Old shotguns sometimes need a little TLC
to get them in tip-top shape, let's take a look at this old Remington. It's a
model 11 semi-automatic shotgun made in Ilion New York. There are no serial
number records for early Remington's but the markings on this gun date it to about
1911. There were more than 850,000 of these guns produced before it was
discontinued in 1947. This gun has a few problems that are easily repaired with a
little time and patience. The first thing I noticed during initial inspection was
the oil-soaked stocks, this is a result of over oiling through the years. The
buttplate is also chipped, but luckily not cracked. Finally, the buttstock
and forend have several cracks The cracked forend is
common on model 11's due to the very thin wood around the magazine tube. I
begin by taking off the forend. It's removed by holding the barrel back
slightly and unscrewing the magazine cap. Now the barrel, friction ring, and recoil
spring can be slid off the magazine tube. The buttstock is next I remove the
locking screw, then the tang screw, and slide the stock off the receiver. It's
easy to see just how much oil has soaked into the wood. Even though Remington put a
reinforcement piece in the forend, time dried out the glue and the forend
cracked at the thinnest part. Also, one of the locating pins for the forend has
been lost. Now, I can strip off the old finish. It's a varnish type coating and is easily removed with Myles Gilbert stock
finish remover. Several layers of newspaper protect the bench, and a pair
of gloves protect my hands. It's important that the buttplate is removed
when stripping the finish, but I'll put it back on when sanding the stock. Finish
remover is generously applied to the stock and forend and allowed to work
for about 10 minutes or until the old finish starts to soften. Then I scrape
off the finish with a plastic scraper such as an old key card. The checkering is cleaned out with a
small nylon brush, following the lines first in one direction than the other. Once all the old finish is scraped off a
piece of burlap will remove the last of the residue. With the finish stripped I
can begin removing the oil from the wood. A volatile solvent such as acetone will
penetrate deep into the wood and lift out the oil. First, I scrub the wood with
a soaked cloth as the oil seems to go all the way through the stock,
submerging it is necessary. After an hour, a noticeable amount of oil has been
removed. I cover it back up and soak some more. Drying the stock under a heat lamp
also helps draw out the oil. Finally, the wood is allowed to dry for a few days
evaporating the solvent. Now I can see all the cracks that need
to be repaired. The dents, from years of use, will need to
be steamed out as well. Now I can begin fixing the buttplate. There are a couple
of chips missing but there aren't any cracks and overall it's in pretty good
shape for being over 100 years old. The buttplate is easily repaired
with the epoxy from the Miles Gilbert bedrock glass bedding kit.
This is a little like filling a tooth. A small hole for a wood pen
will provide additional support. Before applying the epoxy, I rough up the
surface with a file, then undercut the chips with a dremel tool to provide a
mechanical lock. A little black dye is mixed with equal parts of resin and
hardener the wood pen is glued in the hole. Masking tape along the edge of the
buttplate, will provide a dam to keep the epoxy in place until it cures. The chips
are carefully filled in. I let it cure overnight
then remove the tape. A needle file is used to remove the
excess epoxy. It doesn't have to be perfect at this point, as I will
reinstall the buttplate when I sand the stock. Now I can work down the excess on
the surface again being very careful not to file into the original material. I use
a single line checkering cutter to closely match the original molded in
checkering. A veiner works perfectly for the really
tight curve at the bottom. 600 grit abrasive paper is used to remove the
file marks and blend in the repair. Wow, the repair is hardly noticeable. With
the buttplate repaired, I begin fixing the cracks. Soaking out the oil with
acetone, loosen the wood reinforcement ring in the forend so I've removed it
for now. The first crack I'm going to repair is the one through the locating
pinhole. Since the crack goes farther back into the forend than the hole, I
begin by drilling the hole deeper being careful not to go through the side of
the forend. I'm using a polyurethane glue it's waterproof and because the
glue expands slightly as it cures it fills the cracks really well. Once I've got glue down in the hole a
dowel rod will force it out through the crack. I'll leave the dowel in for support and drill it out later. These cracks are a
little more difficult. I apply glue to the surface then very gently spread the
crack apart several times wicking the glue down into the crack. This one in the
head of the stock is a bit easier. I drill it out as deep as possible. Again the hole is filled with glue and I
use the dowel to force the glue into the crack. Often cracks are deeper than you
think you can see how far down this crack goes again
the dowel is left in for support. Now that the glue has cured in the first
crack I move to the others. I put glue on the outside surface and work it down
into the cracks. The last step is to glue in the
reinforcement ring. Surgical tubing will keep everything
tight until the glue cures. With the stock repaired you can see there are
lots of dents and dings from the years of use as well as dried glue. The next
step is to take out the dents. Steaming a dent will raise it nearly even with the
surrounding wood and reduce the amount of sanding required. This technique only
works when the wood fibers are crushed and not broken. It won't work with
scratches as a scratch cuts and removes wood fibers. My preferred technique of
removing dents is to use a household iron and a clean wet cloth. With the wet
cloth over the dent I simply place the corner of the hot iron against the cloth.
