I use to work on high end pool cues. I used steam to remove dents but also used a glass rod to finish it off. By rubbing the rod with the DRY grain over the dent at least 1 inch ahead and behind the dent, more is better, you can remove almost any dent completely. No sanding required 90% of the time and then only with 220 or finer very lightly mostly to just clean up the surface. Used this many times on gun stocks too. The best glass rod I found was a glass pestle, like you use with a mortar. Just another trick to add to the tool box. Beautiful rifle, thanks for sharing.
Mark, my father bought one of these in the 40’s right after he came home from the Pacific. He hunted with it till it was stolen in the 60’s. I have always regretted the loss of that gun. It’s like you took me back in time with this one. Thank you.
I like watching your videos because, unlike others, you respect the weapon and take great care no to destroy any patina. The idea is to only do what must be done and blend it in to look original. Your jobs enhance the look of a 50 yo gun that was loved and cared for, not a new old gun or one that was completely refinished. "The gun's only new once!" Best advice ever! 👍
Watching a master craftsman at work is an absolute joy. Thanks for sharing your phenomenal work into restoring this beauty. That checkering work was awesome, especially showing how one can overcome mistakes. That border around the checkering makes it visually pop. And after the oil, Just.. beautiful wow.
Outstanding job on that checkering, I have neither the skill nor the steady hand to do checkering. I have determined that the people who criticize a skilled craftsmen on the internet are neither skilled nor craftsmen.
Love your work! When steaming deep dents, here's a trick: stick a Band-Aid over the dent, and then wet the pad. Allow it to sit for about 30 minutes. This allows water to soak into the wood under the dent. Remove the Band-Aid. When you apply heat with a wet cloth and a small iron or a soldering stick, the water under the dent turns to steam and puffs up the crushed fibers.
Currently conserving a 1915 Steyr M95 with your tips and tricks in your conservation and rust bluing videos. Your wit and wisdom never ceases to amaze me
Mine has a Aperture Site on the bolt. and a side mount scope. My Grandpa bought it in a panic, when the Japanese submarine shelled Elwood Beach CA near us. in 1942
Mark, as a very modest collector from what I've seen the rifle stock and forearm haven't been "completely" refinished and none of the edges have been rolled and the inletting looks sharp. I applaud your efforts and wisdom in resetting this and giving future generations a chance to use a functional classic. This rifle is just as lucky to find the newest owner as the rifle was to find him. Regards.
I inherited a Model 71 when my father passed away. He inherited it from my grandfather who inherited from my great great uncle. Manufactured in 1936 the first year of production. Three digit serial number. It’s my favorite rifle. I also have a Browning reproduction 71 manufactured in 1987. Both are beautiful rifles.
I put a Springfield J Stevens, 16 gauge shotgun made in 1921 back into the gene pool. It should be good to go for another 102 years. Thanks for the videos, Mark
Hand checkering is just one of those skills that terrifies me- so much precision work and so much possibility for a small error to ruin it. Just watching it being done makes me nervous, LOL. Great work Mark, that is real skill earned through lots of practice!
Totally in awe at watching a master wizard at work! I have always wanted to checker but I know I lack the Zen to pull it off. Thank You Mark as always for sharing your skills and knowledge!
Ive restored my 1886 (38/56) and my 71, the 71 is a a very early long tang. I did the take down and parts refit but sent the bluing out to Fords 20+ years ago. Fire blue like the commercial older 1911's. I Love large frame winchesters. 71's with checkering were deluxe rifles, 12.98$ extra in 1937.
I love hand checkering, so I guess that I am an oddball. A friend of mine that was a gunsmith gave me a really nice set of tools for Christmas one year after he let me practice on some blanks and found that I enjoyed it. It is more relaxing than stressful to me, but I spend way more time on doing checkering jobs than I should because I am anal about getting it perfect. I just grab a 12 pack and watch TV while doing it in the evenings.
