cleaning an old rifle without destroying patina

[pistolero]

 :lol:

A pal of mine brought me his Winchester 32 Special for me to clean..

He said that it belonged to his dad, and grandfather... He was quite interested that it retain its "personality" of dings and scratches... The problem is that he asked  me to "restore" , but don't amage the  personal value and history.

I have read that a person used olive oil, cloth and lots of elbow grease...It sounds like a lot of wrk, but not too efficient on the cleaning end.

What would you gentlemen suggest?

I'm not afraid of  work, but interested in making good use of time.

Thank you,
Pistolero

[Buford]

Try fine brass wool (Brownells) and WD40 - it will remove the rust and grime without hurting the orginal finish of the metal.

[John Traveler]

I agree with Buford.

Brass wool, or a fine brass bristle brush is good for removing fine rust without damaging the remaining blue on metal.

WD 40, kerosene, or most any thin gun oil is good for lubricating/cleaning metal without hurting the remaining finish.

Repeated cleanings and wiping over several days will remove residue that "creeps" out of the metal pores.

You normally will want to keep oils and solvents away from the wood parts.  If the stocks are extremely dirty, isopropyl or wood alcohol is good for removing grime.  However, be careful.  alcohol will dissolve old shellac finishes.

You can touch up or rub the wood with tung oil or linseed oil after cleaning.

 :shock: