Disassembling Fine Old Guns: The Right Way, Part 2

In the last issue, we discussed various options for removing stuckin-place screws without damaging the screw heads. Here, in the second half of this two-part series, I’ll cover the removal of balky pins, wood that has become frozen to metal parts, and how deal with tricky operations that require more than two hands. Dealing with Stuck Pins Solid steel pins are another common method of holding parts together in firearms, and, just as with screws, their safe and neat removal is our goal.

Most gun pins, especially in older production firearms, are straight and can be removed from either side. For the record, if a pin is tapered, the correct way to remove it is to drive it Right top: A fine Austrian-made percussion pistol from the 1840s will require your careful examination before disassembly, along with a delicate touch and the correct tools. Muzzleloading guns often used steel pins that passed through the stock to hold trigger guards, triggers, and barrels, and these are sometimes hard to spot.

Right bottom: A factory engraved 1866 Winchester is a gun you won’t want to take any chances with during disassembly. Perfect fitting screwdrivers and cup-tipped pin punches are the only tools you would want to use. from left to right, just as if it were a dovetailed sight blade. Most gun-makers have been pretty good about following this rule over the years. Pins are driven into place with punches and hammers. But you should never think of hitting a pin directly with a hammer. Why?

Because if you mash the pin with a hammer the chances are great that you will mushroom the end of the pin, and if you do mushroom it, the end of the pin will no longer fit into the hole you are trying to drive it through. And if you do this to both ends, you’ve made the pin into a rivet! That’s like shooting yourself in the foot before starting off on along walk. Always put the punch into contact with the pin and hit the punch with the hammer. Punches used for pins

Figure 2. have straight shanks to allow them to pass clear through the hole, therefore, they are called "pin punches." Pins can get stuck, just like screws get stuck, and for the same reasons’ rust and old lubricants. Usually, once you get a stuck pin moving for the first time, chances are good that it can be kept moving with far less effort than was required to break it loose.

Pins that have flat ends are best started by using a short so-called "starter punch." Starter punches are shorter than normal pin punches and offer a stiffer shank, which helps to prevent break- One of these is a 4-ounce ball-peen hammer; the other is a graver’s hammer sold by Brownells. always to keep that nice, rounded shape intact, so no one would be aware the pin was ever removed and replaced.

Special punches for this task are available from Brownells that are called "cup-tipped punches." Cuptipped punches look like their name sounds; they’re straight pin punches but their tips are ground out hollow to allow them to fit nicely over the rounded heads of the domed pins used in so many 19thand early 20th-century guns. Separating Wood from Metal Removing the wood from the metal, or removing small metal parts from tightly inletted recesses in the wood can be a tricky job.

Older weapons, even military guns, had very close wood-to-metal fits when they were made. Over the years, the wood may age. So, we use the starter punch to initially get the pin moving, and once it is driven down below the surface of the gun, we can switch to a normal pin punch to finish driving out the pin. (See Figure 2.) Domed or round-headed pins are another matter.

The gunsmith’s desire is have swelled into the metal or the wood may have retained moisture after being carried in the rain, allowing rust to form in the seams. This rust can have the same effect as glue, effectively sticking the metal to the wood, so when the metal is removed it pulls divots out of the edges of the wood. The problem is sometimes caused by the fact that the oxidation has penetrated the metal (in the form of pitting) and the pores of the wood, thus forming a really firm bond.

This is especially true with antique guns, where the wood-to-metal fit is usually very close, and they may have had 100 years or more to bond with rust and dried oils. With very old guns, the wood may also be very dry and brittle, increasing the chances of the wood splintering when the metal is pulled off. On older guns, I like to scrub these areas clean with a light solvent such as kerosene, and then flow a little gun oil around all the seams where wood fits to steel.

Then I leave the whole thing sitting for 24 hours or so before trying to disassemble the gun. This often has the effect of loosening surface rust, and reduces the chances of the wood splintering. Wherever wood and metal are tightly fitted, they should always be eased away from each other deliberately, but slowly, moving just a little at a time. In this way, you will be able to see the places where wood starts to pull out as the result of internal rust.

If you see evidence of wood pulling out, before going any further, these areas should be treated by flowing on a bit more gun oil. After allowing the oil to sit a few moments, try scraping the sides (not the surface) of the metal with the blade of a sharp modeling knife to slice any wood fibers that might be adhered to the tangs of the metal below the surfaces. Keep the blade at a 90 degree angle to the metal and use great care to only cut fibers that are below the surface of the wood.

Once you have the bond of rust cutaway and you are sure the wood is free, slowly ease the wood the rest of the way off the metal. Obviously, both the wood and metal from such spots should be cleaned of all traces of rust and treated with a rust preventive before reassembling. Holding the Gun in Place Whatever method you use to turn screws or to drive the pins in and out, the gun itself should be supported on

your bench so that it can’t move around. For handguns, this usually means first removing any protrusions, such as the grips and the cylinder on revolvers, so the gun can be laid more or less flat on the bench top. When driving pins out of handguns, I like to lay the gun on its side on a soft pine board I keep on the bench especially for this purpose. Then, as the pins are driven out, they start to embed themselves in the pine.

This not only provides great support for the weapon, it insures that you won’t lose the pin Sometimes you need both hands to operate the screwdriver, and the force required to turn a screw would move the gun around if it were left laying without assistance on the bench. For times like this, a third hand is a great help, but there often isn’t anyone around to offer one. Try laying the gun on the workbench top near the edge, with a small soft pine board placed over some portion of the gun that’s not in your way.

Then clamp the handgun in between the wooden bench top and the board using a C-clamp. This gives you the use of both hands, and you don’t have to worry about the gun moving around. Look at the nice fit of the lock to the stock on this 1860s English pinfire shotgun. Note the extremely narrow screw slot on the hammer. Some Final Thoughts A word to the wise: Be thoughtful and keep your workbench top work area clean.

Just because you are about to disassemble a dirty old gun for cleaning does not mean your area should not be clean to start with. Wouldn’t it be awful if you laid a nice old S&W with perfect blue down on the bench, and it landed right on top of a sharp steel filing from some previous job and then you clamped it in place? The padded plastic bench covers available from many gun makers and even automotive stores make great benchtop surfaces to work on, and they are very easy to keep clean.

For really expensive old guns, I made a special padded bench cover from apiece of 1/4-inch plywood about 2 feet by 3 feet with apiece of soft, suede leather glued to its top with contact cement. Long guns require a different kind of support, and for this I recommend a gun cradle, sometimes called a rifle vise. Gun cradles are specially made fixtures that are intended to sit on the bench top and allow a rifle or shotgun to be securely clamped in place.

The cradle frees up both your hands, while providing a stable and safe support. Cradles area great idea for holding guns, whether you’re a work-at-home tinkerer or a full-time gunsmith. Most cradles are designed so along gun can be clamped either right-side up or upside down, so all sorts of different kinds of work can be performed, from cleaning to installing sling swivels to disassembly or reassembly. Make a habit of padding any areas of the stock that will be clamped with apiece of soft leather.

Even if the stock is removed, the barreled actions of many rifles and shotguns are long enough that they can still be clamped in the cradle, making disassembly of the major components that much easier. Finally, think about this: When you take apart or assemble a customer’s gun, you could very well be the last person who will turn those screws for the next 100 years. If you take the time to be cautious and careful, you’re signing your work for posterity as a craftsman. I