The steam penetrates the wood expands the fibers and raises the dent. It's
important not to leave the iron in place too long as it's possible to scorch the
wood the iron will dry out the wet cloth fairly quickly so a fresh part of the
cloth will push the maximum amount of steam into the wood. it may take several cycles of steaming
to fully raise a dent. Some dents can be raised completely while
others only partially. Once the dents have been raised
I'm ready to begin sanding. Even after steaming, there are several dents
and dings that have to be sanded out. To remove them I'm using the Myles Gilbert
stock refinishing kit. It contains everything
necessary to refinish a gunstock. One of the most important
components is a selection of high quality sandpaper ranging
from 100 to 220 grit. I start by wrapping the 100 grit paper
around the sanding block and secure it with masking tape. A firm backer will
ensure level sanding and prevent waves in the wood that will show up in the
finish. Following the sanding chart included in a kit will prevent missing
any areas of the stock I start by sanding the comb using long smooth
strokes. Sanding with the buttplate attached prevents rounding over the
edges I send only the minimum amount necessary as I don't want to change the
dimensions of the stock all I need to do with the 100 grit is to remove any
remaining imperfections, but no more. It's crucial to examine each area before
moving on. The toe line is next, I'm careful not to sand too much of the
checkering or too close to the in letting with the 100 grit paper Now I can move on to the sides of the
buttstock, always being sure to sand with the grain
never across it. When the sandpaper wears down I simply tear off the old portion
and retape. Imperfections such as this one will have to be filled as sanding it
out would require removing too much wood. After sanding the entire buttstock with
100 grit it's time to raise the grain. Using a damp paper towel I wet the
stocks and dry them with a heat gun. The water causes the wood fibers to stand
up and they can be removed with a next sanding. After each sanding, I like to
take the stock outside and examine it closely a natural sunlight any defects
or missed areas are easy to spot. Some defects can be removed with additional
sanding some will need to be filled and some you just have to live with. I sent out the ones I can
with 100 grit paper. Again, I raise the grain and go to the
next grid of abrasive paper. In this case 150, once the sanding with 150 is done
I'm ready to fill the areas that can't be sanded out. There are several one next
to the checkering, one along the top tang, and two along the bottom tang. The first
step is to lightly scrape the surface which will remove any remaining finish
since I'm using epoxy to fix the area next to the tang release agent will
prevent it from sticking to the metal. Five minute epoxy mixed with sanding
dust makes perfect stock filler and masking tape keeps the
epoxy out of the checkering. Notice that the wood has shrunk slightly
away from the receiver, this area is the recoil shoulder which absorbs the shock
from firing the gun and if left unrepaired will likely cause the stock
to split. I'm going to bed this area using the Myles Gilbert bedrock glass
bedding kit. Relief areas cut into the head of the stock will provide
additional support for the glass bedding. Again, release agent will prevent the
bedrock from sticking to the receiver. I use equal parts of resin and hardener
along with brown dye. Micro balloons thicken the mixture
and help prevent runs. I let the bedrock cure overnight, then
remove the stock from the action. The stock is reinstalled before I cut away
the excess bedding compound. Tape along the receiver
will prevent scratches. With the bedding compound trimmed away, I
begin sanding with 220 grit abrasive paper. I use the rounded edge of the
backer to sand the flutes. The point of the comb has a nice crisp line, which I'm
being careful to preserve. 220 grit doesn't remove much wood, but I'm still
careful around the tangs and against the receiver as I don't want the wood below
the surface of the metal. The forend is done exactly the same way. Again tape
will serve as a reminder to stay away from the area next to the receiver and
the magazine cap. I begin with the top rails again using long strokes keep the
rails even. As the forend is in pretty good shape,
I'm skipping the 100 grit and starting with 150. The finger grooves can be
easily sanded with the rounded edge of the backer. Notice the craft sticks that I'm using
to keep from crushing the forend. I'll stay away from the checkering and both
ends until the final sanding with 220 grit. Again, I'm careful as I don't want
to remove too much wood the last step is a file raising of the grain. Now I'm ready to apply sealer. Sealing
helps prevent moisture from entering the wood I'm using Laurel Mountain Forge
stock sealer mixed with stain to give the wood a darker color. I apply it generously to the stock
completely, coating all surfaces. At this point you can really begin to see the
beauty of the wood. Some areas need additional sealer as it soaks in. I keep the surface wet for about 20
minutes, then wipe off the excess and allow the stocks to dry overnight. For the finishing process,
I'll need just a few basic items. I begin by mixing finish with mineral spirits.
