| In good condition, these guns are valuable | | | | tang - runs into the stock. Remove the tang |
| antique collectors' pieces. Others that | | | | screws and any retaining bands or pins. The |
| require a bit of work can often be cleaned | | | | trigger guard, butt cap and ramrod pipes are |
| and restored by amateurs. Cast-metal parts | | | | screwed or pinned and must be removed with |
| or wooden blanks, which can be shaped to | | | | extreme care. If the screws do not yield to |
| replace damaged or missing stocks, can be | | | | penetrating oil, leave them alone - it will |
| obtained from specialist suppliers. Even old | | | | be a job for an antique restorer to drill |
| gunpowder explodes, so be sure that any gun | | | | them out. Barrels and other metal parts can |
| being repaired is not loaded. Insert the | | | | be cleaned with a mixture of oil and |
| ramrod, or a length of wood, into the barrel | | | | paraffin. Re-polish all parts with |
| to check if there is any obstruction. If | | | | progressively finer abrasives; finish with |
| there is, remove it with a modern | | | | jewellers' emery or crocus paper. Some |
| shotgun-cleaning rod that has a screw tip, or | | | | barrels may have been blued to prevent rust |
| use an ordinary steel screw soldered to a | | | | and, special bluing fluid can be bought from |
| stiff piece of wire. Screw the rod gently | | | | a gunsmith. Try not leaving fingerprints on |
| into the obstruction and pull it out like a | | | | the barrel as this causes rusting.Clean the |
| cork. Wash the barrel with hot water and dry | | | | stock with steel wool and linseed oil. If |
| it.To dismantle the gun, first half-cock it, | | | | the stock is broken, mend with epoxy resin |
| then remove the screw which holds the cock | | | | mixed to a paste with matching stained |
| (in the flintlock) or the hammer (in the | | | | sawdust. If the stock is beyond minor |
| percussion type) and slide it off. Unscrew | | | | repairs, a new stock may be fashioned with an |
| the pan-cover pivot and screw securing the | | | | entirely new piece of wood. Small dents in |
| spring beneath the pan: remove the parts. | | | | the stock can be extracted by using hot steam |
| Unscrew the holding bolts or screws and | | | | from an iron. Place a cloth over the dent |
| remove the lock-plate. Several screwdrivers | | | | and apply the hot iron.Powder flasks were |
| may be needed: the blade must fit each screw | | | | made in hundreds of designs and several |
| or bolt slot exactly so as not to burr the | | | | materials. However, the majority of antique |
| screw or bolt. If they are hard to remove, | | | | flasks were made pear-shaped and made from |
| applying a bit of penetrating oil will do the | | | | tin, brass or Britannia metal. Metal flasks |
| trick. To dismantle a flintlock mechanism, | | | | were usually made in two halves soldered |
| loosen the four screws that hold the | | | | together. If the seam has parted, find out |
| mainspring, sear, searspring and the bridle. | | | | what alloy the flask is made of before trying |
| Compress the mainspring (in a small hand | | | | to re-solder it. A simple test is to put a |
| vice), take out the spring screw and remove | | | | few drops of water in a cup and add an equal |
| the spring. The pin at the rear of the | | | | number of drops of nitric acid, obtainable |
| mainspring engages in the lock-plate and the | | | | from a chemist. Put a drop of the solution |
| other end of the spring engages in the toe of | | | | on the metal to reveal the colour. Red-brown |
| the tumbler.Remove rust with fine emery paper | | | | indicates bronze; yellow and yellow-red, |
| or powder. Make sure to remove all abrasive | | | | brass; dark grey, pewter; and bright |
| powder after cleaning. Smear all parts with | | | | silver-grey, Britannia metal. To polish the |
| petroleum jelly and reassemble. Press the | | | | antique flask, use the technique appropriate |
| tumbler down to the fired position so that | | | | to the material it is made of. Many powder |
| the end of the mainspring goes over it. Put | | | | flasks have very fine detailed etchings, |
| the cock on and pull it back to the | | | | embossings or engravings that give them their |
| half-cocked position so that the tumbler toe | | | | unique look. An antique gun without its |
| compresses the mainspring. Refit the rest of | | | | matching or specific powder flask loses its |
| the pieces in reverse order to removal.To | | | | appeal when antique collectors are looking to |
| clean the barrel, first remove it from the | | | | add to their collection. |
| stock. A metal extension of the barrel - the | | | | |