Ithaca Lewis Restoration

[Samuel Gross]

Hello. I'm a new member to this forum. I usually work on mostly old milsurps. I got this shotgun at my favorite price (free). So here launches my side-by-side experience, although I've overhauled and restored several winchester 97's and 12's.
It was in a box, but only partially disassembled.
123940
Sears were in the baggy. Some scews and other small bits in folded tape with labels. Stock was off the receiver with a chip on the top left. most of the screw in the receiver were lightly buggered or loosened. Looks like bubba tried to disassemble, ran in to problems not knowing anything, and gave up.
So it sat in the shop for several months while I cleared out more of my usual work, and over the long presidents day weekend it called to me to at least stop it from further deteriorating.
The barrels have pretty clean and shiny bores, couple minor dings in the right tube. He we are closeup before, and after boiling and carding. Fine twist steal living under all that funk. No real pitting, just a nice frosting in a few places.
123941123942

Receiver came apart pretty easily, just had to soak a couple screws. I don't think bubba buggered them beyond repair. Here it as it was found in the box.
123943123944
After soaking heads in kroil and disassembly, it looked like bubba didn't mess with the internals. everything that was supposed to be on left or right was on the correct side at least. I put the receiver and all other "in the white" parts in a jar of evaporust, and soaked all else in kerosene. Lots of funk and grime in there!

This weekend's effort is to try to reassemble to make sure we have everything and determine if its has hopes of being serviceable, or is destined as a wall hanger. Right away, the tubes are indeed very serviceable - after I raise the dings in the right barrel. I'll wait to do that until everything else checks out since it's $60 to rent the hydraulic dent raiser, and I am without a lathe to make my own tool.

Thanks to member alcavigila for a picture inventory of parts. Out of the gate, I think I'm missing the safety bar, the locking lever tension spring, and the trip spring and pin, but let me triple check the creases of the box to be sure I didn't miss anything.

[Alfred Greeson]

As I have heard, old guns harbor old mens soles. Somewhere, someone appreciates your efforts and we look forward to pics of your progress. A fun project.

[Samuel Gross]

Inventory complete, and I got things assembled - with no parts left over ;)
123983
123984
123985
123986
The only parts I'm missing are:
1) trip spring and pin. easy enough to make.
2) locking bar tension spring. Either the crass or the flues version spring should work, and they were only about $6 each at Numrich. The flues is 3-4 coils shorter than the crass. If neither works, I think if I double up ar15 trigger springs, which I have a bunch laying around, I can get close to the tension required.
3) safety bar. From alcavigila's picture index, I think the crass safety bar is the same. Numrich had one at ~$20
4) Safety/trigger lock bar (T shaped). Can't find one. If someone has dimensions, I think it's easily made. If not, I think I can trial-and-error make one off of alcavigila's picture relative what's around it.

The action works fine, after figuring out the correct install of the mainsprings. I'll do a separate post for just that, since I found a more efficient means of install than what was in other posts on this forum, as well as solved the loop vs. v-spring issue that was in another thread here.

There is the usual blowout in the stock. I have the large piece that broke off, but not the very top shard.
123987
So we will have that to deal with when I get to it. I will epoxy on the main piece just to hold it in place. Square off the top with a chisel, then drill a hole parallel to the wrist to insert a loosely fitted threaded rod. I will then drill a corresponding hole in a block of walnut, and insert a threaded rod loaded up with more epoxy. Lastly carve the topmost new wood and blend all the color (epoxy gets died black to look like grain) and hopefully pass the 10 foot stare test. Bedding the inner recoil nub when I'm done should prevent this kind of blowout from ever happening again. Guys with any old firearm with this kind of tock design, I highly recommend glass bedding the recoil surfaces. If nothing else, it will make these old stocks last in serviceable condition for at least another lifetime after you.

[Harold Lee Pickens]

Nice save , Sam. Hope you get to shoot it.

[Samuel Gross]

mail man came yesterday and delivered a top lever tension spring and screw. I spent all night playing around trying to get it to work.
No, silly goose, the spring does not go down the hole with the screw behind it! Here is the correct sequence for installing the top lever on a lewis.

1. place spring horizontally across the groove in the cam. Insert the came and spring into the hole in the frame from the top. I found it easiest to have the groove facing toward the rear, and the rear of the frame pointing up. Use a pair of tweezers to lightly compress the ends if you need to. Also, one end of the spring was wound to a point. make sure the point is on the right side. The set screw won't grab the pointy end of the spring, and will slip off, jamming the top lever.

