Dear Abby.......

[Captain*Kirk]

Dear Abby.......
I have a problem that I can't discuss with any of my family or friends. I am too ashamed. I believe I've shamed my family's name and reputation. I've done something you only usually hear about, but never thought you would actually do. I'm so embarrassed! I've thought about "going all the way" before, but never have....until tonight. You've probably guessed what I'm talking about, so I might as well confess.....


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Yep. I polished the brass on my Lyman Trade Rifle muzzleloader. I'm so ashamed, Abby, but I did it anyway. The temptation was too much for me. It was so dingy and dull. I've always kept my rifle cleaned and oiled, but brass, as you know, tarnishes over time despite your best efforts, and this rifle has been hunted with, shot at the range, handled, and exposed to cleaning solvents and oil for the last 25 years. I even wet-sanded some dark blemishes that wouldn't polish out and then polished all the brass hardware with Flitz....even (I'm SOOO ashamed) the thimbles on the ramrod! Abby, I'll never live this down. What will the guys at the range think this summer? Will they label me a newbie, or worse yet.....GREENHORN????!!! Will the old-timers snub me? Will they think I bought a NEW rifle? Abby, the rifle looks even better that when I bought it. I know I should have abstained, but I couldn't help it. And now I'm stuck with a NEW looking rifle, having removed 25 years of tarnish and weathering! I feel like running away, Abby. What should I do?
Signed,
(a)'shamed in Chi-town

[Bullshop Junior]

I want pics!

[357maximum]

As a man that is contemplating a laminated stock on an underhammer I feel your pain captain:shock:. I think it will look good, but what will my friends think of me. :violin::veryconfu:evil:

[runnin lead]

Shamed in Chi-Town
The first & best thing that you can do regardles as to being a polisher or not
is GET OUT OF CHI TOWN !

I at one time had a T/C hawken that I finished with True Oil , went to refinish it with
boiled linseed oil & refused to sand down with my beautiful tarnished brass still in the wood .
Now the patch box protrudes . if I would have just sanded it with the brass
still in the wood I could have just retarnished it & stayed in Chi Town .
Instead I left Chi Town & got a few elk with that rifle,they never saw that the patchbox protruded from the stock , it wasn't shiney.

If yer waiting for the CUB'S to win a world series before you leave you ain't never gonna get out of Chi - Town

Abby

P S Black Hawks LOOKIN GOOD

[Geraldo]

Shamed,

Sounds to me as though you have a good case of cabin, or in this case, condo fever. You've been sitting around with cold Canadian wind blowing in over Lake Michigan, hoping that in the spring you'll have the same number of body parts you had in the fall, and then you notice that your rifle looks a bit ill kept. Unable to control yourself, you started cleaning, then polishing, then polishing some more... Now you look at the fruits of your labor and see that you've basically screwed up a good rifle, and worse yet, you'll have to carry that shiny thing to the range whenever the glaciers melt in the spring and thus be humiliated in front of the other three people in Chi-town who are still allowed to own firearms.

Fortunately Brownells has the answer: stuff to give brass a black finish. Order some today, and next time you feel like polishing something, well, polish something else. ;-)

Abby

[collyer]

You gotta do what to you gotta do.

[Captain*Kirk]

Shamed in Chi-Town
If yer waiting for the CUB'S to win a world series before you leave you ain't never gonna get out of Chi - Town

Abby

P S Black Hawks LOOKIN GOOD

LOL! I gave up on the Cubbies in 1970. Never looked back.
They broke a young kid's heart, and that's unforgivable.

[Captain*Kirk]

Editorial Clarification:
Lest you all think I'm actually stupid or liberal enough to actually live IN Chi-Town, allow me to clarify by stating that I live close enough to the Wisconsin border to qualify as an honorary Cheese Head (and for what I've spent in out-of-state hunting tags, should be, dammit!), or put another way, a 7mm mag round fired out of my A-Bolt pointing north at a 60 degree angle would likely land in the former Land of Favre. And I (shudder) don't live in a condo....

[Captain*Kirk]

I want pics!

This can be arranged.....once I get over the shame of it all.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Dear (a)'shamed in Chi-town ,

The only remedy for this great sin is to box it up in a plain brown box, and ship it to me, before all of your friends find out.

I'll keep this little secret just between us!:-)

[RayinNH]

A few filthy patches from cleaning the barrel rubbed on the brass should restore its true beauty. After all, that shiny brass at the range and they'll think your a Chi-town pimp...Ray

[Uncle R.]

Editorial Clarification:
Lest you all think I'm actually stupid or liberal enough to actually live IN Chi-Town, allow me to clarify by stating that I live close enough to the Wisconsin border to qualify as an honorary Cheese Head (and for what I've spent in out-of-state hunting tags, should be, dammit!), or put another way, a 7mm mag round fired out of my A-Bolt pointing north at a 60 degree angle would likely land in the former Land of Favre. And I (shudder) don't live in a condo....

