Lessons Learned

Lessons learned the hard way tend to be remembered the longest. The lessons and advice that I offer here are nothing new to most of the readers. No great revelations, just some wisdom accumulated over the years. If anyone gleans something useful from this article, it has served its purpose. Safety First We all know that eye and ear protection is a no brainer when operating firearms. How about when you’re working on them?

I wear eye protection when working on firearms, whether disassembling, cleaning, modifying, or reassembling them. I learned years ago (it took more than one lesson, unfortunately) that things can get into your eyes even when you’re being careful, like grinding steel while only wearing safety glasses instead of a face shield. Or when you least expect it, like raking leaves on a windy day. Ever have an errant nail or spring fly past your ear?

I saw a safety seminar photo many years ago of a guy with a ten-penny nail sticking out of his eye, long before Photoshop was invented. I knew a young man who stabbed himself in the eye when the screwdriver The dimensions are roughly 17x14x12" and the holes in the sides of the box are covered by thin plastic taped to the inside of the box, with the plastic pieces taped at the top and at 3 and 9 o’clock. These keep parts from getting past your hands. The plastic front cover flips up to access the inside of the box.

The LED light is suspended from the wood block on top. he was using as a pry bar slipped while working on the suspension of a sports car. Having anything removed from an eye is not pleasant. I wear eye protection whenever I’m working in the shop, around the house or outdoors. I never wore eye or ear protection when hunting with my dad when I was kid. Nobody did back then. I never wore ear protection over many decades of using power tools, mowing the grass, etc.

I’m paying the price now; hearing aids are surprisingly expensive. I started wearing ear protection many years ago to slow down the amount of hearing loss. Safety glasses, gloves, and sometimes a mask or respirator are needed when using chemicals such as cleaners, solvents, oils, bluing liquids, etc. Cold bluing is an easy and simple method to improve a faded finish and gloves need to be worn to protect the hands and to keep skin oils from contaminating the surface before bluing.

I wear gloves and long sleeves when welding. I have seen guys weld bare handed; I am not good enough to do that. I have a bad habit of inadvertently touching heated objects before they cool. Patience I guess we all have had an experience with a project that should only take a few minutes, something that’s fairly simple (simple doesn’t always mean easy) and it just doesn’t seem to go right. Whatever it is, it’s not coming apart or going back together like it should.

Maybe we tried to do the job when we had a spare moment but now we’re running out of time and need to be somewhere or do something else. When you’re ready to start throwing tools, stop before you screw something up. I have learned the best thing to do is put down the tools, walk away, and try to relax. Get some fresh air or sit down and have a beverage. I know it’s easy to say "don’t get in a hurry, take your time". Easy to say, harder to do.

So, step back, take time to think about the issue, and maybe come back to it later. UFOs This article was prompted by one UFO—Unrestrained Flying Object. Specifically, it was the flight of a retaining clip into a far corner of my workshop. I looked for it but knew

it was useless. Fortunately, the clip was easy to replace, requiring just another trip to the hardware store. But what if it was apart that was no longer available? Could you make a duplicate part without the original? I knew better than try to assemble the clip without containing it. It was a simple, two-minute job, so what could go wrong? Famous last words. Maybe because the part was inexpensive and easily replaced, I didn’t take the time and precautions needed.

Granted, this was not a firearm project, just a home repair, but the point is the same. Take your time, do it right. I have a small, enclosed workspace made from a cardboard box I use just for this scenario. I took a medium size box, cut off the top flaps, laid it on its side, cut a small hole in the top for a light, cut holes in the sides for my hands and taped apiece of clear plastic to the open front. I made it because I was installing a handgun trigger kit with a difficult to assemble spring.

It took me three attempts to get the spring installed and this simple box kept the spring from disappearing no matter how hard it tried—and trust me, it tried. The short amount of time it took to make the box more than paid for the benefit. Depending on the complexity of the assembly, a clear plastic bag may suffice. Why didn’t I take the time to find it and use it this time? Sometimes, lessons need to be relearned.

Work Practices I do most of my disassembly and reassembly on one work bench and all my fabrication, metal working, filing, grinding, etc. on another. This keeps any metal debris from getting into the padding on the first bench and scratching the metal or wood of firearms. Make sure any light fixtures above your bench are high enough to clear the muzzle of the 32" barrel shotgun you’re holding vertically.

Taking photos while disassembling a firearm or other device can Lessons learned the hard way tend to be remembered the longest. Don’t ever overlook safety, patience, and consistent work practices or Murphy will pay a visit! be useful when putting it back together, especially if any amount of time elapses before reassembly. This is especially important if you are not familiar with the assembly or have a poor memory like me. Cell phones have great cameras and make it easy to record and send images.

You can document the problem, broken parts, and areas that need repaired. We know that using the correct size screwdriver is required for firearms screws. An improper screwdriver can round off the slot in a screwhead or put a scratch in the finish when it slips. I’ve seen sloppy work where the firearm owner did not have the correct screwdriver or didn’t take the proper care in performing the work. Applying penetrating oil to a tough screw and letting it soak in for a few hours generally works well.

You may need to repeat the process if the screw is stubborn. Applying heat can help especially if thread locker is present. I have found placing the screwdriver or hex head wrench in the head of the screw and heating the shank of the screwdriver or wrench with a heat gun will transfer the heat into the threads and help loosen it. Taking the time to do this can prevent a headache or two. The finish on the metal or wood can be protected with a few layers of painter’s tape.

A rubber floor mat (sometimes referred to as anti-fatigue) can make along day on your feet more bearable. It will also protect parts that you drop or roll off your work bench. To keep small parts from disappearing under my benches, I installed a slightly recessed toe board that extends from the bottom of the lower shelf to the floor. Beats crawling around on your hands and knees with a flashlight.

Wood/Metal Refinishing Never use petroleum products for cleaning or surface preparation; they leave a film that prevents a good finish. Instead, use denatured alcohol, acetone, carburetor cleaner, or brake parts cleaner; they evaporate quickly and leave a clean surface. If a wooden stock is oil soaked, the oil must be removed before glue or any finish is applied. Submerging the oil-soaked area in acetone for a few days works well. After removing the stock from the acetone, dry it with cloth or paper towels.

Using a heat gun on the wood drives out the remaining oil quickly. Wipe off the oil and use the heat gun again. It may take several applications of this process to remove the oil. Removing dents from a wood stock typically involves applying heat to the dent with a laundry iron applied to a wet towel placed on the dent. Small dents, roughly 1/4" diameter or smaller, can be raised by using the flat tip on a soldering gun on the damp towel. It localizes the heat well and the gun is easy to maneuver.

One last safety tip; place solvent, stain or oil-soaked rags, towels, etc. in a small metal container with a tight-fitting lid to prevent spontaneous combustion. Usually, solvents like acetone evaporate quickly and aren’t a problem but better safe than sorry. I know a family who lost their home to afire started by oil-stain soaked rags left in the garage. They lived out in the country, so it took the fire fighters 20 minutes to get there and by then it was too late to save the house.

When starting anew project, especially a major project or one that could result in an injury or worse, take time to think about what could go wrong and the corresponding actions needed. Remember, Murphy never sleeps. AG