2) using a pair of pliers, rotate the cam clockwise until you see the top of the spring through the hole. Insert the set screw, and screw down until it stops, and then back off half a turn. Verify spring tension by either carefully rotating the cam with pliers from the top (don't bugger it up!) or using a flat screwdriver against the nub on the bottom. It should spring back If not, try again.

3) gently push the cam slightly below flush so you can slide the top lever into position. If it doesn't go, back the set screw out 1/4 turn so the cam will move a bit further down. Don't back out too much or you will lose the spring and have to start all over!

4) use a flat screwdriver against the nub on the bottom of the cam to align the cam head to the top lever. press the cam up into the toplever as you rotate.

5) insert the top lever screw, finger tight, and verify by pushing the top lever over to the middle that it springs back to the open position. The top lever screw and set screw get adjusted to tandem. In addition to holding the spring, the cone-shaped end of the set screw also controls the final depth of the cam in its hole. Backing off the set screw allows the cam to ride higher, which allows you to tighten the top lever screw a bit further. If you back off the set screw too much, it will lose the spring and you have to start all over.

6) with the top lever screw aligned, you can play with the set screw half a turn or so in either direction to adjust the top lever's closed position. Loosen the setscrew to send it further left. again, too much and you will slip the cam spring, jamb everything, and have to start all over.

Very frustrating...my original set screw that came in the shotgun wasn't pointy at all. of course it failed. The replacement wasn't only slightly pointy, and kept failing. Then I discovered the threads of the set screw are the same as those on the set screw in the bolt guide block, and the same as the ejector's retaining screw. The former was dome-shaped, and the latter was very pointy. I swapped and ....perfection. Except there is a little play/backlash in the top lever. This is due to wear. I made a 0.001" shim from some stainless shim stock to go between the top lever and cam. No play anymore, screw aligns with the handle, all is right in the world.

Mailman today brought a new firing pin...here was what was in the gun originally.
124065
half the head was sheered off!

The firing pins for the Crass (or at least one of the Crass variants) are the same as the lewis. The firing pin return spring was slightly different. Same with the top lever spring and set screws. My pin and spring came from eBay Crass listings, and with ancillary parts I don't need. I have a Crass top lever (the kind with cam fixed to the lever and no screw), two left V-main springs, a Crass firing pin spring, and a sear spring which is the same on the Lewis. If anyone needs these, this forum has dibs before I list them for sale.

[Mike Poindexter]

Two years ago the top lever locking bolt on my Lewis 16 ga. fractured in the field but the loose piece stayed in the frame. I sent it to Buck Hamlin who took it all apart and welded a new locking bolt onto the top lever and refit it to the barrels and reblued it. He sent me an invoice for $200 (he also reblued the trigger guard and safety button while he was at it) and put a note on the invoice that said "Mike: This model (Lewis) is a nightmare to reassemble." This from a man who could reassemble an LC Smith with his eyes closed. I miss him. I appreciate your analytic and physical skills at having figured all this out on your own. Not me.

[Samuel Gross]

It's not required to fully disassemble to remove the locking bolt, cam, lever, etc., but maybe if the bolt is in pieces. That said, he did good to go ahead and do a quick service the innards while he had it open, especially given how rare these guns are opened up by design.

Mailman brought another gift today...the safety bar. Indeed, this model of crass safety bar is the same as for the lewis. It will require some minor fitting, the bottom catches on the trigger guard and won't go back...nothing a couple swipes of a stone won't fix. Need to make the trigger locking T-block that it connects to next. Time to study some pictures. Having never fired a SxS, or double barreled gun for that matter, I had naively thought the safety was supposed to engage automatically when opening. But it looks like I was wrong. It disengages when cocking. I'm guess one safely carries with the action open and shells in the chamber, then close, shoulder, and fire. But then what's the point of the thumb safety. Quicker reloads? But that don't matter as you take the safety off to fire to begin with.

Maybe I have it all wrong. I feel like I'm asking a rather stupid question. But I think I'm learning there is no such thing as common sense with double's, or at least it's of a different kind. Can someone please tell me if the safety is forced on or off when cocking?

[Stan Hoover]

Maybe I have it all wrong. I feel like I'm asking a rather stupid question. But I think I'm learning there is no such thing as common sense with double's, or at least it's of a different kind. Can someone please tell me if the safety is forced on or off when cocking?

