Folks at work know that I collect guns. My boss asked me to check over his deer rifle. It is a Savage Model 110 in .308 Winchester and at least 20 years old. The bore was almost black and the stock looked like it was dragged home behind his SUV from deer camp. The scope is a no name cheap 4X and unusable by myself.

I spent some time cleaning the bore, put two coats of Tru-Oil on the stock, disassembled the action from the stock, removed some rust, reblued some metal and put neatsfoot oil on the sling. The transformation was remarkable. In a few years, I am confident that it will look just like it did when my boss gave it to me. All the best...
Gil

I'm not ever going to go there. Had the same thing happen with my [use to be] boss. Ingrate!!

Gil Martin wrote:

The transformation was remarkable. In a few years, I am confident that it will look just like it did

I always find it rewarding to add life back into something that is still useable, be it a car, firearm, or other tool. I hope your boss was appreciative.

It's funny how some great hunters forget to take care of their valuable equipment.

Ended up with a Smith 66 from a boss.....He kept putting oil on/in it until it finally gummed up so bad that when it got cold you couldn't even open it let alone pull the trigger!!!

After a good soaking/cleaning it turned out to be rather beat but shot very little !!! Oh yea!!! It's shiny too !!!

So I'm at the boss's house cleaning his muzzle loader one Sunday afternoon. He was to busy. His lovely wife come in and starts giving me a hard time about how I can't afford such toys. I didn't say a word. I kept cleaning and she kept on talking. After a time she asks "that is your rifle isn't it? I didn't say a word.
After completing the task I give my leave and depart.

Monday morning I get the call come to the office. After that conversation I decided his muzzle loader didn't need any more of my help.

longwalker

Did similar thing once for my former boss' camera..

It was badly rusted out, the battery compartment is fully corroded and the whole shebang barely working.
I restore it to near new condition.
A few weeks after I return it, the film advance lever broke (due to age and abuse).
I got the blame for it

So I said.. never again!

That happens a lot when you are a mechanic. If you replaced the Rear axle seals and the engine quite a few days later it's your (the mechanic's) fault...

My old boss wanted me to fix his Ruger Super Blackhawk, got it to my home /shop and you had to realy work HARD to cock the hammer and when you pulled the trigger it went down in slow motion!
I cocked the hammer one more time and looked down into the action to see a huge wad of what appeared to be axle grease! So I disassembled this thing and he had it FULL of grease, even inside under the grips. which collected every piece of filth and powder residue in the world. took the grips off disassembled the revolver and took it to the garage and cleaned it in the parts cleaner. Reassembled and LIGHTLY oiled with Breakfree
Got it cleaned up and took back to him and got laid off the following week!

Ain't that a pisser...

Bushmaster wrote:

That happens a lot when you are a mechanic. If you replaced the Rear axle seals and the engine quite a few days later it's your (the mechanic's) fault...

Everybody knows if you put the axle seals in backwards the oil will drain out of the engine through the drive shaft... you should know better!



I dont work on other peoples things anymore... and really hate to have other people work on mine. Last night I tore down and rebuilt my gas powered ice auger, it was gummed up from my failure to drain the fuel and run it dry before storing it last spring (I was lazy and never got aruond to it). A couple hours and it was back to running like new. Cost me only a shop rag, a couple squirts of carb cleaner and a gallon of fresh gas. Plus its fun to work on small stuff like that.


-DallanC

I never had much luck in the engine department, I can do about anything with wood but not mechanics.

Aah...THAT's what I did wrong...I could never figure it out. Thanks Mr. Dallan...

Great topic.

Had a boss's boss bring me his son's dirt bike. A roached out YZ125 that was being ridden in the 'hood for kicks. I spent 53 hours totaly re-doing the whole thing from suspension to engine, graphics to seat cover. Everything. It was bad, I mean a mess. He actually at one point removed a lot of the parts and bolts to keep these monsters from riding it. They just found some SAE fasteners and jammed them in the holes- 'close enuff' style so I ended up redoing all the holes on everything with tap's or helicoils.

It ripped and looked like new when I was done. No charge for labor.

It came back 6 weeks later with a seized engine, mashed pipe, one side ground down from sliding on asphalt......etc. These hood-rat's really did a number on it. He saw the look on my face, said nothing and left.

I don't 'work' on other people's stuff anymore. As other's here have stated the comebacks, esp the ones that are unrealted to what you just did, are simply not worth it.

In the field w/ an emergency repair? Differnt story. I'm all over it bustin' knuckles.

General maintanance?
Get an estimate from a local shop and I'll do it for exactly 5 times that much if you really want me to do it.
If you are too lazy to do it yourself or too cheap to get it done then don't make your problem mine.

I could write a book on this topic. I've actually seen long time freinds not speak to each other for eon's over this stuff...amazing how cheap and shallow some people can be.

amazing how someone can neglect a bangstick like that. we have a can of crc in the vechile and if too tired to clean at night a good spray and leave it muzzle down. really lazy but it stops the dreaded red stuff.