What a beautiful checking job, and the danish oil really makes it pop with the red infused with the oil. It's just gorgeous to see it sucking in all that stunning color hope to see the complete finish on that old Winchester I imagine it will be spectacular.
thanks for doing these! enjoy watching this stuff immensely. thank you for sharing your knowledge of firearms work. i redid the checkering on my 1945 savage 720 (browning a5 clone for those that dont know.) its awesome to see it go from rounded flat to these popping diamonds. used a cheap tool from Brownells and just took my time with it on my lap. i took my first turkey with this gun. 12g, 28 or 30 inch full choke barrel. it also has a nice game scene on each side of the receiver. found it for 195 at Kittery trading post years ago. i sanded it down to 600 grit and i think i did 7 coats maybe more of tru oil to get that glossy finish.
Watching you explain how yiu can fix the lines in the checkering is exactly how I get the body lines right when doing body work as am autobody technician. Sometimes you gotta make that body line straight or crisp where it isn't anymore & you really just have to guide your removal process until you get the desired shape and lines
Oh, dang it Mark. I have been sick the past couple days and then you say "Pop you open like a grape". Thanks goodness I have not been eating as it would be back up here already!
really enjoyed this one you covered things i'm lacking on in the woodwork department ...practicing on an old piece of walnut trying to improve my checkering skills but not brave enough yet to try on a stock....looking forward to seeing the metalwork being done on this one too...i hope.....thanks for teaching an old dog some new tricks.
Thank you sir this has been a very enjoyable and informative video we appreciate your knowledge and that you are willing to share it with us six stars brother
Once more, an excellent video! I sat and polished my hammers while I watched. I am getting ready to start an 1892 restock project (a total ugly duckling). Winchester Red is as hot as a fine looking individual… trying to keep this within the scope of being a family show… 😊
I really like the pun about the checkering, not creating diamonds only removing everything that isn’t a diamond I think it was Michelangelo that said something similar about his sculptures.
What the human eye sees and what the human mind thinks is right are surprising different. Even more interesting the difference in how the time frame that the human lived in, the machine perfection that we think is great vs the human hand imperfections that work creates.
I had one, a delux model in the 1960s. Stolen in 1970. One problem it had was that the lever would open (pop down) about 1/4 of an inch when fired with factory ammo. There’s a reason for this which of course I knew nothing about at the time and I ruined the the collector value by having Ackley’s shop chamber the gun for the improved (reduced body taper) 348 cartridge which of course made no difference. Mark, I hope you look into this.
Very nice work. I’ve heard not to sand wood with anything finer than 220. The dust will actually clog the pores of the wood. That’s why I’d doesn’t take a finish well.
14:35 Same with plastic, taking it to 600-1000grit looks nice but it'll craze when you hit it with clear coat. Learned the hard way, easier and better to stop earlier and add more coats
Disassembly is certainly a process on the 71! Can't wait to see it finished up. I am working on one right now that was neglected and forgotten in the back of a safe. Do you have any suggestions for removing the magazine tube? Mine is throughly stuck.
Iron and steel RUST. But does Brass PAYtina? I bought a worm eatin Brunswick and im going to conserve the metal but just going to get all the dirt off the brass and just leave it. Right or wrong im asking.
Yet another great video and I appreciative you taking the time to do and show. Thanks Mark! P.S. For those of us not in the know, it’d be nice to see and get a close up while seeing the tools you use for this kind of work. While you were talking about and mentioning the fence on the cutting tool it was out of camera view. Also, can I assume I that the diamond shaped card was also a tool used when checkering.’? Or no?
Uhhh for some pictures, if you google power checkering tool one of the first results should be ullman precision, looks like the same tool mark uses The fence in just a guide that runs in the previous slot The diamond shaped card is probably just a template for the angle of the checkering *not a gunsmith
@@thomasa5619Uhhhhhhhhhhh, what makes you think I didn’t do that or wasn’t aware I could do that. Maybe I wanted and hoped Mark would do, what he actually did because I think besides being the best gunsmith, my opinion, I think he’s a great teacher as well and I I wanted him to, well, do exactly what he did with his latest video I just watched. But hey, thanks anyways.