Hello Sam,

I have a few of these early Ithaca Crass, Lewis, & Minier models, but I've never worked on one as extensively as you are.
I would need to verify to be sure, but most of these early models have a 3 position safety, safety ON in the forward position, safety OFF in the mid position, and safety Off and automatic disengaged in the rear position.
The safety is forced ON when cocking unless the safety selector is in the rear position which disengages the automatic safety.

Hope this makes sense,
Stan

[Samuel Gross]

The safety is forced ON when cocking unless the safety selector is in the rear position which disengages the automatic safety.
Stan

Thank you for the reply. Not having the trigger block makes it hard realize. My plan there is to 3d-print a few just to check fit and function before I fabricate a steel one. 3d printing is much faster than filing and grinding ;) I've made a few other missing parts, springs and bits, for other firearms this way when all I have to go off of is a relative picture. It's what we call in my day-job "fail fast".

What I'm seeing is that with the safety switch all the way forward, the word "safe" shows up in the window, and the safety bar is fully forward (cannot travel any further forward). Turning the top lever to the right pushes the safety bar to the rear, and the switch along with it until the word "safe" no longer shows. So I don't see how the safety comes "ON" when cocking by moving to the rear? I'll play around tonight and try to feel out the 3 positions - I had not seen that but now that you mention it, there are two little ripples on the safety bar where it connects to the selector switch, which with the v in the spring will make 3 positions. But is seems now safe is in the forward most position, not in the middle. There could be some significant adjustment needed, but I greatly hesitate to start stoning and bending that safety bar as a means of discovery...I doubt I will find another one. I suppose I can make a crude one for testing now that I have an original as a model. We'll see.

[Stan Hoover]

There’s a possibility tat I may have some of the parts you need, I will have to take a look.
I can also provide pictures of a functioning safety if that would help?

[Brian Dudley]

It is hard for me to follow if parts are needed for this project or not. But if they are, let me know what you need. I have stuff for Lewis, Minier, Flues and NID guns. Just not crass.

[Samuel Gross]

Stan, Dudley. Thank you most kindly. As of now, the only parts I am missing are the trip spring and trip pin, and the trigger lock (T shaped). If you have these, it will save me an afternoon. Feel free to send me a PM.

As a last resort, I've already cut a piece of an old worn out hacksaw blade to use as a trip spring. Hopefully its spring-steel is thick enough. I've got a drawer of old pin punches and broken drill bits to make a trip pin out of, and like I said I don't think the T shaped trigger lock would be too difficult to make once I know how it functions in each of the 3 positions of the safety switch.

It is more or less clear to me now in the design that the safety bar MUST be adjusted anytime the top lever is adjusted. To get a worn top lever back to center, the bolt guide block moves further to the rear. This requires the forward contact points of the safety lever (the part that goes through the receiver as well as the backside of the vertical part that connects to the T-bar) to be reduced. The point can be stoned down, and the t-bar connection can be gently bent further to the rear. I think I'm off by about 1/16", plus whetever the thickness is of the t-bar between the safety bar slot and the back of the receiver. This will all make better sense with more pictures. I'll get some.

Comparing pictures in alcaviglia's posts and album of a lewis, I am fairly confident I have the right safety bar. I am a bit confused be the long skinny groove along the underside of the tang. It seems the safety bar should ride in it...but it does not and I don't think it can, unless there is a bend in the bar that I don't have. alcaviglia's lewis pictures show the same. This could be easily adjusted as the safety bar is easily malleable - it's not hardened spring steel.

Pictures of a functioning safety in each of the 3 positions would be most welcome. I'll wait to form my safety bar until I see them.

EDIT: This is precisely the safety assembly I have.
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP. qvtpRqbZM4_ZviHjc5ctVwAAAA%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=2ebc9c7d3bddbd406756873a11dda25f2d86f2efb326bf fe6207d4f92adbb135&ipo=images

[Stan Hoover]

Sam,
Here is a picture of a 3 position safety without disassembling, I believe you have the parts you need there, is your gun definitely a Lewis model? I was looking over another gun I have that I thought was a Lewis because of the side bolsters\clips, but after verifying the serial number, it is a 2nd to last year of the Crass era.

[Samuel Gross]

Thank you, Stan. Your second pic shows the safety int he middle position, and clearly shows the the forward part of the T-bar...which is exactly the dimensions I found with trial and error with a 3d-printed version. Here is my safety selector in the REARmost position, with triggers and plate installed.
124134124135
As you can see, I have just a bit of slack to take up by adjusting the link of the bar. It has a notch/recess in the bottom into which I believe the trigger pin passes through snuggly.

