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Model 56 Guide - Disassemble, Assemble, Stock Refinish and Bluing

32K views 21 replies 14 participants last post by  Augmentin875 
#1 · (Edited)
Model 56 Steel Receiver

Dis-assembly, reassembly, stock finishing and bluing would not have been possible without the guidance and assistance of RC members NAA_Silent, woodstock63 and the research of the many posts by many other RC members. NAA_Silent provided the guidance with his photo guide on the Model 57. I was fortunate to have a steel and aluminum Model 56 to work on, and when I couldn't get it right, I could take the other 56 and peer into the receiver to see what I was doing wrong. So to all of you guys on RFC, many thanks.

I hope this helps anyone out there with a Model 56. I wanted to make an easy-to-follow guide for those of you out there with these great Marlin's but haven't been able to give them a thorough clean. They are a bit complicated inside for a 56 year old design, but once you've done it a few times, like any other firearm, it'll become second nature. Enjoy and let me know if a good cleaning really improved the action and accuracy of your Model 56.

1. Remove the action screws which hold the barrel/receiver to the stock, one screw located at the underside and one is removed from the top at the rear of the receiver. Make sure the lever is open and the magazine has been removed. At this point I would assume you have checked the rifle to confirm it's not loaded.




2. Upon removal of both screws, open the lever and slide out of the stock, holding it by the barrel.


3. Now remove the lever, trigger and bolt assembly out of the receiver. To do this, remove the two screws as shown, each screw has an anti-lock washer. Now turn the receiver over, and with a punch lightly tap out the two receiver screws.




4. Once the screws are removed from both sides of the receiver, the trigger, lever, bolt assembly slides out of the receiver with the bolt attached.


5. Just above the lever on the side plate is a screw, also with locking washer, shown above. Remove this screw and the entire side plate will now come apart. You may have to giggle it around a bit, remember; these rifles may not have been cleaned or taken apart for the last 40-56 years and there are 5 pins plus the 4 holes for magazine holder. With a bit of back and forth motion however, it will come apart. Removing the side plate is the same on both the model 56 and 57.


6. Lift the bolt upwards; now remove the magazine holder and release, which are set into the holes in the receiver. As your doing this, it would be a good time to start the cleaning process. I used Q-tips along with some gun solvent, as some of the grease was pretty hard and I would guess pretty old.


7. Now remove the safety cover and expose the safety, lock and spring system.




8. You want to remove the hammer spring and hammer, paying attention to the position of the spring. Notice where it contacts the hammer, the top curved portion of the spring fits into the groove at the back of the hammer.




Pull up and remove the hammer spring and remove the hammer. Clean both of these parts with solvent.




9. Once the hammer spring and hammer are removed, the lever, cam and bolt (which are all attached together) can be lifted off the receiver plate.




10. Turn the receiver 180 degree's; you want to remove the safety spring, safety bushing and the 2-piece safety.








NOTE: Princess Auto in Canada has a number of dental picks in a package for the horrendous cost of around $5. These are great tools for cleaning those hard to reach areas of firearms.
 
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#2 ·
11. The lower spring and both safety engagement pieces will slip off the post they are sitting on.


12. Now it's time to remove the trigger assembly and spring.





Spelling error: should read "note" as in "note the position of the trigger spring.

13. Now to disassemble the lever, cam and bolt assembly.




14. Dis-assembly of the bolt system, removal of the firing pin and clean.


Once you have cleaned the components, start to re-assemble in the reverse order of dis-assembly. Take your time, and if you get stuck or come to a standstill, review the photo's, which is what I did when starting to put the 56 back together again. If I got to a part that I wasn't sure how it fit, which was mainly the position of the springs, I would just look at the photos in reverse order.

Trust this information adds to the knowledge on the Model 56's and 57's. I haven't had much range time with mine as of yet, but am definitely looking forward to getting out there and shooting the "Levermatics".

Enjoy.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Stock Refinishing

Model 56 Refinishing The Stock​

The stocks on both of the Model 56 Levermatics that I have are made from walnut, and both had some serious aging and handling characteristics. After reading a number of posts about refinishing on RFC, I made the decision to refinish both stocks.

