.58 Hawkens 3 Questions

[Lukos]

I bartered for a Hawkens rifle that I knew needed a little work but I could not pass up the deal. I have three problems I would like advice on how to fix, please. 1)The barrel was put away wet so there is some rust in the grooves of the barrel. I was thinking of using a wire brush (barrel size). 2)There are multiple spots where the browning has worn off, can I simply add/apply more browning or do I need to strip the barrel down first? 3)The wedge keys come out of the staples when the gun is turned on its side. Can I use a punch and bend the staples (concave) or is there something else I should try? Thank you all.

 

[fatboy]

Ok lets look at your rust you can do the soak with penetrating oil I like Kroil soak with patchs and wipe it out see what you got maybe usea plastic brush or bronze but dont over do it. Or you can get fancy I copied this.

Electrolysis Rust Removal
You can remove rust from metal using electrolysis, and it will not harm the bluing. The main advantage to this method is it gets all the rust in hard to reach places. You will need

A plastic container that will hold the part and electrolysis solution.
Steel rod. DO NOT USE STAINLESS STEEL AS THIS WILL PRODUCE HARMFUL BYPRODUCTS.
Water
Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (not baking soda. Washing soda can be found in your local grocery store with the laundry detergent. If you cannot find washing soda, pour some baking soda-sodium bicarbonate into a pan and heat it over low-medium heat. Water and carbon-dioxide will cook-off leaving washing soda-sodium carbonate. ) Another source is swimming pool "PH Increaser." which is labeled 100% sodium carbonate. [Thanks to Bob Head for this hint]
Battery charger or other high amperage power supply.
Cautions: Wear eye protection and rubber gloves when working with this solution is very alkaline and can cause irritation. The electrolysis process breaks down water into its component parts, hydrogen and oxygen, which can be explosive. Work outside or in a very well ventilated area. Be sure your battery charger/power supply is unplugged before attaching or touching the leads.

In the container, mix 1 tablespoon of washing soda for each gallon of water to make up your solution. Be sure the washing soda is thoroughly dissolved. Place a steel rod either through the part to be cleaned (use o-rings to prevent the part from touching the rod), or numerous rods around the inside of your container. Connect these rods with wire; these will be the anode. You must be sure that the part to be cleaned is not touching the rod(s). Suspend the part in the solution with steel cable or wire so that it makes a good electrical contact with the part; this will become the cathode. Connect the negative lead (black) to the part being cleaned, connect the positive (red) lead to the rod(s), then plug in the charger. You will immediately begin to see bubbles; this is hydrogen and oxygen as the water breaks down. Allow the part to "cook" for 3-4 hours. The time is dependent on the size of the part, amount of rust, and the current of the power supply. After you remove the part, immediately clean and dry it off, then coat it with a good quality gun oil or rust preventative oil.

I would take your browning off and start from scratch use Laurel Mtn Forge browning sol it works well or at least it did. I would check to see if you can find a thicker key of course if it will fit the slot and or you may try the bending of the staple I never had to do it but others may have a better idea

 

[paulvallandigham]

Bend the staples rather than the keys.

I would simply use a propane torch to heat the barrel where the browning has been worn or abraded away, and hit the hot barrel( get it above the boiling point of water) with any browning solution. Most solutions will brown the barrel enough to blend the new with the old. I used this technique with Plum Brown, but then added a twist of my own: I cleaned the barrel off again after I was satisfied with the browning of all desired surface, and then heated the barrel up very hot again. Then I sprayed the barrel with WD40I but any spray oil will do) to cool the barrel down. This added darkening to the brown color, in the opened pores of the steel. The result has been a very durable (Hershey) chocolate brown finish to the shotgun. It has lightened a bit over the years of carrying it out in the sunlight( UV rays), but in spite of being taken through rough country, I see no scratches that have marred or removed any of the browning.

If you want a lighter color brown, then you probably will need too strip the current finish off the metal and start over. Its very hard to match light colors, whether you are bluing steel or browning it. :thumbsup:

Use a bore brush made of bronze wire, with cotton cleaning patches wetted with oil, to pick up the iron oxides that are knocked loose by the brush. The oil will help prevent the oxide from abrading the rest of the bore when its removed. :hmm:

 

[necchi]

"" 3)The wedge keys come out of the staples when the gun is turned on its side. Can I use a punch and bend the staples (concave) or is there something else I should try?""

Yes, a little goes a long way,,if you go too far, open it up again with a large flat tip screwdriver. It really doesn't take a heavy hand.
Lot's of guy's will bend the key,,but I prefer to bend the underlug itself.

 

[Vaino]

Unless the browning looks bad, I'd let it be. some builders go through a lot to make a MLer look old. The most serious problem is the bore....wire brush and if possible remove the breechplug and then go in w/ either steel wool or green "Scotchbrite". The staples should be tightened up by lightly hitting them in the center w/ a brass punch and then I would slot the keys and pin them in.....Fred

 

[Lukos]

Thanks all, I have bent the staple just a little (a micrometer is needed to tell) and now it stays together. I have begun cleaning the barrel and it will be ready to fire in no time. This leads to another problem. I went to the sporting goods store and they had no .570 round ball or the molds. :cursing: Where can I find the molds? I have enough lead to coat the outside of the titanic but no mold. Thanks :idunno:

 

[Rogue River]

Try www.trackofthewolf.com .