Here is the forward most position.
124133
It doesn't quite make it far enough forward to clear the safe position, and cocking throws the bar past safe all the way to the rear position. The picture looks like my block is pressing agains the receiver, but it is not. Without the block, the bottom of the safety bar shows the same position. So I need to do 2 things (iteratively). 1) adjust the slot in the T-bar a bit to the rear, and gently form the link of the safety bar to take up the slack so its notch meets the trigger pin. 2) I need to remove 1-2mm of material from the forward most part of the safety where it enters into the receiver and contacts the bolt guide block.

I got my initial measurements from al's album of parts, since his photo was on the back of wrapping paper with a 1"x1" grid. I got within ~0.3mm of my final attempt (took 3 tries, 4 if you count the final rendering tomorrow. once I'm happy with the safety bar rear position, I'll adjust the slot in the bar to be perfect.) The same picture shows the forward pin of my safety bar is upwards of 2-4mm longer. Sorry for not using inches...I used freeCAD, which is set in mm.
Funny, my 3d print T-bar is working find. I stress tested by squeezing the triggers pretty hard in the safe position, and they didn't even deform. They will fail from friction of sliding, though, eventually. Once I get everything perfect, I'll make a steel one.

I'm as certain that I have a Lewis gun as whoever made the serial number tables. I'm at 76,xxx, well into the Lewis range. My safety parts match your's exactly. Al's selector looks a bit different than ours.

[Samuel Gross]

Also, just to confirm - The forward most position is fire+auto-safe-when-cocking. The middle is safe, and the rear is fire-without-auto-safe-when-cocking?

[Stan Hoover]

Also, just to confirm - The forward most position is fire+auto-safe-when-cocking. The middle is safe, and the rear is fire-without-auto-safe-when-cocking?

That is correct Sam,

I have a few Lewis frames, it will be this afternoon till I can check if I have a T shaped piece for the safety

Stan

After looking again, you have the T shaped piece, but the bottom of your main safety slide piece is bent to the side, that tab fits in the slot on the T shaped piece to engage the safety??

[Samuel Gross]

After looking again, you have the T shaped piece, but the bottom of your main safety slide piece is bent to the side, that tab fits in the slot on the T shaped piece to engage the safety??

Yes. the bottom of the tab is in the slot, and does move the T-bar. In the first few pictures the angle makes it hard to tell, but you can see it in the last picture. It (the tab on the safety) needs to be adjusted to the rear, and the pointy end that enters the receiver trimmed a bit, so that the T-bar has room to travel all the way forward.

[Stan Hoover]

So you have all the parts needed?

[Stephen Hodges]

My 1912 Flues 16 gauge has the same three position safety.

[Samuel Gross]

So you have all the parts needed?

I think I'm good on the safety parts now. I'll use my 3D-printed T-bar as a pattern to make one very easily, if I don't find one in the next week or so - need to pick up some bar stock for it.

All that is left that I'm missing then is the trip spring and trip pin. If I don't find one before I'm ready to deal with it, I will make one out of some scrap spring steel.

[Stan Hoover]

Stan, Dudley. Thank you most kindly. As of now, the only parts I am missing are the trip spring and trip pin, and the trigger lock (T shaped). If you have these, it will save me an afternoon. Feel free to send me a PM.

As a last resort, I've already cut a piece of an old worn out hacksaw blade to use as a trip spring. Hopefully its spring-steel is thick enough. I've got a drawer of old pin punches and broken drill bits to make a trip pin out of, and like I said I don't think the T shaped trigger lock would be too difficult to make once I know how it functions in each of the 3 positions of the safety switch.

It is more or less clear to me now in the design that the safety bar MUST be adjusted anytime the top lever is adjusted. To get a worn top lever back to center, the bolt guide block moves further to the rear. This requires the forward contact points of the safety lever (the part that goes through the receiver as well as the backside of the vertical part that connects to the T-bar) to be reduced. The point can be stoned down, and the t-bar connection can be gently bent further to the rear. I think I'm off by about 1/16", plus whetever the thickness is of the t-bar between the safety bar slot and the back of the receiver. This will all make better sense with more pictures. I'll get some.

Comparing pictures in alcaviglia's posts and album of a lewis, I am fairly confident I have the right safety bar. I am a bit confused be the long skinny groove along the underside of the tang. It seems the safety bar should ride in it...but it does not and I don't think it can, unless there is a bend in the bar that I don't have. alcaviglia's lewis pictures show the same. This could be easily adjusted as the safety bar is easily malleable - it's not hardened spring steel.

