Received my Letter but found wrist cracked. Ugh!

[John J Sundelin]

While cleaning grime off the stock I found the wrist is cracked. I was cleaning it to determine if it needed to be refinished due to lack of finish and oil, it definitely needed to be. The finish is gone and it's nearly black from oil. The checkering is also worn on the butt stock and forearm along with the chipped toe and broken butt plate.
Now I need some advice as to how far to go with a fix. Is a crack repair, refinish, re-checker crazy expensive? I plan to use it for trap occasionally and maybe some hunting. The barrels are brown but have blue under the forearm and are 30 inches like the letter states. The letter doesn't seem to say the gun is special so will a full or partial restore hurt the value? I realize the value is minimal with the cracked wrist but the bores are nice with no pitting. any advice will be appreciated.
I will add pics and the letter to my album. Thanks, John

[John J Sundelin]

46529

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[Rick Losey]

as a family piece - only you can say what it worth to you

the repairs will not be cheap, and 12ga VH Parkers are not hard to come by

the best way to find out is to contact one of the experienced gunsmiths on the board who do such work

maybe one of them will post their advice

[Derek Iske]

Check out this website for a new butt plate.

http://www.connecticutshotgun.com/product-category/galazan/gun-restoration/butt-plates/

make sure if your VH has the spur butt plate or if it just flat.

[John J Sundelin]

Check out this website for a new butt plate.

http://www.connecticutshotgun.com/product-category/galazan/gun-restoration/butt-plates/

make sure if your VH has the spur butt plate or if it just flat.

I'm gonna be in trouble, that store is only 1 hour from me right on the way to my in-laws and a few miles from my sister in-laws. I quickly browsed their website, some very nice firearms.

[Daniel Carter]

What ever you do do not leave your wife in the car expecting a quick in and out. You will want to spend some time there.

[Brian Dudley]

The CSMC showroom is a true experience that everyone should take advantage of if possible to.

And... A 1904 gun would have a spurred buttplate. All did until the mid 1920s

[Justin Julian]

John,
To directly answer some of the questions you asked, your gun definitely needs work, if for no other reason than to keep the crack from expanding. In the shape that it appears to be in judging from your photos and description, a restoration will definitely enhance its value, not diminish it. The question is whether the value enhancement will approximate the cost, and the answer is probably not, as 12 gauge VHs are not rare. At a minimum though, the butt plate needs to be replaced, the crack needs to be stabilized with acraglass and perhaps pinning, and the wood refinished to protect it from the elements. Beyond that, everything else is cosmetic and up to you to decide if its worth the cost. Please post more photos of the gun so we can get a better idea of what you've got.

[Harold Lee Pickens]

That gun has a straight grip, which to many has some enhancement to value (I love 'em).
I would definately have the stock repaired, and then just shoot it, and worry about any other cosmetic features in the future. Would make a great "long bird" gun with those barrels and chokes, if I had it I would be enticed to start waterfowl hunting. I have a little VHE 20 with similar stock issues and will likely have it repaired soon, so as to be able to hunt with it for years to come.
Oh yeah, I'd fix the buttplate--just let whoever fixes the stock fit one--if it is too short for you, then would be a good time to add a pad.

[John J Sundelin]

Thanks for everyone's input, I decided to remove the oil myself and see how the stock looks and decide the next move when that's done. A couple more small cracks have shown up and A LOT of oil has come out. The cracks are small and not very deep. There was no finish left on it.
I started by cleaning it with dawn and Murphy's then soaked it for a day in 1 1/2 gallons of acetone. I removed it, brushed the checkering with a tooth brush ans went over stock with a nylon scrubby. A lot of grime came off.
I have kept it soaking except for when I remove it and use a heat gun to raise the oil, today I put it in the oven for an hour at 100+ degrees and MORE oil came out. I need to change the acetone now as it's getting very discolored. I have also been wiping it down with denatured alcohol when I take it out of the soak tank.
Let me know how i'm doing, any advice is appreciated. I'm doing as minimal as I can so I don't do any irreversible damage. Here's some pics.
John

[John J Sundelin]

More pics.