1. Stock from the steel receiver 56, many marks and dents.






2. The stock has a lacquer finish. To remove the old finish I used lacquer thinner, a few rags and a sponge brush. I applied the thinner with the sponge brush (did this outside so the fumes and odor didn't affect anyone). Let it sit for 10 - 30 seconds and wiped it down with the rags, the finish started to come off because the rags took on the color of the stock (If this isn't happening, then you need to use one of the more industrial paint/finish removers).

The 56 steel receiver cleaned up quickly and nicely. The lacquer finish on the aluminum receiver was harder to remove; I used 0000 steel wool instead of a rag. On both stocks, I applied the thinner approx. 10 times to ensure I was eliminating all of the old finish and getting down to raw wood. In the case of the aluminum receiver 56, I noticed the next day that there was still a "glaze" in the stock which told me I didn't get all of the lacquer, so the steel wood treatment.




Once you've removed the old finish, set the stock aside to dry for 24 hours. The thinners evaporate and you can also see that you've removed all of the old top coat before moving to the next steps.

3. To ensure I had the tools and materials to do this project right, I took a trip down to Home Depot and a few local hardware stores. I purchased coarse sponge sanding blocks for the first sanding. I then bought a sanding block along with 100 grit wood sand paper, and 400, 800, 1200 emery paper. I started with the 100 grit, sanding with the grain, taking my time and slowing working my way down the stock, from the forearm to the butt. Once I was finished, I took a clean rag and wiped the stock down.


4. The next step was to remove as many of the dents and marks as possible. To do this I used a soldering gun kit with an iron shaped tip along with a bit of rag that was wet. Again, I started slowly at the forearm and worked my way to the butt, in some cases going over each dent a number of times to get the maximum "raise" out of the wood.


Take your time; go over the stock one side at a time. In this case I worked on removing the dents over the course of 2-3 days, once it has dried out, I could see if I had to go over the dents again and also find any new dents missed on the first go around.


I found that the wetter the rag was, the more steam was created to be effective on raising the dents. I would also ensure that the soldering gun was as hot as possible, which after working on a few dents, I would let the gun heat up again for 2 or 3 minutes before moving on to the next dent.


Slowly working over the stock, most of the obvious dents and marks came out and it started to take shape for the next step in the refinishing process, which was more sanding.

5. Now start the final steps of the sanding process, using 400, 800 and greater (if you want) emery cloth. There are two way to move forward with sanding. 1) You can sand dry and collect the dust, add a few drops of Tung Oil into a small container and mix it up. Using your hands, rub this paste across the grain, slowly filling in all of the open grain. 2) Wet the emery paper (I used a small spray dispenser filled with water) and sand over the wood creating a paste as you go along. I prefer this step to the former, as I could sand and then rub across grain the "slurry" to fill in the open grain of the wood. The one offset to this process is that once it's dry, you have a crusty layer of hardened sawdust which you must now sand off dry. This can take a bit of effort, but it will be worth it.

With either step, let dry 24 hours, then move onto the next finer sand paper, and repeat the process. Take your time and you will get a nicely filled in raw stock ready for final finishing. Remember to always sand with the grain. I used the sanding block mostly, and for the harder to reach spots I just cut a smaller piece and used my hands to hold the sandpaper in place, again with the grain.






1st layer of tung oil and sawdust mixed together, and rub across the grain. It is hardly noticeable in the 1st step, but becomes more obvious as you repeat the process.


NOTE: To make the grain paste, several recipes:

1) sawdust, Tung Oil and paint thinner - I used an eye dropper to add the TO and thinner.

2) sawdust, 50/50 Tung Oil and mineral spirits.

3) As you sand, water sprayed onto emery cloth creates a paste. In all cases rub across the grain once you're finished sanding. When I'm done with the final sanding process, I blow off the excess dust with my compressor. If you don't have a compressor, just use a wet cloth to wipe it down. Then use 0000 steel wool as the final step to remove any raised fibers from the wood.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Stock Refinishing Continued

6. Now this is Woodstock63's recipe for the final finishing step. I take no credit in creating this process, which thanks to Woodstock allows you to finish a stock in a day or two, if you know the right mixture and follow the process. I can tell you what not to do.

