Restoring a very old Stevens (trying a new blue)

[Sharp Things]

All the restorations I have posted lately have begun with a bit of background or history about the gun about to be restored. Unfortunately that wont be the case with this 100 year old single shot 12 ga because I don’t know what it is beyond the fact that it’s a Stevens and it was made between 1900 and 1916. Based on the low number I suggest its on the earlier end of that range. I asked for help identifying this gun on a variety of boards and so far I have only been able to rule out guns that it is not.

Its not a Stevens 125, 115 or 105 or 107 or a 94 and a long list of others that it is not. This is proving to be a problem since locating a replacement stock for a 100 year old gun you don’t know the model number of is tough. I picked up the shotgun at an estate sale because it looked like a challenge. (I love those) and the price was right.

Like other restorations it’s a mess but I like to take what are essentially $10 guns and put 30 or 40 hours and $100 into them and turn them into $15 guns. (it’s a sickness, I know) It doesn’t have to make sense it only has to be enjoyable.

So here it is in all its broken glory.

Thats a brass screw above the firing pin even though the years have given it a black petina.

The thing about identifying this make is the joint were the stock meets the receiver. Most of the advertising (that can be found) shows a crescent shape in the stock/receiver joint like this. As well as a screw head for a removable screw at the front of the receiver where the barrel pivots.

 

[Sharp Things]

But this make has a straight joint and no removable pin for the barrel pivot.

It also has a checkered stock and only certain Stevens of this vintage had that. But as you can see, both the butt and fore arm stock need replacing. For this gun I would rather buy a replacement than make one since spring his here and I have lots of outdoor tasks to take on.

If you are a Steven authority and can shed some light on this gun, please do so. I don’t know if it helps but there are no internal coil springs in the receiver. All the springs are flat stock.

And this is how the fore stock mounts.

The barrel lug

Normally I start with the wood due to dry times of the finish but for this one I have no wood so it may remain an incomplete restoration until I learn more about which make this gun is so as to locate a stock.

At any rate, Ziploc bags of naval jelly have their work cut out for them.

 

[Sharp Things]

All the parts were de-rustified (Is that a word?) and then cleaned up and given a brushed finish. Im messing around with Herters (now Arts) Belgian as an alternative to cold bluing. I tried the trigger guard first. Its more effort than wipe on cold blue since it involved boiling the parts and repeatedly applying the blue, carding, boiling but it gives the part a darker black (and more matte) appearance than cold bluing. It’s the cross between rust bluing and cold bluing.

The remaining part were cold blued with Nu-Blu

There is a coloration difference but I have not ruled out dissimilar metals as being the cause.

 

[Sharp Things]

At any rate, I maintain the option of stripping down all the parts and using Belgian blue on all the parts.

Here is it back together again.

The next step is stripping and rebluing the barrel. Its not in terrible shape as far as rust goes but it does have a few dings and some rust pitting in the metal that will remain.

I will remove the barrel lug and mount the barrel in my wood lathe and give it a 220, 320, 400, 600 grit job and then steel wool. I plan to use the Belgian blue on the barrel which means I need to fashion a tank to boil it in.

Since I was going to be using the Belgian blue any way and wanted to rule out dissimilar metal I took a couple of old bolts and cut the heads off and cleaned them up to 400 grit and applied Nu-Blu to one and Belgian blue to the other then I placed them both in a bag of Strike hold for 24 hours. Here are the results after a wipe down.

While the pictures do a poor job of showcasing the difference, its clear that the Belgian blue is deeper, blacker and more matte than the cold blue.

Since the weather is nicer and because the barrel is larger than a trigger guard and because of the Mercuric Chorlide in the Belgian blue I want to do this bluing outside. My boiling tank will be heated by my 5 burner gas BBQ grill with a tank of suitable size that still need to be made.

 

[Sharp Things]

The ejector parts were removed from the barrel and cleaned up as well as the long bolt that attaches the stock to the receiver.

Then all were blued using Nu-Blu

All the blued parts are then placed in Ziploc bags with a moisture displacing/rust inhibitor. In this case Strike hold but It could also have been G96 or Eezox where these parts will wait for the barrel to be completed.

With the removable parts of the barrel removed, I made tapered wooden plugs so I could mount the barrel in my wood lathe so I could spin it to clean it up with 320, 400 and 600 grit as well as steel wool.

There was no need for naval jelly to remove the rust since I was shining up the barrel on the lathe.

The cleaned up barrel.

 

[Sharp Things]

There is pitting in some areas that is just too deep to remove so it has to stay.

This barrel will be blued with Herters (now Arts) Belgian rust blue. For the definitive video on how to use Belgian rust blue see this link. He has done over 40,000 barrel blues so I trust what he says and does.

Larry Potterfield does a video on how to use Arts Belgian blue

Gunsmithing - How to Blue a Rifle Barrel Using Cold Blue Presented by Larry Potterfield of MidwayUSA - YouTube

My boiling water tank will be less rubust than Arts but essentially the same. it will be made from a section of rain gutter and a wire coat hanger to support the barrel so it doesn’t touch the sides of the tank. Here is a test run boiling some water to ensure it will work when I need it.

That’s Dolly the doe in the background, keeping an eye on things. She is a bedded doe decoy I made out of construction foam, wood and an ice cream bucket lid. I use her for bowhunting.

 

[Sharp Things]

Here a few pics from the Belgian bluing process.

Everything at the ready.

Rust scum floating on top.

After the fifth dip and application.

The hot barrel evaporates the water and blue quickly showing the rusting

Then the plugs are removed and sure enough no water crept into the barrel since the plugs are dry.

 

[Sharp Things]

A new and longer plug is put in one end of the barrel has a handle so I can apply copious amounts of Strike hold, water displacing oil/rust inhibitor to the barrel.

The oiled barrel.

Here is an outside video of the newly blued and oiled barrel.

Stevens shotgun bareel Belgian Blue - YouTube

All that’s left to do is give it 24 hours in the strike hold, make a new stainless steel front bead and put the gun back together with the old stock (since that’s all I have at this point)

 

[Sharp Things]

Ive gone as far as I can go with this gun until a stock is sourced (or made). Here’s where it stands right now. (using the existing broken stock just to take photos)

I made a stainless front bead to replace the missing bead.

Here are some pictures of the resurrected gun with the old (broken) stock back on the gun for the time being.

 

[NomadMeHappy]

Awesome (old) thread! Just bought a model 94B .410 and the stock is cracked 3 ways. I've never done any gun restoration, but I'm going to the stock a shot.