I have a Harrington & Richardson 20 ga that is my most cherished firearm. It was the first gun that I bought, when I was 14 yrs old, with my own money. Not long after bought, I added a 30/30 barrel and made it my first deer rifle too. It has now been passed down to my son, then it was his first gun. Being a H&R and the fact that the young me did not really know how to take care of a firearm, the bluing did not last long. Years ago I stripped it down and re-blued it using Birchwood Casey cold blue. That finish did not last very long either. Since then the finish has turned to a blackish brown with the rust that we now try to keep at bay with fairly frequent polish with a rough rag soaked with WD-40, PB Blaster or whatever we have on hand.
My question: I rather like the patina it has taken on and want to keep the color. I do not want to take it down to bare metal and refinish it. But the metal has started to take on a rough feel. I'm thinking the rust is still working under the surface. I was wondering if a fine steel wool would get the feel back without removing the "patina". I have some 4/0 for use on other projects and I believe that is the finest steel wool around. Then use a couple coats of wax like I do for other guns.
My question: I rather like the patina it has taken on and want to keep the color. I do not want to take it down to bare metal and refinish it. But the metal has started to take on a rough feel. I'm thinking the rust is still working under the surface. I was wondering if a fine steel wool would get the feel back without removing the "patina". I have some 4/0 for use on other projects and I believe that is the finest steel wool around. Then use a couple coats of wax like I do for other guns.
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