George(noremf) Keeps on Giving

[grg]

I was looking through the internet on the best method to clean an old Haenel rifle I picked up then thought about one of the best sources available, RFC's noremf. In this category George had made a sticky on how to clean the stock without hurting the original finish on an old gun, in this case an 85 year old hard to come by rifle. I will take a few pics when I start and some as I go through his process and we will see what happens.

It is amazing the amount of information that is out there and is detrimental to your guns instead of helpful. Some of it is information that has been passed down for years and appears on the surface to be correct but really is wrong. George was an expert on this subject and knew what he was talking about when it came to restoration and woodworking and chemicals.
Thanks again George and we sure miss you!

[Oldblades]

Hard to believe, in about a week, he will have been gone 1 year. He had a real passion to share on RFC.
I miss him too grg.

[M2HB]

He certainly had a wealth of knowledge that he was willing to share with everyone.

I still miss his posts and his wisdom.

[Bradical]

I've copied and pasted many of Noremf's sage advice into a folder. I want to be able to reference it even if RFC is no longer available. It's men like him the make America great.

[grg]

Not to change the subject but there is another that I have not seen and I hope has just been unavailable, fuzzylimy. Does anyone know anything, maybe I missed a post on him as I hope all is well? I loved reading his post on past experiences throughout his life.

[Oldblades]

Even at 90+ yrs young, I think Mick is going to resent that anyone would consider a RAF guy, especially WWII era, anything short of immortal.
I think there may actually be some truth to that too.

[LtCrunch]

George was a fine fellow...wish I'd known him longer but feel lucky to have known him at all!

Frank

[FlysAlot]

Originally Posted by LtCrunch

George was a fine fellow...wish I'd known him longer but feel lucky to have known him at all!

Frank

This!

[Al the Infidel]

Originally Posted by grg

I was looking through the internet on the best method to clean an old Haenel rifle I picked up then thought about one of the best sources available, RFC's noremf. In this category George had made a sticky on how to clean the stock without hurting the original finish on an old gun, in this case an 85 year old hard to come by rifle. I will take a few pics when I start and some as I go through his process and we will see what happens.

It is amazing the amount of information that is out there and is detrimental to your guns instead of helpful. Some of it is information that has been passed down for years and appears on the surface to be correct but really is wrong. George was an expert on this subject and knew what he was talking about when it came to restoration and woodworking and chemicals.
Thanks again George and we sure miss you!

Its hard to put into words how one can like a guy so much that you've never met in person but George was that kind of guy.
The pearly gates oughta be exhibition claro walnut by now eh?

[LtCrunch]

Originally Posted by Al the Infidel

Its hard to put into words how one can like a guy so much that you've never met in person but George was that kind of guy.
The pearly gates oughta be exhibition claro walnut by now eh?

Exactly Al! Pretty rare to find that perfect combination of intelligence, knowledge, patience, and basic human kindness all wrapped up in one package. Not that he suffered fools but even in the face of unfair criticism he was always a gentleman.

As far as Heaven goes, I imagine he's convinced the Boss to invoke a site wide ban on Chinese steel wool and silicone based wood treatments too

Frank

[Oldblades]

Originally Posted by Al the Infidel

The pearly gates oughta be exhibition claro walnut by now eh?

Had to laugh at this.
I'm sure he has had his hands full arguing about the finish on the gates. Can you imagine the millenniums of woodworkers he has to deal with now, and the argument with the thousands that want to put BLO on them?
Cant imagine how many pages his pdf for them is up to by now on that.

[grg]

Used soapy water on the stocks, as you can see there wasn't anything to speak of for finish except for oil and dirt. I believe I will go ahead and get a couple of the real ugly gouges out of the stock and prep it for finish but not sure what finish would have been on it. Any ideas?

As far as George and just meeting members on here, there are some great ones. An Iowa member got a hold of me last weekend and him and another shooter came to the in-laws shop where I do a lot of work. We had never met before, I'm 55 and they are in there 70's but we sat for close to 3 hours and talked about shooting and rifles. Great people and we are already planning on meeting in another week at a range to meet a few other people and watch some "good" shooters. I have met some great people through RFC, I hope it never changes much.

[BobSc]

Other than raising the dents with a damp cloth and iron or similar ( I have one of the old large soldering iron that works great for this), it looks like it is in fine shape...

I'm a creature of habit for sure, but I would be very tempted to put TruOil on it until you get the coverage you want. I use from 8-12 coats, depending on what the wood tells me. Let it set 30 days and knock down the shine with rottenstone mixed with water to create a runny slurry. I just did this on two stocks and they both came out great.

Be careful around the checkering so you don't get too much finish or rubbing material in or it will be tough to clean out. I would suggest very carefully taping off the checkering before you start the finishing... there is a bit of figure in that forearm that should really pop once the finish is on it.

I miss old George also. Our emails were a highlight as he talked about much more than guns, finishing, and the like. Our last couple emails he seemed to know his days were numbered as he mentioned several times he might not be around after his surgery.... but he was graceful as always in his words and actions right up till the end...

Bob

[grg]

Bob, I have used True -oil on many stocks I have refinished but not sure on this one. I would love to know what was the original finish. I always mask off the checkering unless it is fragile as even low adhesion masking tape can pull off checkering but is usually fairly safe. I use to recut the checkering but can't do that anymore because of my neuropathy. I am going to redoe this to keep so I am a little more flexible in what I do to it.

Just wanted to add that the end quarter of the butt stock also has some beautiful figure in it that I want to get to come out.

[BobSc]

Well, one other thought would be a spray lacquer. It would be quicker IMO and would give a very nice finish. Once totally cured (about 30 days), it should as hard as anything you can put on and hold up fairly well. And easy to repair if necessary, according to George's notes....

Lacquer should also bring out the figure very well. In my experience, the more clear and deep the finish, the better the figure comes out- which is why I quite often go back to Truoil for my default finish because I use figured wood quite often.

I am doing a stock right now that will be getting finish in a week or so. It is a highly figured Curly maple and I'm trying to keep it as light as possible. I'm going to experiment with some Water based exterior spray urethane to keep from getting the amber tint from the finish so it will finish as light as possible and be crystal clear. May or may not be suitable for your project... I've also used the spray lacquer before and it can also give a very nice finish.... decisions, decisions....


Bob