Rifle found in oak tree

I was finishing up the butt of a hornet infested but nice 30" oak when I realized (in time) there was a .22 rifle in the trunk rattling around.

It looks to me like it is similar to a make that was used back when the cavalry lost their ass fighting the Modoc Indians in the foggy lava fields on the Oregon/California border some time ago (1800s).
Seen those rifles in a museum.

Single shot .22 for sure.

Consider reposting in Weird and Crazy!!

We've got a similar thread going currently. This would be a great addition!!

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=104296

Thats pretty cool.. hopefully you didn't hit it with your saw!?

More than amazing, or valuable...
'
It's historic,

Great find.

after you get off the heavist rust--take muratic acid to it to get it down to bare metal--and DONT breathe the fumes--

wow great find

I have been making back saws and cleaning up old hand saws and planes. I have researched most of the backyard remedies available.

These include the Muriatic Acid, citric acid, phosphoric acid, electrolysis and wet & dry sand paper.

My favorite is first giving it a bath in electrolysis which the only chemical used is common washing soda and the use of a small home car battery charger.

Leave it in the tub for a few days and then carefully clean off with water and a fine scraper to remove the gunk.Before you try though I would practice on some old heavily rusty part lying around to see what you are in for. I have found no evidence of electrolysis doing any damage to the steel, it only removes the rust. Looking at that rifle be careful that the rust is not the only thing holding it together.

I would research what remedies you have available to you because nearly all have some negatives. My favorite, the electrolysis, has some critics, for some reasons that do not concern me, but then I am only dealing with junkyard hand saws not something as special as you might have.

Peter

thats a sweet find. i dunno if id even try to clean it up any. id just hang it up as is i think.

STAR said:

My favorite is first giving it a bath in electrolysis which the only chemical used is common washing soda and the use of a small home car battery charger.

Click to expand...

I did this some time ago, but forgot the hook-up. Which terminal (+ or -) goes to the rusty item and which goes to the sacrificial nail?

Thanks.

Philbert



OK, I did a Google search for 'remove rust with battery charger' and found a bunch of articles.

The '-' goes on the rusty part; I will try to remember this as the part that 'loses' the rust. The '+' goes on the sacrificial anode.

Also picked up several tips on choosing anodes, setting up the tank, etc. that will be helpful.

Thanks for reminding me of this.


Philbert

i dont think it would make a difference.

husky455rancher said:

i dont think it would make a difference.

Click to expand...

If you are talking about which end of the battery charger to attach the object being cleaned. If you do not decide, it will for you, and if you get it wrong you will have the rust from the sacrificial electrode ( any old iron ) traveling to what you want derusted.

You attach the red positive lead to the sacrificial iron and the black negative lead to the object being cleaned.

It is a good idea to get a bit of wire and hook it to the clips of the leads and attach them to the electrode and object. That way your battery leads are not placed in the water and are kept dry.

Google electrolysis for a complete background on it, but it is as easy as that.

Peter.

Looks like a Stevens 44 0r 44 1/2. Will make for nice conversation piece but little else. They were made starting in the late 1890s until sometime in the 40s (Ithink) in great quantities.

Here is one that has had a bit better care

<IMG SRC=http://www.wisnersinc.com/additional_info/Stevens%2044.JPG>

Oops sry bout the gigantic pic

WOW, so much information.

I am glad I posted it, but not particularly happy with myself stomping on another's thread...I will get better at this thread edicit stuff, appologies.

The tree was on my neighbor's land, never guess what his last name is......Stevens. A sweed from North Dakota. His family ran the last legal cattle drive accross the Oregon Cascades in the 1940s.

I am thrilled that I guessed Stevens when we sat there in awe. I promised him a picture of that bike in the tree that was on my bullet thread.

Four years ago, I was cutting a filbert on my land and hit metal. I said a bad, bad word when I seen the sparks fly but then I felt like I won the lottery when I pulled a 6 foot cross-cut sawblade out of the dirt/mulch. Hanging up in the shop now.

Electralisis, interesting. My neighbor is leaving the gun as is but I have three crates of anique boat building tools that could use some of that action. I will try it.

Awesome info guys, than you!

Yup, looks like a Stevens to me too. I have the 22 and a 25 and looking for a 32. I bought the 25 at an auction somewhere and the 22 I found sitting in the rafters of my brother in laws pig barn years ago. It was really really rusty so I cleaned it up the reblued it, looks alright. The 22 still works good except for a little too much headspace, blows a little smoke out when you shoot it. They both just hang in the gun cabinet now. You should be able to find a stock and forearm for it pretty easy or just have one made.

husky455rancher said:

i dont think it would make a difference.

Click to expand...

It makes a huge difference!

I use electrolysis to clean up and rehabilitate old cast iron pots and pans. My memory helper is the term: "black on black", ie. the black (-) terminal goes on the black cast iron i.e. the steel item to be cleaned. That leaves the positive terminal to go on the sacrificial node.