Hi, Wayne and Dean.
Wayne, thanks for the input. The way I look at it, doing a bit of cleaning is a fun way for me to spend a Saturday afternoon. I don't have any illusions about finding a silk purse under this current sow, but my photos didn't do the barrels justice. I think it'll wind up being a wall hanger, too. The fact is, my cousin who is purchasing this gun doesn't have the full use of his left arm, so he will probably never intend to shoot it. And he's sensible enough to know it must be approved by a competent vintage gun specialist before he could attempt to do such a thing. (That said, his arm doesn't keep him from shooting lighter guns very well, nor fly fishing, either). And further, the way I see it is this: If we take it to a vintage barrel specialist, that person would need to clean it before assessing it, so I am happy to do some of that preliminary work. I won't over-clean it. I've got great patience (remember, I build guitars) but I'm not a glutton for punishment when things get too tedious. If I run into anything that doesn't seem right to me, I'll stop immediately. Any potential restoration work will be my cousin's decision, and it won't be done by me. My thoughts have gone precisely along the lines of your advice.
Dean, thanks again to you, too. The stock finish looks like a professional job to me, and is in pretty good shape overall. I think whoever painted the barrels and other metal parts with lacquer (or whatever) also painted it into the inlets. That's a problem, but not insurmountable. I am glad to have your input on this point. None of my guns, including my Spanish double gun, have finish in the inlets, beyond a light coat of wiped oil. Most have no finish at all in those recesses. I suspected that would be the case with old Parkers, too. Thanks to all for your interest and encouragement.
|