Please show the reassembly of the gun. Please. Please. Please. I hate begging but I've got a Model 71 that was my dad's. It's the only gun I have that I have never disassembled and would love to see a tutorial. I doesn't get shot much, primarily because of ammo availability, so it's not a mess. I just want to be more comfortable with it.
Great content! I’ve never really understood the aversion to conservation or restoration work on older guns, assuming they weren’t the personal property of Nelson or King Edward . Always seemed the alternative was to let them disintegrate into rust and dust.
It's the patina craze, started by all the Picker shows and Pawn Shop slobs (self described experts) putting that aspersion into the minds of the populace.
I'm curious, how and who cut the original checkering? Obviously, it isn't like a pressed checkering. A little old man with a checking tool and a lot of little old men?
Mark I live your videos. I just watched a video you did on a Bergman bayard and you bead blasted the frame due to it being in a fire. What media do you use and at what psi setting? Thank you for all the great info you give us.
That's probably too much. Usually a oil finish does absorb into the wood to a degree, but doesn't completely saturate into the wood. A finish like boiled linseed oil is usually applied in layers where it is wiped onto the wood and allowed to sit for a few minutes then wiped off. Allowing a layer to polermerize on the surface. Completely saturating the wood could make the wood turn punky and soft.
What jdod64 said is true. I would add that by the time you get this set up, conventional methods would have the project long complete. Time is the true enemy here, just sayin
![ละลาย (LALALYE) - DAOU PITTAYA ต้าห์อู๋ พิทยา [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wo6r9TgausI/mqdefault.jpg)
I use to work on high end pool cues. I used steam to remove dents but also used a glass rod to finish it off. By rubbing the rod with the DRY grain over the dent at least 1 inch ahead and behind the dent, more is better, you can remove almost any dent completely. No sanding required 90% of the time and then only with 220 or finer very lightly mostly to just clean up the surface. Used this many times on gun stocks too. The best glass rod I found was a glass pestle, like you use with a mortar. Just another trick to add to the tool box. Beautiful rifle, thanks for sharing.
Mark, my father bought one of these in the 40’s right after he came home from the Pacific. He hunted with it till it was stolen in the 60’s. I have always regretted the loss of that gun. It’s like you took me back in time with this one. Thank you.
I like watching your videos because, unlike others, you respect the weapon and take great care no to destroy any patina. The idea is to only do what must be done and blend it in to look original. Your jobs enhance the look of a 50 yo gun that was loved and cared for, not a new old gun or one that was completely refinished. "The gun's only new once!" Best advice ever! 👍
Oh Magoo! You've done it again!
Out flippin standing! Thanks Mark & Bruno!
Watching a master craftsman at work is an absolute joy. Thanks for sharing your phenomenal work into restoring this beauty.
That checkering work was awesome, especially showing how one can overcome mistakes. That border around the checkering makes it visually pop. And after the oil, Just.. beautiful wow.
Outstanding job on that checkering, I have neither the skill nor the steady hand to do checkering. I have determined that the people who criticize a skilled craftsmen on the internet are neither skilled nor craftsmen.
Love your work! When steaming deep dents, here's a trick: stick a Band-Aid over the dent, and then wet the pad. Allow it to sit for about 30 minutes. This allows water to soak into the wood under the dent. Remove the Band-Aid. When you apply heat with a wet cloth and a small iron or a soldering stick, the water under the dent turns to steam and puffs up the crushed fibers.
Currently conserving a 1915 Steyr M95 with your tips and tricks in your conservation and rust bluing videos. Your wit and wisdom never ceases to amaze me
Mine has a Aperture Site on the bolt. and a side mount scope. My Grandpa bought it in a panic, when the Japanese submarine shelled Elwood Beach CA near us. in 1942
This one is also cut for the bolt mounted peep
The attention to detail done in this work is exemplary.
Mark, as a very modest collector from what I've seen the rifle stock and forearm haven't been "completely" refinished and none of the edges have been rolled and the inletting looks sharp. I applaud your efforts and wisdom in resetting this and giving future generations a chance to use a functional classic. This rifle is just as lucky to find the newest owner as the rifle was to find him. Regards.
