How much cleaning is good on an Antique?

[Tycer]

I'm gonna ask this part again for the weekday crowd.

I've never owned a 100+ year old gun.
So how far do I take it down for cleaning, what do I NOT DO? Do I remove the furniture and mag tube to inspect and clean?

I normally take all new to me guns down pretty far and scrub and re-oil. I've had my Rossi down.

0000 Steel wool and oil OK? Anything I should be wary of?

[mklwhite]

I was always told that take-down, oiling and (soft) cloth polishing wouldn't hurt any collector's value. I'd leave out the steel wool part of the plan though.

[Hobie]

I deal with a lot of antiques. You MUST clean enough to preserve it and you really shouldn't clean so much as to change it. Keep the rust at bay, keep it repaired and operational. If at all possible use original parts for necessary repairs. Since it should be D&T for them you could install a tang peep. That's my take on it.

[Wind]

Everybody!! Be thinking BRONZE WOOL!! Steel wool has no place really anywhere. You rub finish into a gunstock, you will leave microscopic pieces of steel everywhere. They will eventually rust. Left in nooks and crannies you will be introducing rust (left under stocks, receiver-barrel-magazine tube area, inside receiver etc.) Bronze wool is available at paint stores and comes in various sizes (grits). It's less aggressive on older guns and their finishes. Tycer - Didn't mean to bend your thread here. Cool rifle. I have it's twin in 25-20. I'd check under everything and in everything. Sometimes these older guns are remarkably clean, and sometimes not. A general overall gentle cleaning is in order. Distilled white vinegar and Q-Tips work good as a de-ruster, but be very careful about leaving it on too long and where it runs to. It's helpful for cleaning mainsprings etc., but will wreck the patina on a barrel or receiver. Out exercising my opinion early this morning!! Hope this helps. Watch yer top knot. Wind

[C. Cash]

The advice given sounds good to me. I always take an old gun down to do to it's basic parts for an inspection and clean/lube. Active rust should be stopped....I've used Kroil and 0000 steel wool with good effect and no percievable damage to the gun, but bronze wool would make more sense. Go light, light, light with the rubbing. For finishes that are chipped and peeling off the stock, I use Formby's furniture refinisher to take off the finish but it leaves the stain/dings totally intact. True Oil brings it back to new. I'm sure others do it differently. Congrats on that rifle Tycer!! You lucky dude!

[O.S.O.K.]

I don't have much to add other than to say - clean without altering the finish of the metal or the wood. I usually use boiled linseed oil on the wood - cleans and freshens the wood without chainging the original finish.

Definately do not sand or otherwise scrub the wood - just use a cloth and the BLO and rub good.

[kimwcook]

Carefully take it down and give it a good cleaning and light oiling. I wouldn't use steel wool anywhere on the exterior. I'd only use four or five O on interior parts that are rusted and then only light enough to remove the rust. Light covering of furniture oil on stock.

[Modoc ED]

Hopefully, these links will help.

http://www.rarewinchesters.com/images/E ... view-1.jpg

http://marauder.homestead.com/Rifles.html

http://books.google.com/books?id=Wj4UdD ... #PPA556,M1

This is for the new Model 92s but you may find it helpful.

http://media.winchesterguns.com/pdf/om/ ... 2_om_s.pdf

[Grizzly Adams]

I don't have much to add other than to say - clean without altering the finish of the metal or the wood. I usually use boiled linseed oil on the wood - cleans and freshens the wood without chainging the original finish.

Definately do not sand or otherwise scrub the wood - just use a cloth and the BLO and rub good.

+1 on the boiled linseed oil. The only thing I do to the metal is to work it with a cloth and some Break Free. This removes surface rust and stabilizes things well enough.

Unless you have functional issues that need repair, I would not take anything down. Old guns are often like sleeping dogs - best left undisturbed. If it ain't broke, don't mess with it. Dismantling antique Winchesters "for cleaning and inspection" is a risky, and unnecessary practice. For one thing, you risk damaging screws and pins that have been happy where they are for 100 years. Trust me, you don't want to go there!

Just my .02 cents, and worth less today than yesterday!

Congratulations on your 1892. Nice looking old warrior!

[Rusty]

Did I miss the picture?

[Tycer]

Did I miss the picture?

http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... =1&t=14536

[Hillbilly]

I dont know how bad the rifle is... but it looks pretty good to me. I am always amazed how much mung comes off old guns if I scrub em with the inside of an old sock and kroil or break free..even Remoil. Rubbing alcohol seems to take grubby junk off of wood pretty well.

That old dead oil and dust looks like rust. I have used very fine scotch bright and light oil to clean up stuff that had minor pits... but it will take blueing if you over do it.