Removing Paint From Rifle Parts?

[Hanzy4200]

I just acquired a surplus Type 99 Arisaka rifle. I went into the purchase knowing it was a shooter, not a prized trophy. It has a mismatched bolt, but is otherwise superb. It is a early 7.7 rifle with beautiful wood, full crisp mum, nice blueing, and a bright shiny bore. However some dingleberry decided to paint the butt plate, both sling mounts, trigger guard, floor plate, and end cap with high gloss black paint. To most it is a very acceptable job, but for those of us that love these old girls, it is heinous looking. Other than taking a wire wheel to it (which I will do if nothing else), what would bring this stuff off? I rubbed a little paint thinner on it and it didn't even smudge.

For those curious, I gave $300 and a 100 pack of hand rolled 9mm for her. I think I did well considering the market. Also came with a very nice but mismatched dust cover, which I plan to sell. Should bring at least $120.

[country gent]

You might give an ultrasonic cleaner with some of the better solvents a try. If you can get them off the wood easy off oven cleaner, lacquer thinner, or a remover. I have seen diesel fuel loosen some paints also.

Decide you want to keep it and like it, and the first solvent you get on it will wash it off

[Winger Ed.]

Its probably spray can stuff.
Any petroleum based solvent will work, even gasoline.
It will penetrate into the paint, make it expand, and sort of pop off.

Soak it awhile, then a tooth brush should knock it off.

[Hanzy4200]

Should have clarified, the wood is all pristine. You are probably right Winger Ed, most likely spray can. That didn't even occur to me.

[Jeff Michel]

Lacquer thinner, soak the parts and it will slough off.

[Gtek]

Acetone or MEK eats most if not all non-catalyst.

[GasGuzzler]

Acetone for sure.

[Pressman]

As Country Gent said, Easy Off. It takes everything off, including old oil and grime. Right down to bare wood. Rise off in hot water works the best.

[Hanzy4200]

I went with Winger Ed's advice as I didn't have the others on hand. Soaked them in a coffee can of old gas overnight. While it didn't just wipe off, it came quite easy. Butt plate and floor plate are almost in the white. Looks like dingleberry took a light wire wheel to them. The other parts till have that nice WWII patina. Plan to let them dry for a couple hours, spray them down with brake cleaner, then hit them all with a few coats of Oxpho cold blue. Gave the bore another soak and scrub. Boy is she mirror! Should make a fine shooter. I appreciate all you fellas advice. Now need to source some pills.

[LAGS]

Wasn't the type 99 a Chrome lined bore ?

[Hanzy4200]

That's a good question. I'm learning as I'm going. This is my first Japanese rifle. I know they aren't all chrome lined. In my shopping around the last 6 months I've seen some seriously wrecked bores.

[Winger Ed.]

Gasoline is slow compared to 'the good stuff',
but it works OK until you get off into some of the high end epoxies.

[higgins]

I'd use furniture-quality paint stripper on the wood. It will leave the wood suitable for a simple finish with boiled linseed oil - that's what stripper is designed for. You could put the small parts in a glass jar with the same stripper and clean them up. Just put the lid on the jar and roll them around in the stripper. I don't know what the original finish on Japanese parts was, so the stripper may damage it. Those kind of parts could be easily sent to someone for reblue or other proper refinishing.

I used orange citrustrip (?) to get non-epoxy paint off jig heads by just dipping. It didn't rust the hooks, and cleaned up with water.

[bangerjim]

FYI on removing various paints:

If latex, use standard methyl alcohol and 0000 steel wool. It dissolves latex easily.

If rattle-can spray enamel, use either acetone or lacquer thinner. NEVER use gasoline!!!! it stinks too bad and the smell NEVER goes away!!!!!! Hard on your hands and lungs and the LEL (lower explosive limit) makes it a big fire hazard.

If epoxy or powder coated, use regular paint stripper containing methylene chloride.

If old milk (casein) paint - - - - GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

Always use saturate 0000 steel wool to rub down the surface to 100% removal. 0000 will not scratch woods or metals....only plastics.

I have been refinishing/restoring antiques for over 45 years and have ran into almost everything some bozo can paint with.

[Texas by God]

For spray painted steel, B12 Chemtool carb cleaner eats the paint but not the bluing. Keep it away from wood or plastic, though.

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[Hanzy4200]

The gasoline did ok thankfully on this job. I don't plan to mess with the wood. It looks like it may have been lacquered, but they did a very good. It looks good and considering it is a designated shooter I'm not overly concerned with 100% authenticity.

[CLAYPOOL]

"GOOF OFF", sprayed on, allowed to soak, and scraped of with a credit card, cleaned paint that looked like house paint off of training browning hi - powers from Israel. I wish i had left it on that one now...

[Wayne Smith]

The original wood finish was a lacquer. Not saying what you have is original, but probably close.

[Pressman]

I have an old 22 with a lacquer finish that is in really decent condition, though very dirty. Using Brownells 3FFF stock rubbing compound that old stock really shines while retaining it's vintage appearance.