This thins the finish and makes it easier to work with. I'm also adding
stain to the mix as sanding the stock will tend to lighten the color. The buttplate
is reinstalled to keep from rounding over the edge of the stock. I
squirt on a generous amount of finish and sand it in. Giving this finishing
process its name of a sanded-in finish. Sanding creates a fine slurry of finish
and wood dust which fills the grain of the wood. Each area is sanded carefully, I
work my way around the stock using the sanding diagram. The excess finish is
wiped off before it hardens making sure to go across the grain to keep from
pulling out the slurry. This is an edge saver it's a shop-made tool that lets me
sand to the edge without rounding it over. I like to put one coat of finish on in
the morning and one in the evening. After the second coat the grain is beginning
to fill. I'll continue to sand in coats using progressively finer grits of
sandpaper, the last sanding is with 1000 grit and now the stocks have a nice
satin finish with the grain completely filled. Years of use has flattened the tops of
the diamonds in the checkering, so it needs to be touched up. It's not
difficult to recut and I'll only need a few tools: some magnification, a
checkering cradle, and good light. The action is reinstalled on the stock to
make holding it easier and allow access to the checkering on the rest the
checkering cradle holds the stock securely while allowing it to be rotated.
Now before beginning the actual process of checkering the finish should be
completely cured I like to wait a couple of weeks to let the finish harden up. The
first step is deepening the borderlines with a 60-degree single line cutter. The
steep angle of the cutter follows the existing lines as I deepen each one
slightly. At this point I'm mostly concerned with
cleaning the finish out of each line very light pressure and short
back-and-forth strokes are all that's required. After making one pass I'll
chase out the line again deepening it slightly. This cutter cuts only on the
push stroke. Now I recut each line inside the pattern.
I begin with what we're the master lines. The stock has been swapped end for end to
extend the lines to the border. Since I've cut the border deeper I can run the
cutter right up to the edge without running over. Another method when reaching
the border is to reverse a cutter in the handle so it cuts on the
pull stroke then a technique called hook and pull is used. The tool is placed
against the border and pulled back which prevents cutting past the line. Extra
care must be taken in the corners as the lines are short. They can be deepened
with a veiner it's a small v-shaped chisel that's perfect for the job
a good light source is needed to see your work. It should be kept at an angle
to make the lines easier to see and follow once all the lines are cut in one
direction I begin cutting the crossing lines. After one pass the diamonds are
all redefined but, the tops are still flat. Now I'm ready to use the 90-degree
cutter. This cutter will give the diamonds their final shape and point
them up. Next, I deepen the crossing lines. A final light pass in the opposite
direction of the last lines cut will make it hard to tell in which direction
the last pass was made and make the diamonds really pop. Once all the lines
have been recut the outside border lines are cleaned out with the 60-degree
cutter. A border tool cuts a rounded edge along the outside of the pattern. The
borders cut to the correct depth when all the finish has been removed. The
corners are deepened with a short 90-degree cutter and a small pocket
knife works perfectly for the areas I can't reach with the cutter. A final brushing removes all the sawdust.
Once all the checkering has been recut, I apply the same finish that was used on
the stock, then I hire reassemble the gun and it's ready to go to the range.
I absolutely love all of this!!!
Ahhh that first panning shot drives me crazy, whyyyy
I love this guy's videos.
Thank god for the speed adjustment feature, I would've been driven insane by how slow he was speaking. Amazing job though, that looks pretty much new when he's done.