[Derek Iske]

Looks amazing!

Did your wood shrink at all during these processes?

[Bruce Day]

You are doing it the right way. Keep at it.
The previous owners obviously subscribed to the belief that if some oil was good, more was better.

I think the oil in yours is petroleum based. Some hammer era guns, including one I own, were oil soaked with what I believe is protein based sperm whale oil, which is exceedingly difficult to move out with any solvents I know.

If you need advise about refinishing, gluing cracks, etc, ask. At this point it would be easy to run a double line cutter through the checkering and deepen it where worn. Light touch.

[Bruce Day]

xxx

[chris dawe]

You are doing it the right way. Keep at it.
The previous owners obviously subscribed to the belief that if some oil was good, more was better.

I think the oil in yours is petroleum based. Some hammer era guns, including one I own, were oil soaked with what I believe is protein based sperm whale oil, which is exceedingly difficult to move out with any solvents I know.

It really stinks on the way out too !

[John J Sundelin]

Looks amazing!

Did your wood shrink at all during these processes?

Thanks, so far I haven't noticed any shrinking. I have noticed the pores have opened up but that is probably due to the grime coming out.
John

[John J Sundelin]

You are doing it the right way. Keep at it.
The previous owners obviously subscribed to the belief that if some oil was good, more was better.

I think the oil in yours is petroleum based. Some hammer era guns, including one I own, were oil soaked with what I believe is protein based sperm whale oil, which is exceedingly difficult to move out with any solvents I know.

If you need advise about refinishing, gluing cracks, etc, ask. At this point it would be easy to run a double line cutter through the checkering and deepen it where worn. Light touch.

I cannot believe how much has come out. Whale oil would seem logical in the early guns, I believe whaling ships sailed out of mystic which is not far from Meriden. It must stink when removing it, I would think it could go rancid. Yuck.
I have been wondering which glue to use in the areas that have checkering. Super glue, titebond, or an epoxy? They are hairline cracks.
I am going to do an Amber shellac French polish. I have done that years ago a couple times so it should be fairly easy to pick back up. Thanks for the input.
John

[Dean Romig]

Sperm Whale oil was/is the very finest animal oil in the world. It had always been used on the highest quality of precision machinery. It didn't go rancid.






.

[Linn Matthews]

Please be careful with your acetone fumes

[John J Sundelin]

I cannot believe how much oil is coming out of this stock. I had it the oven for an hour last night and an hour again tonight. Last night I didn't get as much as tonight. I soaked it in acetone overnight then back in the oven tonight, the results are in the pics. I wiped the stock with alcohol before I put it back in to soak again tonight. Only thing I can figure I the original owner was a lefty with extremely oily skin. LOL
John

[keavin nelson]

John,
I use acraglass to fix all cracks. It will inject through a syringe-hypodermic needle (large one). If the crack is too tight to get it in, use small drill at several locations back along the crack. Acetone will clean syringe out after your done if used before it sets up.

[Eric Estes]

That is a familiar sight. It can take a lot of time and effort to get it out. Just keeps coming to the surface. Patience and keep repeating the cycles.

I had one that after weeks of heat and multi-day acetone bath cycles, the oil was still coming to the surface. I then got impatient and boiled it in a water/TSP solution followed by a clean water boil to rinse. A ton more came out that way and after a lengthy (weeks at room temp) natural dry heating brought up no more. Probably not a recommended method since it might crack or split the wood in the boil or dry stages. I was lucky and it turned out great.

[John J Sundelin]

Yesterday my daughter wasn't feeling well so while watching her I was able to do multiple oven then wipe downs. About Four more oven soaks seems to have gotten the rest out. I am going to do another acetone soak then another oven soak and see how it looks. I'm not going to rush it.
I am dying to see how the wood looks with finish on it. LOL.
John

[charlie cleveland]

i wish i had you fellows patiece...charlie