NEKVT
05-28-2021, 06:00 PM
Recently my son went to a coworker's mother's house to check out some basement water issues with him and while there saw a lever action hanging on a darkened wall. He asked if it was for sale but it had belonged to the coworker's late grandfather he and his mother lived with while he was growing up so wasn't going to be selling it. Noting the condition of of it my son asked if he wanted it cleaned up and volunteered my services and then sent me these pictures of a moldy and rust covered but otherwise unaltered 1950 Win 94 chambered in 30 WCF.
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When I picked it up the visible mold had been wiped off and this is what it looked like to start.
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I gently removed the surface rust with a 3M pad and Kroil to preserve the receiver patina and remaining bluing on the rest of the metal. The internal mechanism was free from rust as was the bore that appeared to have been cleaned and oiled before being hung on the wall. The only internal rust was in the magazine tube and wherever wood met metal as could be expected.
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Earlier the buttstock had been taken off and wiped down with 90% Isopropyl Alcohol to clean off any remaining mold but which easily and unexpectedly also took off the somewhat gummy finish. It reminded me of cleaning the cosmoline off my rough cutdown Krag as the pile of rags looked the same. Once cleaned down to stained wood I put it in a dark closet while working on the rest of the rifle to see if the mold would grow back. Had an issue getting the forearm off and that was covered on the Gunsmithing post about removing the screw from the upper barrel bracket but eventually got that off and had to replace both bracket screws.
After a couple weeks the mold didn't return so I began the refinishing which was the most time consuming part of the clean up. Wasn't expecting to completely refinish the stock but when it came to that I wanted it to look closer to original than new so I used my 1954 Win 94 stock as a model to match. I wiped on multiple coats of TruOil cut 50/50 with thinner and then worked it with 0000 steel wool and finished it off rubbing it on my new blue jeans. I think it came out looking quite close to it.
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It's always fun to handle and work on a different rifle even if you don't get to shoot it and eventually have to hand it back. It was by pure chance that my son saw this rifle and started the conversation about it so wonder how far its condition would have deteriorated otherwise. The current owner is not a hunter or shooter, didn't live at that home, and had relocated out of state while this project was ongoing so the rifle was out of sight/out of mind. He moved to a more firearm friendly state so hopefully will get the urge and a chance to shoot it someday but at least the keepsake is preserved going forward.
283616 283617
When I picked it up the visible mold had been wiped off and this is what it looked like to start.
283618 283619 283621
283622 283623 283625
I gently removed the surface rust with a 3M pad and Kroil to preserve the receiver patina and remaining bluing on the rest of the metal. The internal mechanism was free from rust as was the bore that appeared to have been cleaned and oiled before being hung on the wall. The only internal rust was in the magazine tube and wherever wood met metal as could be expected.
283627 283628 283629
283631 283632
Earlier the buttstock had been taken off and wiped down with 90% Isopropyl Alcohol to clean off any remaining mold but which easily and unexpectedly also took off the somewhat gummy finish. It reminded me of cleaning the cosmoline off my rough cutdown Krag as the pile of rags looked the same. Once cleaned down to stained wood I put it in a dark closet while working on the rest of the rifle to see if the mold would grow back. Had an issue getting the forearm off and that was covered on the Gunsmithing post about removing the screw from the upper barrel bracket but eventually got that off and had to replace both bracket screws.
After a couple weeks the mold didn't return so I began the refinishing which was the most time consuming part of the clean up. Wasn't expecting to completely refinish the stock but when it came to that I wanted it to look closer to original than new so I used my 1954 Win 94 stock as a model to match. I wiped on multiple coats of TruOil cut 50/50 with thinner and then worked it with 0000 steel wool and finished it off rubbing it on my new blue jeans. I think it came out looking quite close to it.
283633
It's always fun to handle and work on a different rifle even if you don't get to shoot it and eventually have to hand it back. It was by pure chance that my son saw this rifle and started the conversation about it so wonder how far its condition would have deteriorated otherwise. The current owner is not a hunter or shooter, didn't live at that home, and had relocated out of state while this project was ongoing so the rifle was out of sight/out of mind. He moved to a more firearm friendly state so hopefully will get the urge and a chance to shoot it someday but at least the keepsake is preserved going forward.