I inherited a Model 71 when my father passed away. He inherited it from my grandfather who inherited from my great great uncle. Manufactured in 1936 the first year of production. Three digit serial number. It’s my favorite rifle. I also have a Browning reproduction 71 manufactured in 1987. Both are beautiful rifles.
Mark these restoration videos are exactly why your my favorite guntuber... it's relaxing to watch you work your magic. 😊
"Polised hammer faces"
Best advice ever! I wish I'd learned it earlier. Thanks Mark.
Amazing the amount of thought you put into an old chunk of wood and still keep it interesting... magical.
Thank you for your art again Mark! Greetings from Finland!
I put a Springfield J Stevens, 16 gauge shotgun made in 1921 back into the gene pool. It should be good to go for another 102 years. Thanks for the videos, Mark
Hand checkering is just one of those skills that terrifies me- so much precision work and so much possibility for a small error to ruin it. Just watching it being done makes me nervous, LOL. Great work Mark, that is real skill earned through lots of practice!
As soon as the stain went on you could see the beauty of the work you've done
One of the best TH-cam channels I subscribe to. Thanks much Mark.
Marks videos are the only ones I watch at normal speed. Everything else gets the 1.5-2x treatment. Cheers from WA state.
Totally in awe at watching a master wizard at work! I have always wanted to checker but I know I lack the Zen to pull it off. Thank You Mark as always for sharing your skills and knowledge!
Ive restored my 1886 (38/56) and my 71, the 71 is a a very early long tang. I did the take down and parts refit but sent the bluing out to Fords 20+ years ago. Fire blue like the commercial older 1911's. I Love large frame winchesters. 71's with checkering were deluxe rifles, 12.98$ extra in 1937.
This man is a professional. Love your videos Mark, always a learning session. 👍🏼
I love hand checkering, so I guess that I am an oddball. A friend of mine that was a gunsmith gave me a really nice set of tools for Christmas one year after he let me practice on some blanks and found that I enjoyed it. It is more relaxing than stressful to me, but I spend way more time on doing checkering jobs than I should because I am anal about getting it perfect. I just grab a 12 pack and watch TV while doing it in the evenings.
Wow this is why I watch all your videos, beautiful!!!
What a beautiful checking job, and the danish oil really makes it pop with the red infused with the oil. It's just gorgeous to see it sucking in all that stunning color hope to see the complete finish on that old Winchester I imagine it will be spectacular.
Awesome Woodwork greetings from Germany.
@ 13:41 BTW ... Happy Birthday Mrs. Novak.
thanks for doing these! enjoy watching this stuff immensely. thank you for sharing your knowledge of firearms work. i redid the checkering on my 1945 savage 720 (browning a5 clone for those that dont know.) its awesome to see it go from rounded flat to these popping diamonds. used a cheap tool from Brownells and just took my time with it on my lap. i took my first turkey with this gun. 12g, 28 or 30 inch full choke barrel. it also has a nice game scene on each side of the receiver. found it for 195 at Kittery trading post years ago. i sanded it down to 600 grit and i think i did 7 coats maybe more of tru oil to get that glossy finish.
Watching you explain how yiu can fix the lines in the checkering is exactly how I get the body lines right when doing body work as am autobody technician. Sometimes you gotta make that body line straight or crisp where it isn't anymore & you really just have to guide your removal process until you get the desired shape and lines
As always, excellent content Mark. Thanks for sharing. Best Wishes to You and Your Family.
Oh, dang it Mark. I have been sick the past couple days and then you say "Pop you open like a grape". Thanks goodness I have not been eating as it would be back up here already!
love watching the process of restoration
I love the red too. As you were talking about how old the gun is, it made me think of how old the wood must really be. Maybe another 200 years?!
Great to see a well cared for rifle made much better.
I have a 1938 Model 71. It's such a beauty.
really enjoyed this one you covered things i'm lacking on in the woodwork department ...practicing on an old piece of walnut trying to improve my checkering skills but not brave enough yet to try on a stock....looking forward to seeing the metalwork being done on this one too...i hope.....thanks for teaching an old dog some new tricks.