Sorry Captain:
That goose doesn't fly. As a true Wisconsinite born and bred, I can tell you that we get a LOT of sillynoisians that think of themselves as honorary Wisconsinites. Some because they have family or friends up here in God's country, some because they spend so much time and money up here and some just because - well - because they think they can get away with it.
It's official Wisconsin policy to smile and nod and tell 'em that YES they're different from all those others and YES we like them. We follow that policy as long as they keep spending plenty of that Illinois money, but when they finally go home we still think of 'em as FIBS.
<
Sorry, that's just the way it is.
<
:kidding:

[Captain*Kirk]

Geez...you've destroyed a lifetime of self-deception in one fell swoop. I thought we were friends....I really did. I may have to follow Favre north.LOL!

[Uncle R.]

Oh - you meant YOU - oh, that's different. You're different - we really like you. You're not like all those other FI- um - you're not like the others.
<
You did bring your wallet, didn't you?
:bigsmyl2:

[Captain*Kirk]

Yeah, but it's empty now. Spent my money on a Minnesota hunting tag. They don't like us either, but have the courtesy not to tell us!:smile:

[reivertom]

Well don't be so hard on yourself......everybody has lapses in judgement from time to time....it is just like a bad haircut, it will "grow out" so to speak. In a little while it will be back to normal.

[docone31]

Now that the brass is seasoned, shiney, and smooth, you can dab ammonia on the brass to weather it. Once the process is done, you can wipe off the oxides and have a nice multi tone finish.
I tru-oiled my old Hawken wannabe years ago. The difference, I left the brass parts in, where I replaced the old parts with steel parts, I left them in also. I then sanded everything together.
Stylin.....
I browned all the steel parts.
Stylin......

[Captain*Kirk]

I want pics!

The man wants pix.....
I'll try to accomodate.

[gnoahhh]

Mix up a paste with black powder and water and rub it on the brass.

[Geraldo]

You even polished the ramrod tip?! :shock: What is wrong with you? Man, you need help...soon. :kidding:

You'll never make it past the border guards of Wisconsin or Minnesota.

[qajaq59]

If someone asks why you did such a thing? Just tell them you were afraid that you'd get lost while hunting and with the shiny brass you can flash an SOS to the search helicopters. LOL

[HORNET]

Clean and polish the rest of your M/L goodies, go to the range and act slightly confused, ask a few stupid questions, and see if you can get them into a money shoot.......a full wallet would make up for a lot of greenhorn ribbing. Kinda like hustling pool.

[357maximum]

Clean and polish the rest of your M/L goodies, go to the range and act slightly confused, ask a few stupid questions, and see if you can get them into a money shoot.......a full wallet would make up for a lot of greenhorn ribbing. Kinda like hustling pool.

You sir are pure evil....I like it ;-)

How am I spose to get 100 grains of this stuff in that tiny little nipple hole?

[qajaq59]

You sir are pure evil....I like it I'll second that motion, LOL

[Captain*Kirk]

Umm, hate to break it to ya, guys, but I'm not really upset about polishing my brass. No, not even the ramrod. The gun looks sweet! Just look at the pix.
And I'm not too worried about gettin' razzed at the range....everyone buys a new gun every so often, and hell, by the time the snow thaws, the brass will be tarnished again. Now, I wouldn't wanna do that right before BP hunting season, but I'll probably do it again. Shore looks purdy, boys!:drinks:

[Bullshop Junior]

The man wants pix.....
I'll try to accomodate.
That looks good. I would have no shame. A fine peice.

[Captain*Kirk]

Dear Abby; I washed my truck today. I'm beginning to think I have a problem....:grin:

[buckweet]

Dear Abby.......
I have a problem that I can't discuss with any of my family or friends. I am too ashamed. I believe I've shamed my family's name and reputation. I've done something you only usually hear about, but never thought you would actually do. I'm so embarrassed! I've thought about "going all the way" before, but never have....until tonight. You've probably guessed what I'm talking about, so I might as well confess.....


:-(



:-(



:-(



:-(


Yep. I polished the brass on my Lyman Trade Rifle muzzleloader. I'm so ashamed, Abby, but I did it anyway. The temptation was too much for me. It was so dingy and dull. I've always kept my rifle cleaned and oiled, but brass, as you know, tarnishes over time despite your best efforts, and this rifle has been hunted with, shot at the range, handled, and exposed to cleaning solvents and oil for the last 25 years. I even wet-sanded some dark blemishes that wouldn't polish out and then polished all the brass hardware with Flitz....even (I'm SOOO ashamed) the thimbles on the ramrod! Abby, I'll never live this down. What will the guys at the range think this summer? Will they label me a newbie, or worse yet.....GREENHORN????!!! Will the old-timers snub me? Will they think I bought a NEW rifle? Abby, the rifle looks even better that when I bought it. I know I should have abstained, but I couldn't help it. And now I'm stuck with a NEW looking rifle, having removed 25 years of tarnish and weathering! I feel like running away, Abby. What should I do?
Signed,
(a)'shamed in Chi-town






you squally-wag, 20 lashes !!!!

