate long "drying" times or sticky end results.

I think the posts or threads on replicating Period "boiled' linseed oil (aka "hard oil") with modern substitutes that still produce the same look and "protection" as the original process might still be found in the SEARCH archives...

Curt
Archive Contributor Royale Mess

[Archie R. Lib]

Re: Defarbing an Enfield....

Thanks for the tip Curt. I searched and found a couple threads on that. That will be helpful.

I did have the boiled linseed oil and found some Japan Dryer to add to it. Had to hit a couple places in town to find it. Right before it's dry I'll go over it lightly with some cheesecloth or 0000 to give it a more dulled "egg shell" look. So far the finish is looking very much like the P53 I'm trying to replicate. It was tricky finding the right mix of dye and thinner, and then with the BLO on top of it....But we're makin progress. I can't believe how much finish was on that ArmiSport stock. It was like peeling back layers of geology.

The vinegar stripped barrel, sight and trigger is a nice touch, since the bands and lock retain their mottled casehardened appearance, all of it with the brass furniture on the much darker and period-appropriate stock.

Pretty happy so far.

R

[Brent Dacus]

Re: Defarbing an Enfield....

Blockade Runners Master Gunsmith Todd Watts. He does all the Defarbing. http://www.blockaderunner.com/Catalog/catpg2a.html

OK, I'm coming back to this after being absent since then end of the 90's. Who is "Mr. Watts at BR"?

Thanks in advance!

Warren Dickinson

[Todd Watts]

Re: Defarbing an Enfield....

Depending on climate, plain boiled linseed dries within 6-8 hrs well enough to wax and finish without tackiness. Just be sure to dry excess with paper towels and hang for a few hrs. On humid days here in TN I find some stocks remain tacky for 12+ hrs. Rather than buy linseed then buy Japan-Drier, just get Linspeed from Brownells. It is essentially the say end product you are trying to create and does a great job if you feel you simply must have the stock dried in a matter f a few short hrs.

[Brent Dacus]

Re: Defarbing an Enfield....

What Wax would you recommend?

Depending on climate, plain boiled linseed dries within 6-8 hrs well enough to wax and finish without tackiness. Just be sure to dry excess with paper towels and hang for a few hrs. On humid days here in TN I find some stocks remain tacky for 12+ hrs. Rather than buy linseed then buy Japan-Drier, just get Linspeed from Brownells. It is essentially the say end product you are trying to create and does a great job if you feel you simply must have the stock dried in a matter f a few short hrs.

[Todd Watts]

Re: Defarbing an Enfield....

They used some derivitive of beeswax that was mixed with "tree wax" back then to seal gunstocks. Just what tree this came from I have no clue. While at gunsmithing school we used tree wax to seal the stocks and it could bring a high lustre to oiled wood with multiple coats. Sadly, I have not located that stuff since leaving school. What I use is Minwax furniture wax I get at the hardware store. Waxing is not really necessary but it does put a sealing coat over oiled wood and helps prevent that sticky feel. I generally apply 1 good coat on a newly oiled stock but on a whim sometimes apply 2-3 coats just playing around to see how pretty I can make a particular stock that has interesting grain. You can apply a coat of wax anytime you want even over the steel and wait 15+ mins to allow it to dry and then buff off with a clean soft dry cloth to clean the gun of light dirt, add a thin water-ristant sheen and dress-up the wood.

[Enfield]

Re: Defarbing an Enfield....

The vinegar stripped barrel, sight and trigger is a nice touch, since the bands and lock retain their mottled casehardened appearance, all of it with the brass furniture on the much darker and period-appropriate stock.
R

Rich,

You might want to go ahead and take the casehardening finish off those Armi-Sport barrel bands (leaving them bright as well), since the original bands were blued, not color case-hardened. Don't ask me why Armi-Sport tried to make the shape of the bands closer to originals, then went and put a completely incorrect finish on them ...