Pictures of a functioning safety in each of the 3 positions would be most welcome. I'll wait to form my safety bar until I see them.

EDIT: This is precisely the safety assembly I have.
https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP. qvtpRqbZM4_ZviHjc5ctVwAAAA%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=2ebc9c7d3bddbd406756873a11dda25f2d86f2efb326bf fe6207d4f92adbb135&ipo=images

Does the T bar shown in this picture not work?

[Samuel Gross]

Does the T bar shown in this picture not work?
It would...if I had it! that was an old eBay listing I found to check relative measurements from.

[Samuel Gross]

How long does it take to make a trigger lock T-bar? 2 evenings.

Some prep first. We need to rough fit the safety connector to give us a rough point to index everything from. We can fine tune later. With the safety selector in it's rear most position (and no trigger lock T-bar installed - we don't have one yet!), stone or file down the front of the connector (red arrow) until trigger(s) pin fits in the notch of the connector.
124246
This may also be necessary when you adjust a worn top-lever from left of center to center. When taking up the slack, the bolt alignment block will be slightly more to the rear with the bolt in the locked postion. This will push back the safety connector by that much, and so you may need to re-index it by removing a little of material from the front.

I took tight measurements from the trigger assembly to lay-out my trigger lock T-bar on a piece of 1/8 flat bar. The key measurement, taken from my 3d printed version, is the the top of the slot to the lower edge of the T. Getting this right will set your connector's notch against the trigger pin with the safety in the rear-most position.
124247
I used a center punch under a magnifying glass to get good dimples. The safety connector rod's tab is about 40 thous. thick. So I used a 1mm centering bit to start the 2 holes, then drilled them through with a No. 56 wire gauge bit (0.0465). This left a sliver of material between the holes. Using the centering bit, I was have to clear out most of this, coming at it from both sides. Next, I used a couple drill bits (I have these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NDHMM4W to broach the hole open. This broke the remaining material in the slot, good enough so that with the tip of a pointed needle file and my centering bit I could clear it out enough for the tab fit down in. This wasn't my original plan. I laid out two templates. One to try and bubba it, and a second as backup for which I would order a 3/64" end mill to do it right. It's not very pretty, but I don't think I need the tiny end mills now!

I had the template on an overside piece of steel so I could handle it easier while laying it out and while refining the slot. So now, I put a piece of masking tape over my template so it wouldn't rub off, and cut off the extra half. I needed to remove ~0.037 from he back to get it to start sliding under the hooks on the trigger assembly, so most of my time was spent filing this down. Takes time and patience to remove that much material and keep everything even.

Next, use a hacksaw to cut out the rough shape of the T-bar, leaving the layout lines. A square file is used to get the inside corners of the T to 0.135 wide, then the rest of the vertical part is filed down until it's even with the sharp inside corners. Once the long edge of the T slides between the triggers easily, I started working on the Upper part of the T. Each side of the notch on the assemble was a different width (~0.008 difference). I worked the thickness of those until they slid into the notches, but not so easily that there was play in the triggers when in the safe postion. Don't overdo it! Next, I evened up the forward surface of the at that contacts the trigger nubs when the safety is in the rear position. Only remove material until the slot starts to come up under the trigger pin. Then, remove material from the back with the selector in the forward most position until you start to see the trigger nubs. Last, I beveled the underside rear edge of the T to match the surface of the trigger nubs, causing the triggers to rise when pulled with the safety in the forward most position. A light polish with fine paper backed by a file to clean up my marks...and Bingo!
Photos below show safety in safe and forward positions. Verify with a stout rap with a rubber mallet on the frame that the gun indeed does not fire when the selector is in the safe position. You can simulate a drop-test with a wooden dowel on the recoil bearing surface under the upper tang and mallet.
124248124249
All is well now and we are in business.

For my next trick - make the trip spring and pin.

[Samuel Gross]

If someone wouldn't mind, I would greatly appreciate if you could measure the thickness of your trip spring with a micrometer. This would save me some trial and error. Thanks in advance.

[Samuel Gross]

I went ahead and made a trip spring from an old dull hacksaw blade. Grind the teeth off with a dremmel, enlarge the hole, grind the other side to make the hole centered, then profile it to fit the space.

