Cleaning old guns

[Randy Radmer]

Well, I started cleaning my Parker and was not sure how, or if I should even try, to clean the tarnish/staining on the side plates, etc. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Randy

[Dean Romig]

Yes!.... don't touch them until Lee or somebody who knows Parkers takes a look at it.

Have you shown us any pictures yet?

[Randy Radmer]

I kept it very simple so far....a swab down the bore, a little oil to soften the caked oil and dirt and wiped it down with a soft cloth and cleaned a few little crevices with q-tips. The side plates, etc are pretty stained appearing but definitely will wait to try to clean better until someone smart about these looks it over.

Will be working on pictures today.

Thanks,

Randy

[Dean Romig]

I'm left wondering if the "stained" sides might be original color from the 'color case hardening' process - a feature that is very desirable and is a primary factor in determining condition.

[Randy Radmer]

Dean,

Good question. At this point I really don't know what is original vs staining. At this point I'm going to just let the oil I put on soften the old crud that has built up over the years and then clean that off with a cloth. Otherwise I am concerned that I may do more harm than good so am going to wait until I get together with Lee to let him give me some insight. I finally got pictures and am going to try posting them.

Randy

[John Hemstreet]

I am real glad I read this post. I have several old Parkers and I have often wondered the same thing. A friend long ago told me if you do not know what you are doing, you will most likely make it worse. Thanks for the info

[Richard Flanders]

I use wooden toothpicks to clean old crud out of engraving, screw slots, corners, and the rib joints. It takes a lot as they break easily when doing this, but they won't mar anything but will usually dig out just about any old oil. Lacquer thinner on a Q-tip softens this stuff the best, but you want to make sure you don't get A N Y of it on any of the wood finish as it will remove it in seconds. Best to have the stock removed before you go that route. The ultimate cleaning is to put the entire receiver into a jar of lacquer thinner and let it soak. I set my jar into a sonic cleaner and it cleans out every last remnant of anything that is anywhere inside or on the outside of the receiver. Hoppes will do the same thing; it just takes a lot longer.

Post pics of your gun so we can better help.