[Captain*Kirk]

Not with my ramrod, pleeeeease!!! I just polished it!

[DwarvenChef]

ACK MY EYES!!! The shiny stuff is blinding... Make it go away !!!

[jimb16]

Time for an intervention! Repeat after me,.....I will never polish the brass on my muzzle loader.......

[waksupi]

I'm still in shock......

[Captain*Kirk]

Time for an intervention! Repeat after me,.....I will never polish the brass on my muzzle loader.......

I did it, and....I'll do it again! There; I said it.:drinks:

[Captain*Kirk]

I'm still in shock......

This is all the fault of that 1860 Army kit I built years ago. I smoothed and shaped, and polished the brass until it shone like gold. And I LIKED it. I'm afraid this may be more serious than I suspected........[smilie=p:

[giz189]

My God man, What have you done????:veryconfu

[Captain*Kirk]

ACK MY EYES!!! The shiny stuff is blinding... Make it go away !!!


Thanks.....now I'll just wait on that "referral" approval...[smilie=s:

[DwarvenChef]

Thanks.....now I'll just wait on that "referral" approval...[smilie=s:

I have no idea what thats about :p says I have 20 credits... um... Ok... Next :p

I like me brass the way I like my knives... dark :)

[Captain*Kirk]

As I hoped, my highly polished brass has toned down to a warm, even luster. I really like the way it looks.
The BAD news is....
I polished all the brass on my son's CVA .50 Hawken (he's stationed in VA now), all my range accoutrements (well....you dared me!) and the brass on all three pistols. They are nothing short of stunning, BTW!
So, the other day, Abby, I was viewing 8 inch buffer-polishers on the Grainger website.
Do I need professional help?:bigsmyl2:

[MT Gianni]

Hope is available. Get a couple of cans of green spray paint one dark and one light. Cut out leaves you have set on newspaper and spray that rifle down so that there are green laves all over it. It will be camouflaged and better to shot a deer with. Resale value will now be greater cause it looks like an inline. You will be the envy of mall ninjas everywhere.

[home in oz]

nice, very nice

[Geraldo]

As I hoped, my highly polished brass has toned down to a warm, even luster. I really like the way it looks.
The BAD news is....
I polished all the brass on my son's CVA .50 Hawken (he's stationed in VA now), all my range accoutrements (well....you dared me!) and the brass on all three pistols. They are nothing short of stunning, BTW!
So, the other day, Abby, I was viewing 8 inch buffer-polishers on the Grainger website.
Do I need professional help?:bigsmyl2:

If you truly polished your jags and such, you're probably beyond help. :-P

Does you son know what you've done yet? Should make for an interesting revelation at Christmas dinner...

[Captain*Kirk]

If you truly polished your jags and such, you're probably beyond help. :-P

Does you son know what you've done yet? Should make for an interesting revelation at Christmas dinner...

No, not the jags. I'm not that far gone....:groner:
I did do my powder flask, straight line capper and powder measure, though. They hadn't been touched in 25 years and looked pretty nasty.
I sent my son emails with pix. He seemed pretty happy with the results and a little shocked I would take the time to work on his rifle for him. But what are dads for, anyway?
I'll find out the truth later this week when he comes home for the holidays!:-)

[Captain*Kirk]

nice, very nice

Good to know I'm appreciated in Kansas. I guess I can always move there if they oust me from the range for having polished brass!;)

[wgr]

The man wants pix.....
I'll try to accomodate.

man-o-[smilie=l:man put some camo. tape on it

[45-70 Chevroner]

Late late and much to later, but the first front stuffer I bought back in 1970 was a CVA kit. It shot quite well considering the price of $69. I was so proud of that gun ( after spending several hours polishing the brass ) until I went to the range with it. It was so nice and shiney, but the other guys were shooting these well used rifles with dull brass furniture. I just kind of slinked off by my self, shot my new prize (4" groups at a 100 yards) and went home. Thought to my self, self you have got to do something about this. I applied gun bluing to the brass furniture, that did a pretty good job of antiquing the brass. The next time I went to range no one else was there. I must have really made an impression because the next week at the range every ones front stuffer
had polished brass. You can't win, I am sure that by now 8 months since your thread started your brass is all tarnished and no one cares anyways. Nice looking rifle though, even though the shine from the brass is so bright I can hardly tell what it is.