20 gauge CHE found in a garden shed

[Cold Spring]

I've had laser welding done by a friend with a business in the aerospace industry. This laser work was on small, specific areas of steel barrels, pits were ground out with some kind of micro technique right down to bare metal, and the steel filler was ~ matched with the barrel steel so they didn't have different or mottled colors after rust bluing. I once sent pics of a barrel similar to this CHE to that friend - and then to one of his welding techs - just to get an opinion. Actually its rusting was somewhat less extensive. They both said my barrel could be done and finish up to look OK cosmetically - but because of the very large total surface area to be overwelded, pressure integrity would be an issue for them and thus they wouldn't consider doing mine. Period. I know this input is kind of apples and oranges, but I'm posting it here as food for thought.

PS When posting here about laser welding I usually get PM's from gents asking for my source. Sorry, friend does this work for me as a favor, he is not in the gunsmithing business, and is not soliciting similar laser weld work from anyone else.

[Bill Murphy]

My "Gold Hearts Parker" was a rusty mess when it came home to my house. The restoration was limited to the two sets of barrels and the skeleton buttplate. The receiver was cleaned with oil and fine steel wool and the wood was left in its original finish. You would be surprised how good a gun can look without trying to make the receiver look brand new, just addressing the worst of the other parts. Attempts to recolor and reengrave a high grade receiver sometimes results in a horrible looking final result. Some of the guns from the late Jim Parker's collection are good examples of guns that should have been left alone rather than fully restored.