Here's a review of work done by the Gun Garage in Ashland (http://thegungarage.com/.  Disclaimer: I have no financial interest other than as a satisfied customer.

I met David Harries years ago at a Defensive Edge class, where David gave me my first opportunity to shoot a .458 SOCOM.  (I'm still going to build one of those someday.)  After seeing the Duracoat work he did, I sent him several department shotguns that continued to rust in trunks, despite my best efforts.  After thorough preparation and excellent Duracoating, those shotguns performed admirably for years, until I left that department.

A few years later, my father-in-law passed in South Dakota.  He had fed beef for years, and kept a Marlin 39 in the garage, loaded and leaning next to the door, for varmints in the barnyard.  He'd bought it new in about 1950, or something, and I don't think he'd done anything except reload it during the next 50 years.  It shot well enough, but the wood showed a lot of use, there was a decent patina of rust over most of the outside, and some pitting beginning as well.  Of course, the wear was difficult to see through the layer of dust and dirt that covered the rifle.  This was a *tool*, nothing more.  When he passed, his widow asked if he had any possessions I'd like.  I said I didn't want anything except the 39, to pass along to his grandkids.  She graciously agreed, and the rifle came home to Wisconsin (C&R, so everything's good).

I needed to preserve the rifle for the kids.  I wanted them to have grandfather's rifle, but not have the rifle rust into oblivion by the time they were old enough to shoot it.  So––and here's a mark of my trust––I contacted David, explained the situation, and asked if he'd reblue the rifle.  I wasn't in a hurry and didn't care how quickly it got done, but I wanted it done right.

Here it is, in all its glory.  It looks fantastic, especially considering what David had to work with.  I thought he'd have to polish away a lot of the lettering to get rid of the rust, but he seems to have done a miracle.  My photos do NOT do justice to the bluing job, as the camera picked up a lot of lint that I didn't see with the naked eye.  David even gave the wood a bit of a rub-down, which vastly improved its appearance.  There are still some gouges there to give the rifle a little character, and there's still evidence of where the pitting was a little deeper, in some of the crevices...but the rust has been stopped, and the deep color of the bluing is hinted it, even with my crappy photos:









The lucky recipients:


All I need is a new buttplate...the old one was cracked years ago, and never fixed.

Looks real nice.  Any "before" pics?

Looks nice Glenn. I am sure the boys will cherish when the times comes for them to have it. Looks like your guy did one heck of a good job. I know how much work that takes.





I used to Duracoat a lot. Loved doing it with my daughters. Both wanted to do their own gun, with dads help of course.



So I took a couple of rough .22's and took them apart and aluminum oxide blasted them down to the basic metal. Both girls made their own designs and we painted them up.



Now they have something they did, with dads help. I hope they cherish them as much as I did our time doing it together.


 

Looks good to me.

Any chance the old buttplate can be reworked (welded or what not)?



Even though the rework of the gun was necessary and looks perfect, a little character on there wouldn't hurt. Just a thought.



Otherwise I'm trying to think what it could be made in to and kept with the rifle.



My grandfather recently passed away and I've been learning more and more about his father and father's father, etc. I knew the history included a family hardware store back generations and it was "The Winchester Store" as far as firearms went. Have some old ads saying just that and stories about various gun club days (great grandfather was the president of the gun club). The store (and manufacturer) would bring in nationally known shooters for "range day" if you will.



These are things that didn't carry down to my father and we didn't really have as kids, he wasn't interested in being the hunter and outdoorsman as some of the others were. Unfortunately at grandfathers passing, he didn't have anything left for guns. Not one. For most of my adult life I didn't have any history on all of this either...



I'd give anything for a great-great-grandfather or better gun in any condition to then pass to my kids.



Including a left nut.

Here is an example of an old ad they had. The business went back to the 1800's.  Edited for PERSEC.

No, I wish I did, just to show all the magic...I never expected it would turn out this good.

Glad to see the work. It is all too often traditional guns are wasted away.

Thanks for putting forward the effort into your heirloom and keeping the tradition alive.

I am sure the boys will continue with your commitment from gereation to generation.

Again, beautiful work.

V
OUT

What kind of bluing was it?  I tried re-blueing a high standard .22 pistol of my gramps with one of those kits from Cabelas.  The results were.....less than desireable, and want to get it done right.  It still sits in peices.

I don't know a lot about bluing...just that this was the professional process with salts, a tank, the whole 9 yards.  Not the cold bluing I tried once on an Argentine .45.