That’ll buff right out

[JDHasty]

https://www.rimfirecentral.com/threads/salvaging-a-pair-of-rh-lh-salt-damaged-t-bolts.1347318/

[JDHasty]

It looks pretty bad, but it’s not the end of the world. 

[JDHasty]

Didn’t turn out bad at all

[highside74]

Wow, you might go look for all those firearms everyone says they lost in a boating accident.😆

[Dan-o]

Nice resto work, Dan.     

[MADMAX]

Well done 👍

[Boss .300 winmag]

I can’t believe it didn’t have pitting, PFM.

[JDHasty]

Heavy blister rust has roots that go as deep as the blister is high.  It takes a bit of draw filing to get it gone.  Cleaning it up is just utility work and is pretty boring, making it look decent is the fun part.

The RH one is wrapping up.  Just needs finish on the stock and put back together.  They were fun.  The bore on both was clean, but were looking mighty sad when I got them.  They were never going to be perfect, but although the stamping is kinda thin in a couple spots I didn’t lose any. 

I have a couple projects that are completely different, composite stock, custom action, Lilja barrel varmint rifle in 204R and I found an action to put my 17 Hornet CZ 527 American back together.  I put a factory varmint weight barrel on it and put it in a first generation factory CZ Kevlar Varmint HS Precision stock and put the American barrel and factory stock in my safe a couple years ago.  I missed having the little American to tote around though.  CZ 527 Hornet actions are pretty hard to come by these days, it took a while to come up with one. 

[JDHasty]

I need a CZ 527 receiver that is for a 7.62x39 based cartridge.  If anyone stumbles on a rifle missing a bolt, or a junker rifle I’d sure appreciate a PM. The Hornet and 223/204 etc actions have a narrower magazine box slot.  I’ve got a barrel, bolt, magazines and trigger guard and everything else to put together a 22 PPC except a receiver. 

[mountainman]

You are the master my friend!

[riverrun]

Would you mind explaining how you got rid of the rust. Looks good and great work! Thanks!

[riverrun]

Awesome job! Would you mind explaining your process! Thanks!

[JDHasty]

The first thing I do is put tape over the roll stamping and extend it a bit to keep me out of it.  Staying as far as I can outside the roll stamping or any detail I don’t want to fumble finger will give some real estate to use when it comes time to try and hide the repair by blending it out.  Then I go to work with a file I like for draw file work.  Some are better than others and more often than not one side of them is nirvana and the other not so much.  On a really nasty blister like a couple in the photos you are going to be going pretty deep and in the case of one of them I didn’t have room between it and the address line.  So… it’s not going to be like if you have three or four inches on either side of run out or even the entire length of a barrel if it is on the far side from the address line.  Just roll with it.  It will be OK, it will not be obvious once it has been polished and reblued.  Especially if you go with a 320 final polish and go at a right angle to the barrel on it.  I draw file through using as much of the runout as I can in order to get to the bottom of the deepest pits and try and keep cylindrical receivers and round barrels as close to round as possible try not to “dig a pit,” if ya know what I mean.  In using the over run area keep in mind that it does not have to be symmetrical and if you have more on one side, take it.  Then with the tape still in place I start block polishing using 220 to get the file marks while working the surface as close to round as possible.  It won’t get there, but it will get to where it is going to be OK.  In the link there is an “after” photo of the right side of then LH T-Bolt barrel where it was really messed up.  It not perfect, but it is not that bad.  Unless someone is looking closely at it most never notice that “something ain’t right.”  So, once it’s getting close, the tape comes off and it’s time to clear your mind, put on a magnifying hood and using polishing blocks behind 320 and model sanding boards gently work the damaged area into what you want to save.  If there is no detail or stamping by it you don’t need to hood up or be as attentive to detail. 

Mostly it’s about patience, perseverance and paying attention more than anything.  Big flats like sides of flat actions, slide action Winchester rimfire rifles, lever actions, pump and semi auto shotguns pose other challenges, everything needs to come down to the bottom of the deepest pit evenly.  I think Wyoming Armory put up a video on draw filing and block sanding.  IIRC it is really good. 

Feel free to ask me to elaborate on anything.  I will do my best.  Sometimes I miss posts but I think I get an email if I have a PM. 

[JDHasty]

This video is pretty good

I have looked for a better one on file and block polishing work, but haven’t found one yet.  Wyoming Armory does real restoration work and are great at it.  I don’t have the capacity to do a lot of what they can.  What I do is more correctly termed renovation I think.  I get pretty close some times though.  They can take a barrel or receiver down deeper than the roll stamping and then re stamp it using a roll die.  Those roll dies are really expensive.  I have a few friends who have some.  Wyoming Armory has a bunch. 

[follow maggie]

Wow! That’s incredible