Restoring Henry F. Tenney's Wife's VHE

[BRDHNTR]

Edgarhas just raised an important aspect of Parker preservation. Maintenance therof.

How about a new section in this Forum that deals with (how to) maintenance of Parkers etc. It might help those Parkerphiles who while maintaining the external features of their doubles routinely may be less familiar or comfortable getting inside the frames etc.

[edgarspencer]

Originally Posted by allen newell

How about a new section in this Forum that deals with (how to) maintenance of Parkers etc. It might help those Parkerphiles who while maintaining the external features of their doubles routinely may be less familiar or comfortable getting inside the frames etc.

There are already good tutorials s on here describing how to disassemble and reassemble hammerless Parkers. My recommendation is if you are not entirely comfortable working on your own guns, don't. Gunsmiths are there for all of us, and taking a shortcut, or trying to save a few bucks by not sending it out may cost you dearly. They aren't miracle workings. It's possible to rectify slightly damaged screw slots, but not all of them. These guns were built with very close fit tolerances between trigger plate and frame. The slightest amount of crud in the recess can result in a bent trigger plate.

[Kensal Rise]

Allen:
While I'm sure your suggestion is based on the best of intentions, it has a major downside:

Encouragement of the average owner to "get inside" a Parker. This will virtually guarantee the ruination of even more nice Parkers. Sorry. But not everyone is qualified to do brain surgery - or work on Parkers without messing things up.

A good professional strip-&-clean every two years is your best protection.

Just my opinion.

[BRDHNTR]

Thanks John, my post was intended to illicit responses like this and it will be helpful; and instructive to the Parkerphiles who are not as mechanically inclined, intimidated by thought of getting one of these opened up (my dad who was a First Class Machinest during WWII at the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston opened up a Parker and inadvertanly broke the wooden 'pillar' inside, he eventualy fixed it but it was a good lesson).

Maybe the lesson here is this: If your skilled and know what you're doing, go ahead. If not, learn how from someone who does and do it with them a few times before o your own and if you're not skilled and are just too intimidated (or just choose not to), then have a pro perform the periodic maintenance. The bottom line is 'maintain them and they will last'

[charlie cleveland]

the bottom line is maintain them and they will last........allen wrote this... these words are the secret to all things that we own be it a parker lifter or a invincible..goes true for our homes and our cars....just wish my grandpa had known this and kept up that 34 ford roadster... charlie

[BRDHNTR]

I sent the VHE to Brad Bachelder for a number of corrective actions. I'm anticipating delivery tomorrow morning. Looking forward to seeing Brad's handiwork and shooting it this weekend at Addieville. Will post some pic of the finished product.

[Richard Flanders]

Allen: I'm afraid that the mess Brad found inside your new VHE is far more the norm than the exception. I don't even know how many Parkers and other vintage dbls I've dismantled and cleaned but only one was clean inside. Most every other one was so filled with grease, oil, grunge, rust, sticks, bugs and gravel that it was a wonder anything worked at all.

[BRDHNTR]

makes me wonder how all that stuff get's in there. It's not like the inside of the frame is wide open but I guess over time, stuff finds its way.

[BRDHNTR]

Received my VHE back from Brad Bachelder. Needless to say, another professional job very well done IMHO.

The refinsihing of the stock shows the most dramatic change, but Brad did other work on this VHE including striking and rust bluing the barrels, installation of a new ivory middle bead (replaced one that was missing), cleaned frame and all mechanics, re-blued the trigger guard/bow and safety etc.

This one pic is Before, following are After:

[BRDHNTR]

Before and After pics (If I had a better camera, the pics would be better - that's my story and I'm sticking to it)