Geoff Walden

[Todd Watts]

Re: Defarbing an Enfield....

That is a question I have had for years myself. Why copy incorrect items? I am glad they do for my own purposes, but Parker-Hale, the Euroarms and then Armi all copied the wrong items and continue(d) even though you know they had to know they were doing it. The bands and screws were fire-blued back then, essentially heated cherry-red then dunked in oil to surface harden them a little and create a really dark gray coloration. This surface finish is really not much more than soot and so it wore away pretty quickly. It is really hard to slow-rust blue small items like that (I tried) and so what I do is to salt-blue these small items which is far superior to what they did. That is the only way I found that really darkens the color-case hardened barrel bands. Everything else I tried allows the coloration to show through.

[Archie R. Lib]

Re: Defarbing an Enfield....

Thanks guys.

Todd - luckily out here in the desert we don't have much issue with humidity. Mostly the opposite. This stuff will dry out here in about 4-5 hours most days....But I appreciate the tip! I will be disassembling and trying the Minwax on the stock tomorrow to see how that looks.....

And you guys were definitely right on the bands - vinegar dipped and they came out with a real interesting struck/"used" patina to match the barrel. The rifle I was replicating, oddly enough, has (or had I guess) a struck barrel, sight, trigger, and lock plate, but dark (either browned or blued) bands and hammer and a very dark stock. A very interesting piece.

Cheers.

[Rick C.]

Re: Defarbing an Enfield....

Hello,

What does "struck" mean?

Rick C.

Rick, when posting on the AC please sign your first and last name. You can set an auto signature through the settings function on the website. Thanks! Herb Coats, Moderator

[maillemaker]

Re: Defarbing an Enfield....

Could you post some links to the stock refinishing posts you found?

[Archie R. Lib]

Re: Defarbing an Enfield....

Hi Rick. "Struck" or "struck bright" is a term used to describe gleaming metal without blue. What we would consider kind of a polished stainless steel. As opposed to a "blued" or "browned" appearance.

Steve - Here is one post I found very useful. http://authentic-campaigner.com/arti...es/enfauth.htm Otherwise you have to look around quite a bit..... Hope that helps...

Rich

[maillemaker]

Re: Defarbing an Enfield....

Thanks for the link! I have seen lots of references to this article but the links were dead.

Steve

[Blackbeard]

Re: Defarbing an Enfield....

Maybe this help you some. See Link below The vinegar also works really well rust. I tried to clean up some green pennies once and left them in a jar full of vingar for two weeks and the mostly disolved to nothing. Was pretty cool. Post some pics of the finished product. Would love to see how it comes out.

http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/articles/walden/enfauth.htm

Best Regards
Z. Every

Moderator Note: You MUST fill out your first and last name. Website Rules. No initials please. Thanks! Herb Coats, Moderator

[Archie R. Lib]

Re: Defarbing an Enfield....

Okay gents. Here is my rookie attempt at a intial defarb. The stock refinish took much longer than I thought. Geoff - I took your advice and stripped the barrel bands of the chemical case hardening, though I purposely did not soak them as long as the barrel in order to leave a kind of patina finish on them, darker than the barrel. I left the hammer blued and used some very light steel wool on the lock. My next step will be to order one of the defarb locks from Mr. Watts at BR, and then, eventually, to remove the modern barrel markings and replace them with originals. I'd also like to cartouche the stock at some point. But this is what I have so far.

I can't scan the pic of the rifled musket I was attempting to replicate, but it came out pretty close. The original belonged to a Sergeant E.V. Green with the 47th North Carolina. This one came out pretty close to what it must have looked like back in the day, I think.

There is some sheen on the stock from the sun out here in the southwest, but the actual finish is that egg-shell matte. I'd like a darker stock, but this will have to do for now. My understanding is that the boiled linseed oil will actually lighten the stock?? Anyone know?

Anyway, let me know what you think....