Age of J. Stevens Arms Company Shotgun
I am tryin to find some info on my double barrel 12 ga. On the right side of the reciever it says "Springfield" then under that "J. Stevens Arms Company". There are no markings on the right side. I cant find a model number. Between the trigger guard and the hinge is a small 11 in a circle. On all three main parts is stamped A 896. Also what would be the best bluing to use to re-blue the gun to match the original finish?
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The only steven's doubles I have come across are the model 311 made from 1931 until 1989. And the model 530 made from 1936 until 1954. Values for either are not real high ball park $300.00 in good condition. If I were you I would not re-blue. 0 -
Barrels have quite a bit of rust. I need to either re-blue or clean the rust off somehow without removing original bluing. Any suggestions? 0 -
0000 (only 0000)steel wool and any good gun oil/wd-40/blue wonder cleaner ect. to remove the active rust. will not hurt the remaining blueing. 0 -
Mike,
I use 4O steel wool alot as well and normally just use Hoppe's gun oil as a lubricant, but just make sure you don't put too much elbow grease into the project as you WILL thin out the blue eventually. I also agree with the value range given, although with the rust you are looking at closer to $150, and much less if you destro the original finish. The Springfield trade name Stevens guns were made for the utility market and tend to be more of a plain Jane proposition than the actual Stevens guns.
"When I cease learning...I'm dead"(Me)
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My gunsmith advises using a 50/50 mixture of ATF fluid and paint thinner along with the 4O steel wool. That mixture eats into the rust deeply and is safe on the finish. 0 -
To the question of reblueing. If you're looking at a $150 to $300 tops value gun, then I say "what the heck". It's not like you're going to hurt it's value a whole lot.
The thing is, a pro reblue job is going to likely cost you over $100. Which leaves you w/the proposition of home blueing. Which can be done MUCH cheaper. But is a fairly involved operation to do properly.
Metal prep is of utmost importance. You have to remove ALL previous finish and rust down to bare metal. Then follow the directions to the letter.
I like Birchwood Casey "Perma Blue" or "Super Blue". But one thing the directions don't tell you is that it works MUCH better if you heat the metal slightly prior to application. Depending on your ingenuity and resources, this can pose a problem on larger parts such as barrels.
My advice would be to do as follows.
Remove all finsh & rust w/fine grit crocus cloth. Then finish w/fine steel wool. (Crocus cloth is a cloth backed abrasive "sand paper" made for metal polishing. It doesn't come in "grit" designations such 80, 120 etc. Only coarse, medium and fine.) This metal prep is probably the most important step. Take your time and do a good job.
Then carefully follow instuctions on cleaning the parts w/de-natured alcohol etc. Then find a way to heat the parts to approx 100 degrees. (warm but not hot to the touch. I use the kitchen oven set on 200 on small parts. Place parts inside for approx 1 to 1 1/2 minute) Larger parts are up to whatever you can devise. Hair dryer etc. Warm them as best you can.
Have your reblue agent ready, poured in a small bowl for easy access. Then use a small foam paint brush to apply to the preped/heated metal. Again following directions, allow it to "work" approx 1 minute, then rinse off w/cold water. Then dry & buff w/steel wool. (It'll look like crap until you buff it).
Generally in my experience, it takes AT LEAST 5 applications to begin to get a decent covering finish. And eventually somewhere between 5 and 12 applications you'll get to the point that you see little to no improvement. It's a good as it's gonna get. Sometimes you get a nice deep blue, sometimes a lighter blue. It's kind of a crap shoot that in my experience is impossible to predict. But the better the prep, the better your attention to detail during application, the better your final outcome chances. After final steel wool buff, allow blue to cure about an hour, then cover in gun oil as per directions to cure overnight.
(directions don't state to wait an hour. But in my experience applying oil immediately after application can damage the blue).
IMO, if done properly, you won't hurt the value of your Stevens shotgun. And it should look better.
But home blueing was something it took me several tries at to get the hang of. I've given you the steps that have worked best for me. Good luck.0 -
schwing's standard catalog of firarms list about 15 different double barrel shotguns models steven marked with the springfield name. all were utility grade doubles and all seem to be valued in the range of poor at $150 to exc. at $500.
bill0
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