This finishing process involves using Armour All Original and Birchwood Casey Tru Oil. Do not spray it onto the stock as I did in the picture below. As my first attempt, I definitely applied way too much of each product, and after a number of coats, decided I had to sand it back down and start over again. When too much is applied, the stock doesn't dry real fast if at all. I also rubbed the stock until I got a shiny finish, and then put it down thinking it would dry in 5-10 minutes - wrong. In some cases, it wasn't dry after 1 or 2 days.


I also used Nitrex gloves to rub on the two compounds, which initially was o.k. But as more and more layers were applied, the compounds would thicken and stick to the gloves which eventually would transfer to the gunstock. I got a scaling effect in different areas and spots of the stock, which again I had to sand down and start over. As per Woodstock's recommendation, using your bare hands provided the best results.

Step 1: apply one or two squirts of Armour All to your hands, rub over the palm of your hands and then apply it slowly to the entire stock. If initially your hands and the stock become dry before you've covered the entire stock, add another squirt.


Step 2: now dip your finger into the Tru Oil and starting at the forearm smear the Tru Oil on all sides of the forearm. Rub slowly and thoroughly into the wood and let it heat up, continue to do this process for 5-10 minutes. If I feel that I'm getting the result I want on the forearm, I then dip my finger again into the Tru Oil and move down to the receiver area and the butt.

For these 1st steps, once I've finished the 5-10 minute rub, I'm going to forget about the stock for a few hours, better still for a day. I then repeat the above process, with the 2nd session getting anywhere from 1-3 coats, each coat rubbed on for 5-10 minutes and allowed to cure and dry for an hour or more.

By the 3rd session, I will apply 6 coats, and so on. You can apply as many coats as you like. Woodstock applies up to 36 coats in a single day, but I think for this to happen, the wife has to be visiting relatives, you've got the coffee table spread out with stock and gun stuff and it's a total sport action day on the T.V.

I can only emphasize that you take your time, use your hands, rub thoroughly until the finish is hot to the touch and then let it dry. If you see build up that you don't want, or scaling, or any other undesirable effect, take either a Scotch Brite pad or 0000 steel wool and sand out the bad, then continue on with exactly the same steps.

7. In the case of this 1st attempt, I likely applied over 36 coats of Armour All and Tru Oil over the course of 2 weeks. And I sanded most of the finish off twice as I wasn't happy with the result or non-result, I felt it best to start over again. The photo's below show a stock with 12+ layers and this was the final result that I was happy with.






For a duller finish, it's recommended you get a paste wax like Johnson's or another wax that is basically 100% pure. Seeing a "unicorn" was a more likely event than trying to find a "pure" wax here in Canada. I did try a number of car type waxes, carnauba's and such, but didn't really warm up to the duller finish. It just didn't have the depth and beauty of grain that the AA and TO process had without the wax finish.

8. As one of the final steps before fitting the stock back together and getting the rifle ready, I had to re-make the white liners or spacer, a signature of the Marlin firearms. When I took the stock apart, the old one and I assume must have been original had shrunk considerably and pretty much crumbled apart.

So I went back to the hardware store and purchased a white lid from a bucket, used the black butt plate as a template and cut out the liner. To ensure it was a nice tight profile, as a final step, I screwed it into a 2x4 block and used a razor or Exacto knife to carefully make the final cuts.






9. This is the final finish and outcome of the steel receiver Model 56. I was pretty pleased as a 1st attempt at stock finishing. I left some of the bigger knots slightly open and didn't fill entirely. I believe this kept some of the character of the rifle, the wood and an indication of what 56 years of wear and tear will bring.







 
#6 ·
oh heck yes thanks for posting this up and taking the time to do it. I've got a 56 I recv'd in parts. all those springs and stuff......... what a crazy mess. I just sat it aside but now I can hopefully get it up and running.

Thanks again!!!!!



 
#7 · (Edited)
Bluing

These are the steps that I followed through on for the cold bluing process. Initially I wanted to have all the "tools" that would be required to work thru the process and have a satisfactory end result. A fair amount of research on this site and others to get continuity of the steps that need to be followed ensured a successful outcome.

Now that I've done this on 2 rifles, I realize the importance of planning it out, getting all of the "stuff" and setting aside pretty much a full day to do it. Oh..and it helps if the wife isn't around or allows you the use of the kitchen for that day.

