Little .410 ready to assemble....
 

Ok it's all ready to go. Everything came out nicely. The wood is glossy now but after final assembly and test firing I will knock the gloss off with 0000 wool per request and re-cut the checkering again, along with adding a new front bead sight. You can hardly see all the repairs now.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1321451655.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1321451673.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1321451691.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1321451702.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1321451717.jpg

Keeping my fingers crossed all this work doesn't go up in smoke when I pull the trigger although it is really sound now.

Good luck!

Nice!

What?!?!?!?

No re-case hardening?

No fire bluing the screws, triggers and pins?

Not a big advocate of re-casing, I have not perfected fire blue yet....it's coming though. Let us not lose sight of the fact that it's still a Crescent, not a H&H.

The damaged parts.......
 

the stock and barrels had to be refinished because of "where they were". I don't see any reason to take away the original finish on the other parts just to make it look pretty. I guess it is somewhat like over restoring a car! I agree with Dave, in this case, fix what was broken/damaged and leave the rest alone. It will still be a precious family heirloom for generations to come! Can't wait to see the finished and assembled piece. Nice work!

Re-casing is not incredibly difficult, but you will need to learn to do the re-fitting (easing) required as the metal can warp slightly.

Fire Blue is easier than ever. Obtain a temperature controlled furnace and Niter salts from Brownell's. Done.

And better to practice on this .410 than a H&H, n'est-ce pas?;)

Thanks Fred. Actually it was my goal to not erase Grandpa from Grandpa's shotgun. I left a lot of old dings and handling marks where I could. My goal was first to save it then make it functional. making it perfect, or into something that looks like a Browning was never a thought. I dressed all the screws as they were pretty buggered and re-blued them along with the trigger guard but that was needed to bring it back to original condition.

I have Oscar Gady's original formula for re-casing but I still don't think it's a good idea unless it has been annealed properly. I have fire blued the way you have suggested, but it's not ready for prime time yet on a customers gun. I'll dink with it this winter.

David,

This thread makes me want to get my act together and if I do, I'll be in touch soon . . .

Very nice work.

Well with all due respect............

You have already taken grandpa out of this firearm. You have taken his broken stock, worn screws, scratched and dented metal, discolored recoil pad, etc. and disguised them or removed obvious traces of grandpa. Even more so if you fit different barrels.

So what you are really saying is removing some of grandpa is OK, but removing some other essence of grandpa is not OK.

I do not see any lessening of value on this piece by doing what you have done or by doing what I have suggested. It is a low value firearm is terrible condition. Why not to restore it more or less, is really a question of how much you want to do, not to what level you are taking grandpa out of it.

I just thought that this would be the perfect example to use in practicing your skills, that's all.

No harm, no foul. SmileWavy

point well made, no offense taken. I have used what skills I am proficient at. i'll learn on my own guns. although you are right about it being a good gun to experiment with from a quality stand point, it's not my gun to play with, it's a customers. There are plenty of roaches out there to experiment on.

NP Targa, you need to decide as you are the one doing the work.

I just like pushing and poking you! :-)

Excellent craftsmanship here, as always!!

I know you do, and I'm good with that. Being pushed and poked by a man with your credentials has to say something good about my work. So in a twisted way I thank you.

that looks GREAT! when is the test fire?

Great conversation about all the things that could have been done differently with this gun. But David is doing exactly what I wanted, and doing it better than I had hoped. I am sure there are other techniques that could be employed to restore this gun to "better than new", and while that would be great, I don't want to throw money at this gun indescriminately.


This gun is a family heirloom, even as David points out that it is only a Crescent. It was in a condition that was not only embarrassing to look at, but also very depressing, since I remember when it had seen better days. This restoration by David will return it to the condition that I remember it in (better actually), and will be something that I will be proud to pull out and show to friends, and also pass on to my son.

Can't wait to see it completed!

JA

And THAT my friends has made this whole journey worth while.

Thank you John.

Hoping to test fire tomorrow or Saturday. So when does bird season open your way?

Excellent work David. If I ever come across a lovely old spoon like this I'll give you a call.

any time Sidney.