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[Jacob Huddleston]

Originally Posted by Brian Dudley

Mr. Huddleston,

If the shineness is a result of the oil that you put on the stock, then it is not of as much of a concern. What should be cleaned off is whatever is on the metal parts that are giving it that yellow look. Most likely varnish or shellac which will be removed with denatured alcohol. You want to go slow and be careful. Denatured alcohol will remove shellac from the wood too, and that is what most of these original finishes are. So you don't want to get it on the wood.

Denatured alcohol will soften the shellac first and then with continuous rubbing will remove it.

For example with old wood furnature, when shellac finishes shrink and crack with that crazed look. The alcohol will remove that worn out surface shellac so that fresh shellac can then be added.

OR that yellowing could just be dried oil. Some gun oils will gum up over time like this.

So the best thing to do would be start with the barells after I take it apart? What would you do about the little rust spots on the bottom of the receiver?

[B. Dudley]

0000 steel wool and oil for any rust.

[Steve McCarty]

All great advice. IMO a nice old Parker should look like a nice old gun. Remember the wood is well over a hundred years old and should be treated like fine furniture. Your barrels look very nice to me with excellent figuring. That yellowing on the metal parts should come right off, as stated above.

As you can tell by the comments here, your Parker is a very nice one and with the RST shells you can shoot her for another hundred years. (after her physical) I suggest that you join our association and add your gun's serial numbers to our archive which means that your Parker lifter has been reborn!

[Jacob Huddleston]

Originally Posted by Steve McCarty

All great advice. IMO a nice old Parker should look like a nice old gun. Remember the wood is well over a hundred years old and should be treated like fine furniture. Your barrels look very nice to me with excellent figuring. That yellowing on the metal parts should come right off, as stated above.

As you can tell by the comments here, your Parker is a very nice one and with the RST shells you can shoot her for another hundred years. (after her physical) I suggest that you join our association and add your gun's serial numbers to our archive which means that your Parker lifter has been reborn!

She has a date with a gunsmith on Wednesday and I have already ordered a flat of vintage shells from polywad.

[Steve McCarty]

Originally Posted by J. Huddleston

She has a date with a gunsmith on Wednesday and I have already ordered a flat of vintage shells from polywad.

Good for you! You'll have to tell us how your old Parker shoots. I've often wondered why old shotguns have so much drop at comb, but many do. I'm sure they ordered their guns that way for a reason, those guys weren't stupid and shotgun sports were very popular in the 19th Century.

[Steve McCarty]

Originally Posted by Brian Dudley

0000 steel wool and oil for any rust.

I use Liquid Wrench. It seems that that stuff penitrates the rust down to clean metal and helps to lift if off. I also use 0000, but very lightly.