Step 1

Setup was between the stove and the sink, some towels to prevent water spillage from the containers.

Step 2

Once the rolled towels were in place, I covered with a large garbage bag, again as a drain channel and containment of the hot water.

Step 3

Home Depot planter containers - 30" long ($6 ea.), in this case just enough to make it all work as the barrel and receiver were approx. 30" long. I used three of these, one for old blue removal and cure of new blue, one with boiling hot water for heating the metal and rinse of blue between coats and one for oil cure.

Advise: if you use these exact containers, the bottoms have a vent for water drainage. Even with saran wrap covering the vent, they still leaked, hence the first two steps.

Step 4

After a bit of searching, I found some Naval Jelly (Home Hardware) for the initial step of removing the old bluing. And for all of the smaller parts, I used a clear Tupperware container and a .98 cent brush.

Step 5

Use Nitrex gloves, I brushed on the Naval Jelly unto the components, and let these sit for approx. 10 minutes in the tupperware container. At the same time I filled the right side container with hot tap water, about 1/3 full, and then added the boiling water from a large pot off the stove to top it up. Once the jelly had done it's job, I then picked up the parts, threw them in the metal strainer, and soaked in the boiling hot water....to initially clean off the jelly and to also start the heating process of the metal....in preparation for the bluing.

Once the smaller bits and pieces were done, I then followed the same process on the barrel and receiver. Prior to starting all of this, I bought a dowel that would fit tightly into both ends of the barrel, required a bit of work with the sander, so that water wouldn't get into the barrel. I also put a cleaning rod thru with a fair amount of oil to protect the metal inside the barrel.

With the dowels in each end of the barrel, I applied the Naval Jelly, 10 minute sit and into the boiling hot water to rinse and heat the metal.

Upon completion of the old blue removal, I also inspected each part and used 0000 steel wool to remove any rust/rough spots.

Step 6

An old towel setup in another area of the kitchen or work area allowed me to put all the parts and pieces in a separate area to dry out. I covered with the towel to let the water soak and then air dry.

Step 7

The lever with all the old blue removed.

Step 8

Now for de-greasing the metal parts. I may have gone overboard, but I did want a great finish and I did not want to do a repeat. So I initially used a Brake Cleaner (ensure you do this on a day where you can open windows and allow venting of cleaner and other components) which I sprayed on to the parts, and then rinsed with water. I then took some cotton balls, soaked in Acetone and then a second degrease. Again, in the hot water. I then laid all the components out on the towel again to dry, patted down in the towel and now turned on the hair dryer to dry and heat the metal.

Step 9

I used Birchwood Casey Perma Blue Paste for the entire process. Ensure you have a clean pair of Nitrex gloves on. Using cotton balls with paste applied, I smeared over all the parts, doing just a few at a time, allowing the blue to do it's thing for 60 seconds or so, and then back into the rinse container. (Note: once you've removed the old blue and rinsed all of the parts, pour out this water, clean the container with soap and water, and start a new batch of boiling hot water for the bluing rinse and heat).

With the bluing done, I rinsed off the part in the hot water, smaller items like screws, etc. went into the metal strainer before rinsing, and then back onto the towel. As this process is going down, I had the hair dryer on low and had it blowing warm air across all of the parts.

Step 10

Cover the parts, in this photo, the barrel/receiver are covered and the hair blower is set to high. Boy, this really heated up the metal, in many cases almost to hot to touch. I would then move the dryer over to the smaller pieces, cover with the towel and let the dryer do it's thing. It would create an "air tunnel" over top of the parts allowing them to dry and heat.

Once this was done, I would take a clean and de-greased piece of 0000 steel wool and wipe down the part.

I repeated this entire process 5 times, working at it slowly, hence the whole day requirement.

Step 11

Components after 5 cycles of blueing.

Step 12

More bluing results.

Step 13

Barrel/receiver blued. This was the aluminum receiver model, so the bluing had no effect on the aluminum.

Step 14

Before I started the project, I tracked down 2 full containers of used motor oil. The 3rd planter was used for this step. With the parts completely blued, 5-step process, and really hot, I then moved them into my garage where the container was filled with the used motor oil (ensure you have shrink wrap covering the vent hold, along with another container to catch any spillage, plus newspaper. In my case the 2nd container was what I use to change the motor oil in the vehicles.)