Wouldn't ya know, the old firing pin with broken head was just the right size to make a trip pin out of. File the tip square, and use a sharpie with it sitting in the hole to mark where the notch for spring needs to be. I use a 60deg. needle file to start the groove, and finish with a hacksaw. Light pressure with the old dull blade off the handle for the last few strokes smoothes out the notch.
124261124263
The trip spring needs to have a bend in it to engage the block under the barrels, so start with it slightly long, clamped in the vise, and gently bend it. Get it right the first time so you don't work harden the spring steel too much. 2 bends...one down and the second one to make tip parallel with the block as it comes down.
124262

Finish the pin with a notch in the top to make it easy to align during assembly.
124264
I think my spring is a bit thin. It doesn't really work with the trigger plate off - it's not thick enough for the screw to pull it tight and flat against the frame. However, it works as it should with the trigger plate on.

The gun is now complete and all parts accounted for. I think next I'll repair the stock, followed by dent raising, cleaning up all the screw heads and finally refinishing. I have plenty of file work do on the bottom of the receiver, but I don't think I will need to remove or polish the barrels. An iteration or two of rust bluing followed by a light polish with some rottenstone should bring it back up to snuff.

I think I might give this stuff a try on the receiver to re-do the color case hardening - https://steelfxpatinas.com/product-category/patina-starter-kits/. In my experience, original color case finish is about as durable/delicate as cold bluing anyway, So there is no loss in my book by trying it.

[Stan Hoover]

If someone wouldn't mind, I would greatly appreciate if you could measure the thickness of your trip spring with a micrometer. This would save me some trial and error. Thanks in advance.

Measuring the extra trip spring here, I’m coming up with .038-.040 on the thickness of the trip spring.

I do have this extra spring & pin if you need them?

[Samuel Gross]

Thanks, Stan. I was correct then. My hacksaw blade is 0.024. I have an old sawsall blade that is 0.040 powder coated, so that will probably work better. Sending you a PM about your extra parts.

[Samuel Gross]

The stars are aligning. After years of patiently waiting, the right auction for some checkering tools came along last night. I won an older gunline leader set, for just over half the cost of buying it new. I found I was out of acra glass, and went to order some more, and while I was at it did my usual troll while cleaning up the checkering was on my mind.

[Samuel Gross]

Got the shard glassed this weekend. Cut multiple grooves in the shard and the stock to give the acraglas some bite.
124366124367
There was a a long splinter on the inside starboard, just below the broken piece extending all the way to where it meets the frame. It was barely hanging on and if removed would be very unsightly. So I took two flat pieces of metal coated with release agent and clamped to set up that area. You can just see a notch on the right in the second pic where there was a bit of wood missing around the splinter.

I then went ahead and made a first pass with a cabinet scraper to remove the finish so I could see the grain pattern in order to match up my replacement piece on top.
124368124369
There are two small blowouts right next to each other on the underside...either from the same loose stock problem that blew out the top, or from bubba trying to pry off the bottom plate. They are too small to fit a replacement piece, so I might just work some acra glass into the area. I'm not trying to hide the damage...just pass the 10ft stare test. A gun is only new once.

There is also a gap under the front part of the tang, either from compression over the years, or maybe the top tang bent slightly from the force of opening with a loose stock. All of this will be corrected when I glass the recoil area of the frame. At the same time, I'll make sure some acra oozes up under the tang when everything is properly aligned.

[Samuel Gross]

Looking up from the underside with the frame mounted to the stock, I can't see how it failed. Seems plenty of room. Then, before I glas my new block on top I decided to give a good soak this evening in a jar of acetone to get as much oil out of the end grain as I can. Big improvement after letting it sit for 4 hours or so. I mounted the frame again after letting it dry for a couple hours...and now I see it. The recoil nub is compressed, but the thin sidewalls had shriveled up greatly since the failure. Everything expanded slightly and things are tight. When I press to the rear, there appears to be some contact on the sidewalls, explaining the failure. Bedding the recoil nub with acraglas should fix it for another lifetime.

We will see how pretty the repair and refinishing turns out. Lots of dents that can be steamed out, but there are a few scrapes too deep to sand. My plan is to work the finish of the metal only until it matches the best condition of the stock I can get. The barrels are pretty much there now I think. Pitting underneath the frame has to go. One thing at a time.

[Samuel Gross]

went ahead and glassed on a replacement piece. the break line on the stock was at an angle, so to leave the recoil nub as intact as possible, I filed flat following the same line as the break, and lined up the grain in my block as best I could.
124745124746
I spent last evening roughing in the profile.
124747
Next up is inlet the tang.

