Originally Posted by
Fred
Hi Pelago! Say, I was just Joking about removing the original finish and patina from the stock on this rifle. There's nothing wrong with it now and the rifle is worth substantially more as a collectable with it than if it were to be removed. It's the original finish that was put on the stock and it's just darkened with age. This is highly desirable on all historical firearms. This finish on the wood indicates that the rifle has never been worked over and as you can see, all of the edges are extremely sharp and defined. Any cleaning of the rifle, except for gently wiping it down with a clean cloth, would compromise its value by stripping it of the original and well preserved surface, wearing down the wood grain and destroying the integrity of the rifle forever. Original finishes are too often removed by well intentioned but misinformed people who are trying to improve the looks of a firearm. You cannot fix something that isn't broken. Thanks for the good information on wood finishes though! LOL
Fred