Thank for the video,Now I can clean my 71 proper,didn’t know the magazine tube was threaded.Had a feeling but wasn’t sure now I know.
Thanks for another great video. You do amazing work!!
Always a pleasure to watch your vids and to partake of some of your extensive experience.
Thank you sir this has been a very enjoyable and informative video we appreciate your knowledge and that you are willing to share it with us six stars brother
Oh man, I have its twin in parts next to my desk. You're a good (bad) influence!
That electric checkering tool is really cool...
Yes, yes it is. Well worth it
I have an early 1957 Winchester Model 71 in my safe. I love a lever action rifle.
Awesome as expected Mark. God Bless
Some days I can watch for hours
I was lucky enough to have briefly owned a 71 clambered in .348. No checkering but a thing of beauty just the same.
👍👍
You're doing it all wrong. The only way to rectify is to have me there in person.
Once more, an excellent video! I sat and polished my hammers while I watched. I am getting ready to start an 1892 restock project (a total ugly duckling). Winchester Red is as hot as a fine looking individual… trying to keep this within the scope of being a family show… 😊
You are an American treasure.
The new mic sounds great Mark!
Master at work
I really like the pun about the checkering, not creating diamonds only removing everything that isn’t a diamond I think it was Michelangelo that said something similar about his sculptures.
The David, in particular
Mark, my submarine brother...some pretty impressive work!
Skills to pay the bills !
What the human eye sees and what the human mind thinks is right are surprising different. Even more interesting the difference in how the time frame that the human lived in, the machine perfection that we think is great vs the human hand imperfections that work creates.
I had one, a delux model in the 1960s. Stolen in 1970. One problem it had was that the lever would open (pop down) about 1/4 of an inch when fired with factory ammo. There’s a reason for this which of course I knew nothing about at the time and I ruined the the collector value by having Ackley’s shop chamber the gun for the improved (reduced body taper) 348 cartridge which of course made no difference. Mark, I hope you look into this.
Some nice wood & finish work.
Very nice work. I’ve heard not to sand wood with anything finer than 220. The dust will actually clog the pores of the wood. That’s why I’d doesn’t take a finish well.
Mark, is there going to be a part 2? I hope so, I really enjoy your videos.
Thanks for the awesome video!!!
"this is sculpture, not art!" Gotta tell that to my carver friends :)
Would love to see a whole video about cigars. What kind you like, how you picked it up, etc.
14:35 Same with plastic, taking it to 600-1000grit looks nice but it'll craze when you hit it with clear coat. Learned the hard way, easier and better to stop earlier and add more coats
As always your work is amazing! Wow! 🇦🇺🍺🍺
Fascinating thanks Mark
Absolutely beautiful rifle!
I hope we get a video on the medal but this was awesome 😊
Very enjoyable
Wow I am currently conserving one a friend of a coworker inherited
Disassembly is certainly a process on the 71! Can't wait to see it finished up. I am working on one right now that was neglected and forgotten in the back of a safe. Do you have any suggestions for removing the magazine tube? Mine is throughly stuck.
th-cam.com/video/JFMN2Lrctbk/w-d-xo.html try this, better than I can describe it here
@marknovak8255 thank you for the tip! I'll give it a go this week.
I also prefer the deep red of many pre war gun stocks.
The grain really pops with an oil finish.
good stuff Mark !
Iron and steel RUST. But does Brass PAYtina? I bought a worm eatin Brunswick and im going to conserve the metal but just going to get all the dirt off the brass and just leave it. Right or wrong im asking.
Rust destroys iron. Surface oxidation does not destroy brass, I leave the brass alone.
Yet another great video and I appreciative you taking the time to do and show. Thanks Mark!
P.S.
For those of us not in the know, it’d be nice to see and get a close up while seeing the tools you use for this kind of work. While you were talking about and mentioning the fence on the cutting tool it was out of camera view.
Also, can I assume I that the diamond shaped card was also a tool used when checkering.’? Or no?