[Samuel Gross]

I know I'm overdue for an update. My day job and kids stole all my time over the last few months. So now that the latter have slowed down for the summer, I was able to get back at it.

While re-inltettng the stock, I found two more lateral cracks that could be spread apart on the side I repaired above. The sidewall is super thin there. So more epoxy. I skim coated the inside of the sidewall for strength, and went ahead and replaced a missing shard underneath.
126715

I think I forgot to mention a while back about pulling all the oil out of the end grain before all this. Make a paste with chalk dust and acetone, slather on all the oil stains, then gently heat with a heat gun. Oil gets trapped in the chalk and brushes off. I did this half a dozen times. It was really bad in the inletting. I then soaked it in a pan of acetone for a weekend. There was obviosly a lot of shrinkage. The excess oil soaked into the inletting, causing the frame to be loose. So naturally bubba torqued down on the stock bolts to tighten it up, etc. etc. here we are. Re-fitting the frame to stock proved a challenge with such dark wood. Since Jerrows seems out of business, I switched to neon yellow lipstick that glows under a black light (after I got yelled at for "borrowing some red", I went online and found my own). Time then to glass bed the frame and bottom plate to fix all this.
126716126717
Bedding on this is done in 2 stages. After inletting my repairs, I squared up the edges to the frame. This provides a reference point for the first bedding stop. With 30 thous or so relieved off the recoil stud so there was no contact (to make room for the epoxy), I roughed it up with a file to get a good bond. Then with dabs of acraglas in all the right places (and plenty of release agent) I clamped it all up. against the front edge. Perfect. Cutting away the excess around where the safety bar slides was a tedious challenge, but it all looks and fits good.

Now that I have the recoil stud and bedding under the tangs as a reference, I trimmed back all the leading edges maybe 15 thou or so. Step 2 is to then clamp it all up again and bed the leading edges. Why you ask? Well once it cures, I shave back the bedding to create the needed gap between 5-10 thou to prevent the same blowout from happening again. I now have everything fit up perfect, and with all the endgrain sealed with epoxy. If another bubba slathers oil on in another hundred years - it should hopefully hold up bit better than last time.

Time to start polishing the frame, steam out the worst dents on the stock...and figure out how I'm going to finish it all.

[Samuel Gross]

I have the frame almost all polished out. Not too much. Some of the more aggressive dings are still there. It's new only once. I'm not trying to change that. So now we are at a crossroads. I need some help deciding how to finish it. My options seem to be
1. Matte polish and leave in the white.
2. Rust blue, or do a "weathered" rust blue.
3. Faux color case hardening. I would likely weather this a bit too so it doesn't look overly "new". I've seen some good results with https://steelfxpatinas.com/product/gel-patinas-complete-set/ (don't need the whole set to do it)

Thoughts?

[Stan Hoover]

Sam,

Everyone likes what they like, but, I would either give it a matte French gray finish or possible toned down case color.

Blued is just incorrect and new case colors just look gawdy.

Stan

[Samuel Gross]

I think you're spot on in agreement with my desires, Stan. I'm going to give the gel a try. I don't think the colors will be too vibrant. I want it to look like it's been there a long time - an uneven mottle of greys with maybe a touch of color left in it. If I can't get that, I can always scrub it off and rust blue a couple iterations to get a nice grey that looks faded over the decades.

Next thing to think about is the toplever. It had a hook on it. I've seen some Ithaca lewis' without a hook. Do I put one back on? I was thinking of making one with threads at the base, say 8-32, to screw into the toplever, fit the end of the hook to the eyelet in the top rib, then harden the hook and braze it on. By the jagged edges and rough center, it looks like someone tried to weld one back on and it failed. Suppose I could try that method too. Getting it to stay in the right place while I get the stick on it would be tough unless I drill a hole in the lever to hold it.
126910126911
The only thing I would have to go off of is alcaviglia's picture inventory of a 1901 lewis, here https://parkerguns.org/forums/album.php?albumid=522&pictureid=5739

EDIT: a bit more research. 3rd variant crass is very similar frame...no hook on the toplever, same barrel extension recess cut in the frame. Pictures here https://www.shotgunworld.com/threads/ithaca-crass-take-down-and-inspection.432835/
I'm not sure if I need to mess with it.

