SGC customized and shooting great!

[RanchRoper]

You turned a good looking rifle into a great looking saddle gun...well done.

[Redthies]

Thanks RR! I’ll take that as a big compliment from someone with as much saddle time as you!

[Henry88]

That gun is beautiful.

Also, glad to hear you're eating the rabbits you're shooting. Here in Florida, we have to be careful with them cause of the hot weather. You're only suppose to eat them later in the winter, and that's when you've had a couple of HARD freezes, so I just stuck to squirrels.

Again beautiful rifle Redthies, and now this is gonna bother me if I don't do the same thing to mine; at least the wood.

[ESquared]

Fantastic job. Changes the "character" so much and truly makes that Henry your own. If you don't mind sharing your process/products for the stripping of the wood and metal parts, that would be interesting, too. The transformation of the wood is so drastic, I'd like to know how you got that "Henry finish" off of it in the first place!
Thanks for sharing!

[Redthies]

My method was probably not the easiest way to go, as I only had a relatively mild stripper. The metal parts were easier than the wood, and the receiver cover was significantly easier to strip than the barrel band. I used “Circa 1850” furniture stripper in their environmentally friendly version (I use this to strip clear coat off of the Airstreams we restore). If you use a more toxic full strength stripper it would make life a lot easier. The receiver was the first piece to start shedding its paint, and once I had a small spec of clean metal, I used a plastic scraper to speed things up. It still took multiple applications to get it clean. The barrel band I eventually just dropped in the can of stripper and let it sit submerged for well over an hour, and it was still a fight to get clean. Once stripped, I just gave the metal parts about a minute of scuffing with extra fine scotchbrite. The finish is a nice satiny silver. From what I’ve read on Zamak it will patina nicely to form its on corrosion resistance.

The wood was an entirely different story. In a past life I was a finishing carpenter/millworker doing high end work in houses with $5-8 million dollar price tags. I’ve spent a lot of time dealing with new and old wood of every species. This stuff was barely touched by the stripper after hours of wet coating it. So, is “f it”, and got out the sand paper. Having recently redone two Ruger stocks (one of which was a fresh from the “replicator” pice that looked like psychotic woodchuck had tried to make a .44 Carbine stock) I was less afraid to sand. I still had to be super careful to remove only the finish, and not any wood. I used a random orbital with a used piece of 80 grit (moving the sander VERY quickly and carefully) to get rid of the very thick layer of clear coat, and then finished buy hand with 220 grit. The butt plate is about 1/64” proud of the wood so you can’t see it, but if you run your hand over it you can just barely feel it. The factory finish on these rifles is unbelievable. It’s sooooo thick it’s crazy. I would try a stronger stripper next time, but I used what I had on hand.

Now it’s just a matter of multiple coats of linseed oil. I like linseed for a few reasons. First, it’s easy to find and work with, second, if you ever ding the wood, you can spot sand and refinish really easily, and lastly, because it’s what kept one of the BeeGees from living in Johnny Cash’s house! You want to be very careful with rags you use with indeed oil. They have been known to spontaneously combust. I save the guesswork and just set fire to mine when I’m done with them. I’d rather burn them on my terms!

[PT7]

Sounds like quite a project, Redthies! I know it is much beyond me not being a finishing carpenter/millworker as you are.
Again, the re-finished wood results you created for your SGC are exquisite. Enjoy the photos very much.

Had you thought of submitting your photos to Henry under their Customer Letters web page? I'm certain other Henry owners around the country would really enjoy seeing your "new" SGC!
PT7

My method was probably not the easiest way to go...

[Redthies]

You’d be surprised how easy it can be if you just give it a go. With a stronger stripper you wouldn’t need to sand it at all, or maybe just a very light hand sand. The hardest part is making the decision to do it. Since all the replacement parts are readily available if you mess up, I found it to be relatively easy to slop the first bit of stripper on. You will note I didn’t strip the actual receiver, but just the cover. This way I can always go back to a factory finish for $49. The wood is a bit more costly to replace, but you could probably find someone on here who has bought the “fancy” wood to sell you their standard set. Not that you’d ever need to do that. Putting the finish on the wood is as simple as dippining a rag in the oil (or just your hand) and rubbing it on the wood. Let it soak in for 10-15 mins and then wipe off. Let it dry a while. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

[Redthies]

Oh, and as for sending photos to HRA, I figure the other owners can/should just join the forum and see them here. Right?

[Mags]

A cautionary note on the use of a 'strong' stripper on parts made of Zamak. I grew impatient and set up a part to hang suspended in a 'strong' stripper overnight. The next day I had part of a part. The portion of the part submerged was missing. It had dissolved.

IMO, redthies your slow attentive method and use of a mild solvent was the best approach. Although slower and more 'elbow grease' your rifle turned out beautifully!

[Redthies]

Good caution there Mags. I would definitely NOT leave a stronger stripper unattended. Especially not overnight. Even soaking in the mild stripper, I checked it every 15 mins. Took about 2 hrs total.

Here is the other inspiration for this. My Winchester 94 in .30 WCF from 1912 (with Hank).