The hot metal parts went into the oil...and there they sat for the next 7 days. Be sure to remove the dowels from both ends of the barrel before you put into the oil.

When I removed the parts from the oil, wiped down with paper towels, cleaned up and then applied a thin coat of my fav gun oil, I was pretty happy with the end result.

Success










What You Need:

- 3 @ 30" plastic planters
- 4 or more old towels
- Nitrex gloves
- 1 plastic garbage bag
- Naval Jelly
- small Tupperware container
- small paint brush
- metal strainer
- wood dowel
- cotton balls and pads
- 0000 steel wool
- hair dryer
- acetone
- brake de-greaser or similar
- used motor oil

Cost: +/- $50
Night on the Town with the wife (Remember it's her kitchen): $100
Result: Priceless

I will post some more pictures of the finished components, I am hopeful for later today.
 
#10 ·
Thanks Wayne for the excellent article on cleaning the Model 56. One thing I did notice is that you didn't mention using oil on any of the parts during reassembly. Is there any items that require a little oil. I'm bringing one out of the closet that hasn't seen daylight in over 50 years.
 
#13 · (Edited)
I'd wanted a Model 56 since I was a kid, when they were a new rifle, and a year or two ago, I found one on GB that was mostly being ignored, and got the bid on it for a pretty decent price. It's one of the steel receiver early models, which would have been my choice if I'd had a choice (you don't see Model 56's every day, and when you do, sellers tend to ask ridiculous prices for them).

Both the wood and metal on mine are in pretty good shape, so I doubt that I'll try refinishing either, but I do have to say that your results are absolutely GORGEOUS. You did a fantastic job on your Marlin, and thanks for posting the pics and directions.
 
#14 ·
Great thread!

I have my grandfathers model 56. A lot of the bluing has worn away since he used to keep it in the shed near his garden to use for shooting birds and other critters. It still shoots like a champ. This DIY thread will help in the future when I have the time to redo the stock/barrel.
 
#17 ·
Model 56 Steel Receiver

10. Turn the receiver 180 degree's; you want to remove the safety spring, safety bushing and the 2-piece safety.




Kudos on this write-up. cleaned my uncle's old 56-22 this weekend.

Note to others... the top exposed safety spring shown in step 10.... this is the worst "launcher" out of the bunch in this thing.

Don't bother putting it back on in reassembly until you are ready to put the safety cover plate back.

**** thing wouldn't stay put until i had that plate on...​
 
#18 ·
56 overhaul

Nice job Man, you should make this into a Book, I'd Buy a Copy.
We had bought a 56 off Gun Broker, looked real nice from the Photos, got it home and it wouldn't feed, the old dry fire too many times trick. After a short trip to the Local Gun Smith all is well now. Anyway if you decide to Publish this Instruction Manual put me down for a Copy.:t
 
#21 ·
some vary good information but if i might add a little different version while i have a hair dryer i tend not to use it vary tedious and can be eliminated. having to constantly have a source of hot/boiling water to keep the trays full
I have made my trays out of aluminum guttering with endcaps to fit across the burners of a stove, using jb weld to seal the endcaps. for the bluing the water does not have to be boiling 120 to 180. put your parts for bluing into the hot water let get warm. Use tongs and pull barrel out first and hold upright over your working towel it will almost dry immediately as it is very hot . i wear a Mechanix glove with a clean cotton glove over that to handle the hot part with one hand. the other i use the to apply the bluing and let dry and put back into the water for rinse and next part out of water for bluiing when all parts are blued pull them out a card them all off using degreased 0000 steel wool. i always go barrel, receiver, small parts and when im done with one peice it goes back into the water bath to heat up for next round of bluing my favorite is to use OXFOBLUE from BROWNELLS OR AMAZON. Folow their instructins and and do to one pass let dry and a second pass and back in water bath before carding. another bluing is MARK-LEE but parts will have to be nuetralzed when finished bluing.
Iam fortunate and can work in my garage with an old electric two burner counter stove. you may use and old camp stove, hot plate or turkey fryer what ever works for you
 
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