[Samuel Gross]

Over my long 4th of July weekend, I polished up a piece a bar stock and gave the gel patinas (linked above) a whirl. Pro's and cons: It looks absolutely stunning. I started with the blue-halo gel, moving it around with my finger. It produced a nice variety of vibrant colors. I then used the blue-black gel, moving it around with my finger. It dulled some of the previous colors, but left the variation. Perfect, just what I was looking for.
Next test for durability. I expected at least as good as any off-the-shelf cold blue. No go. It starts to rub right off with even a single light pass of a clean cotton cloth when trying to dry the part. A few passes with a finger takes it off equally well. Tried oiling it after, doesn't help. Tried renaissance wax after, no help either. I tried re-polishing with courser grit, down to 320, to see if the added surface area would help. No dice. The only thing that will keep this on is a good professional clear coat, which I'm not doing. I don't what the thing to look like its under water.

So, I rust blued the frame, bottom plate, trigger guard, and forend metal on Saturday, and now we have a nice even matte finish on everything. I only did 2-3 iterations. It's not too dark - a nice dull grey but even hue. I'll wait till everything else is done to see if I want to weather it back at all. Spent the afternoon Sunday cleaning up all the screw heads and bluing those, so it's really coming together now

I also 3D printed a .7980 diameter cylinder to check the chamber length. 2-3/4 + 10-20thous. what a relief that was. I wasn't looking forward to finding short ammo. I do reload, but I'm not setup for shotgun.

Next up...checkering and refinishing the stock, then raise the dents in the right barrel.

[Stan Hillis]

I'm glad to hear of your initial trial with the gel. I bought four different colors from them a few months ago to try, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Farming got in the way.

I got the same two you did plus a couple of burnt copper ones, as I recall. Haven't even opened them yet as I'm afraid the shelf life might begin to half-life when i do.

Sure would like to see some pics of the gel results when you get the time.

There is a flat finish (no gloss) clear coat available. I used some on my duck boat a few years ago. Might want to check with Steel F/X to see what they recommend for durability.

[Samuel Gross]

I'm glad to hear of your initial trial with the gel. I bought four different colors from them a few months ago to try, but haven't gotten around to it yet. Farming got in the way.

I got the same two you did plus a couple of burnt copper ones, as I recall. Haven't even opened them yet as I'm afraid the shelf life might begin to half-life when i do.

Sure would like to see some pics of the gel results when you get the time.

There is a flat finish (no gloss) clear coat available. I used some on my duck boat a few years ago. Might want to check with Steel F/X to see what they recommend for durability.


I didn't take any pictures of my test piece. I can do another. The results are as randomly distributed as you want it to be. It looked great until I rattle-can-clear coated it. then it looked like it was underwater. A professional clear coat would go on a lot thinner and likely work.

Steel FX's site confirms what everyone knows (and I easily found out on my test piece)...rattle can clear coat is pretty crap for this job. In my reading, most report good results with an airbrush and a 2 part automotive clear coat. I have good airbrush, but no automative paints on hand.

I am thinking that an even better option is to. use the clear version of Norrell's molyresin https://www.norrells.com. I have used a couple of their grey/gray-black shades to do some faux govt. ar-15 lowers to match surplus A2 uppers that were in various shades of the original gray/gray-black/greenish-grey anodizing. After spraying on your degreased part, you bake it (I think 300F was the spec? for an hour?). It does require some underlying texture to hold - in my case the lowers were bead blasted before hard-coat anodized (jet black). The residual texture on top of the anodizing was plenty for the Norrells. Just have to degrease really well - (which I use a brownells 909 in a tin pan on a hot plate to do.) Like now, I tried the Norrells on a test piece first as an experiment. only a very thin coat is necessary. With an airbrush and no dilution, I think I measured barely 1-2thous. dimmensional difference before and after. After it cooled down overnight, I hit it every solvent I had in the shop - including some very nasty caustic stripper. Their advertising is truthful. nothing touched it (I think they have a $10,000 prize for anyone who can chemically remove it). I then rubbed in a layer of grease (rig I think), and beat it with a hammer a many times to simulate normal drops, dings and, well, hitting it with a hammer. It scuffed with only the most severe glancing blows, but didn't crack or wear. I've been very happy with the stuff. It's a little expensive, and I don't have any clear on hand.

If my re-checkering job comes out worthy, and my stock repairs fully disappear to where wood out-pretty's my bluing job, I may go back to the gels and and the proper clear coat. Right now, durability is more important to me than looks, and I'm trying hard not to put too much lipstick on this pig.