My wife has always preferred older rifles and so I managed to relieve the owner of this 1948-50 E prefix Club as he had a few other Clubs! It came with a poorly stripped and refinished stock and it had been nicely re-blued, losing its original etching in the process of course.
Being one to either restore or customise rifles I felt this one deserved the former treatment and so set about working out how to refinish it to original-ish condition.
For the stock I experimented with a old fashioned finish using potassium permanganate on a scrap Meteor stock, the results shown here:
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/slideshow/22921853Then after a few weeks preparation of the Club stock I finally got up the courage to attack it, here:
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/slideshow/22879334The etching is a work in progress with the first laser etching test done last week. I've spent around 25 hours now digitalising an original Club etching from some photos of the seller's mint specimen and it's ready now for the final laser etch onto my gun's cylinder, maybe sometime next week. The commercial laser I'm using has a 900mm bed and motorised rollers to rotate the cylinder as it cuts. Compared to the mint original etching it is a little darker, but that makes it look like it has the patina of 60 years life! Photos here:
http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/slideshow/22896339The rifle should be back together in the next few weeks and I'll post some finished pics for you all.
....good fun this restoration business!!
