How to Restore Water-Damaged Guns

If a gun has been submerged in water for any length of time—especially if it’s saltwater—or damaged from mud and muck, chances are it’s going to require attention that the typical gunowner is not able to provide. As a Florida-based gunsmith and firearms refinisher, I’ve had a lot of experience with water-damaged guns lately. In this article, I’ll share with you the techniques and procedures I use to restore many of these guns.

And you don’t have to live in the Southeast to see these guns; I’ve found that guns acquire water damage from a variety of sources in addition to floods and hurricanes. I’ve seen everything from mishaps that take place from firing a 12 gauge while standing in a canoe to guns damaged with water used by afire department to put out afire.

Bringing these guns back to their original condition is not only rewarding in the monetary sense, but also in terms of the personal satisfaction that comes from turning a rusty block of steel back into a working tool. First Steps The first step is to minimize further damage. If a customer contacts you with a water-damaged gun, tell him to keep air (i.e., oxygen) away from the gun. Your goal is to keep the damage from getting worse.

Have him apply a liberal coating of WD-40 or light motor oil on and in the gun immediately. Grease is not a good idea; some are water-based, and others are acidic. It’s also too easy for the customer to make the mistake of leaving an air pocket or two when applying grease, so I discourage the use of grease. Once the gun arrives in your shop, the next step, of course, is a safety check. Make sure it is unloaded.

If you can’t open the breech (and you usually can’t), use the muzzleloader’s technique of measuring from the breechface to the muzzle inside and out. If the inside measurement is significantly less, carefully try a flush with a garden hose. Hold the gun muzzle down and squirt up into the barrel. If it doesn’t flush, then treat it as you would a gun with alive round stuck in the chamber. The next step is partial disassembly. At this point, you want to separate the wood from the metal.

Stuck and frozen screws are to be expected. My tried-and-true method is to start with a squirt of Kroil or other penetrating oil. Tap it for a few minutes, and then give it a try. If you’re having no luck, then use either a B-Square frozen-screw jack or my personal favorite, a cheap automotive impact tool with a socket-drive adapter (from Brownells) and a properly fitting hollowground screwdriver tip. A few whacks with a two-pound hammer usually does the trick. Soak and wait. At first, nothing on it would move.

It was soaked in Kroil and then disassembled.

For the initial step in the restoration process, I place the wood in a semi-closed environment with a heat source. The idea is to heat the wood to no more than about 110 degrees for three or four days. A small closet with a 100-watt table lamp and a thermometer is one easy solution. While the wood is slowly drying out, put all the metal into a container and soak it in kerosene for a week.

The waiting may be hard, but I remember what a gunsmithing instructor once told me as I was rushing through a project: "If you’re in a hurry, take up hockey." Complete Disassembly And Rust Removal At this point, you need to decide if the gun is to be refinished. If you’re dealing with an antique or a gun with significant historical value, you should not refinish it. Disassemble the gun completely and clean all the parts.

You can use the electrolytic process described in the next paragraph for non-visible parts only, and scrub visible parts with 0000 steel wood and CLP or kerosene. Oil the heck out of it and reassemble. If the gun is to be refinished, there are many more procedures you can follow to restore the gun. First, be particularly careful about how you choose to remove rust; you’ll find an excess of bad advice exists from a variety of sources.

For example, aggressive chemicals like vinegar, naval jelly, Coca-Cola and muriatic acid should not be used. Harsh friction methods are also often erroneously recommended. Don’t put a wire brush on your electric drill and start in, and don’t sandblast. If the gun is in very bad shape, then bead blasting for a matte finish is about the most you should do. At this point, you’re probably wondering just how you should get rid of the rust.

There are two methods I use that will remove only rust and won’t touch un-rusted metal. The first is chemical removal. Harris Lab’s Evapo-Rust is not cheap, but if you’re planning on doing a lot of this sort of work, five gallons of Evapo-Rust will be a good investment. Small arms can be placed in any type of pan, covered completely with the solution and allowed to soak overnight. For long arms, using a vertical piece of large-diameter PVC pipe, capped and cemented on one end, works well.

Cover the gun completely to avoid lap marks. The second method, popular with artifact restorers, is electrolysis. For this method, you only need a few items: a plastic container big enough to hold the gun, an iron electrode, tap water, washing soda, and a battery charger. The container can be any garbage can or plastic bucket—just as long as it’s not metal. The electrode can be just about anything made of steel or iron with more surface area than the part to be de-rusted.

I use threaded rod bolted to the electrode, and bend it to hook over the side of the container. Add one tablespoon of washing soda per gallon. Baking soda won’t work; use household lye if you can’t find washing soda. Add the soda to the water, and clamp the positive side of the battery charger to the electrode. (The negative side is the part to be de-rusted.) Double check to ensure you’re clamping the positive side; if you get it wrong, you’ll destroy the gun. I use threaded rod on the negative side, also.

Check your connections again, and turn on the charger. Check the charger’s meter to see that a small current of 2 to 4 amps is flowing. If your charger doesn’t have ameter, look to see small bubbles rising from the part. You can also have a friend stick a finger in the solution. He should feel a slight tingle. (Just kidding.) The

amount of time this procedure takes to work depends on the proximity of the positive and negative pieces and the amount of rust. To test to see if you are successful, remove the object and rub it under running water with a paper towel or sponge. The usual time is a few hours, but I have also run it overnight without any damage to the part.

One small difference exists between these two rust removal methods: Evapo-Rust parts come out clean, while electrolytic parts come out with a black oxide that should be gently scrubbed away. If you find that there are still parts and screws rusted together, try them again after using a rust remover. Internal parts can be lightly brushed with 0000 steel wool, or with a .0025 brushing wheel at 1750 rpm if there are any stubborn rust spots left. Refinishing Choices Now is the time to decide how to refinish.

Check the surface of the metal parts, and if they can be polished and buffed in the conventional manner, you’re in terrific shape. However, if the rust removal revealed overall deep pitting, then your best bet is to refinish to a coarser grit than the original. Eighty or 140 grit will give you a "hunter" finish. If the gun is too far gone for that, then the next step is a glass-bead finish. These used to be our only choic It’s ready for its final polish. es, but newer technology has given us another choice.

If your customer will agree to a polymer finish, then you can blast with aluminum oxide and follow up with a spray of Dura Fil from Lauer Custom Weaponry Dura Fil is to guns what Bondo is to cars. It’s a heavy filler undercoat for spray-on finishes. I suggest blasting with aluminum oxide or other sharp-grained media, then spraying with a liquid phosphate. Then spray on Dura Fil with an airbrush or automotive touchup gun. Dura Fil usually requires multiple coats as it fills in pits and dings.

Wait at least four hours between coats. Then sand with 200-grit paper, followed by 400-grit. Finish with a coat of TR Gun Kote from Ten Ring Precision, Inc. (21O/494-3063; ww wtenring.com) or any other spray-on finish you prefer. The finished gun will have a smooth, rust-free finish. Conclusions Careful and deliberate work can bring back a gun that at one time appeared to be ruined. Take your time, and you should be able to work water-damaged guns into your regular repair routine.

As with most gunsmithing projects, as you become more familiar with the processes, you will pick up speed and skill in performing this valuable service—along with a great deal of personal and customer satisfaction. ■