Uhhh for some pictures, if you google power checkering tool one of the first results should be ullman precision, looks like the same tool mark uses
The fence in just a guide that runs in the previous slot
The diamond shaped card is probably just a template for the angle of the checkering
*not a gunsmith
@@thomasa5619Uhhhhhhhhhhh, what makes you think I didn’t do that or wasn’t aware I could do that. Maybe I wanted and hoped Mark would do, what he actually did because I think besides being the best gunsmith, my opinion, I think he’s a great teacher as well and I I wanted him to, well, do exactly what he did with his latest video I just watched.
But hey, thanks anyways.
@@ronsorrentino6207 well now I hope you don’t find what you’re looking for. Have a good day.
Mark, nice flintlock photo in Ducks Unlimited this month!
Saw that. A 1640 Snaphaunce in the photo
Please show the reassembly of the gun. Please. Please. Please. I hate begging but I've got a Model 71 that was my dad's. It's the only gun I have that I have never disassembled and would love to see a tutorial. I doesn't get shot much, primarily because of ammo availability, so it's not a mess. I just want to be more comfortable with it.
The project is taking long enough to split into 2 parts, so yes.
Reassembly of a 71 is very challenging. I wouldn’t take it apart unless you have a good reason.
Excellent 👍👍
Wow thank's Mark 👍👍
great work
Opinion of one…If I was the owner I would just ask for mechanical inspection/repair and stock redo…I’m a sucker for worn metal finishes on old guns.
Are we going to see a part 2 on this gun?
Yea
Great content! I’ve never really understood the aversion to conservation or restoration work on older guns, assuming they weren’t the personal property of Nelson or King Edward . Always seemed the alternative was to let them disintegrate into rust and dust.
It's the patina craze, started by all the Picker shows and Pawn Shop slobs (self described experts) putting that aspersion into the minds of the populace.
@@Hjerte_Verke The same crowd I once saw trying to sell a rusty jack handle from a ‘97 Chevy pickup as an “antique” ratchet wrench.
Checkering looks like more attention than I want to pay
This guy is inspirational. Thanks for this
I'm curious, how and who cut the original checkering? Obviously, it isn't like a pressed checkering. A little old man with a checking tool and a lot of little old men?
Ladies, probably. They are better at it, actually. Just sayin
Definitely by hand.
Mark kinda unrelated but how would you go about repairing chiped out bone or antler would you go with black epoxy like walnut or something else?
Gel CA (cyanoacrylate or "super glue").
@@thedevilinthecircuit1414 I suppose but I kinda meant repairing a big gap from a missing splinter kinda like the kar 91 he did few years back
Beautiful
Love to see you do a video on the Stevens 520/620
my condolences to your old iron, seemed like a old workhorse
Ideal tool for for taking out the dip would be a scraper plane.
Mark I live your videos. I just watched a video you did on a Bergman bayard and you bead blasted the frame due to it being in a fire.
What media do you use and at what psi setting?
Thank you for all the great info you give us.
Glass beads, 40 psi ish
@@marknovak8255 thank you Mark!
Mark, love your content. How do i get in touch with you about a Drilling that i have thats misbehaving?
When do we get to see "The Rest of The Story"?
I gotta see it go back together.
Thanks again
What colour of danish oil are you using?
Black walnut, hard to find but worth the hunt
@@marknovak8255 thanks ill track it down. Great channel keep the vids coming.
could you infuse the oil into the wood using a vacuum chamber? or would it ruin the wood?
That's probably too much.
Usually a oil finish does absorb into the wood to a degree, but doesn't completely saturate into the wood. A finish like boiled linseed oil is usually applied in layers where it is wiped onto the wood and allowed to sit for a few minutes then wiped off. Allowing a layer to polermerize on the surface. Completely saturating the wood could make the wood turn punky and soft.
What jdod64 said is true. I would add that by the time you get this set up, conventional methods would have the project long complete. Time is the true enemy here, just sayin
Nice repurpose of a 1950's dental drill!
I've done this by hand.. not fun!
Did you say the first thing you do when working on the gun is to check out the bore?
Yeah, its what I do. Bought too many sewer pipes by not being careful
Always, buy the bore
It's the one and only thing that can't really be fixed short of replacement, and replacement usually is not cheap or easy.