Parkerized Johnson

[M48TANKER 0]

I thought I'd post a couple of pictures of the park job I just did.

[ryche_me 0]

Looking good there buddy. Looks like it was made yesterday oh wait it almost was lol. Really it came out nice.. Ryche

[M48TANKER 0]

Thanks Ryche, That's the worst part about having to restore one. It looks too good. I really like one with honest "been there/done that wear". The front half of the receiver, the radiator, had a blued finish. The rear section of the receiver was totally devoid of any type of finish. Whatever finish it once had was removed at some point. The internals appeared like new with no signs of wear. The barrel looked new as well but had no front sight or bayonet lug, so I had to install those. The barrel has all the proper markings and the receiver does have the Dutch acceptance stamp. If I hadn't done it myself, you'd swear it was a "MILTECH" restoration.....hehehe. I think I will try the "Oxphoblue" the next time. If these old firearms could only talk.

[amish-bob 0]

Looks great! I know what you mean by the "miltech look". But it's better than the "before" description, you gave. Congrats!

[ryche_me 0]

Man i know how that is, I prefer"the been there done that" look. Just did an AK recently that was a 1965 dated Romy. Had that tarnished silver look to all the parts on the barrel, which had been demilled and cut into chunks. The fore grip has been carved all over with girls names and what i think is a dirty picture. I took the new made American barrel and rec.and used liquid blue and then files and steelwool to age the barrel and the rec. to look the same as the old parts. Took a couple of hours but was worth the effort as it now looks like a battle field pick up. Had a bunch of guys asking about it at the next show. Had a hard time convincing them i built it and no its not for sale... Anyway Tanker take it out for a drag behind your truck after a couple of miles it should look about right then put the wood back on and smile alot Ryche

[M48TANKER 0]

The older I get, the more I like that "weathered" look....since it stares back at me in the mirror every day. MILTECH guns are good looking. It's a matter of preference. I like perfect guns... and I like "aged" guns. Dragging one behind the truck would certainly do the job.....just like Chevy Chase dragging the dog behind the station wagon. I have been known to drag a rusty log chain behind the truck on a gravel road to "clean it up." Today's trivia: He was born "Cornelius Crane Chase", his grandmother gave him the name Chevy when he was two years old and he has gone by that name ever since. (What luck....grandmother could have called him "Corny" ????)

[ryche_me 0]

On a slightly different note, through the help of good friends i have most of the final pieces to complete General Johnson. That is my semi LMG. Still need a rear hanger for the mag housing, and to drill and pin the front sight, but that didn't stop me from taking it out to test fire. He worked beautifully. However after a couple of rounds the mag housing seated completely and with out the rear hanger the housing drooped enough that it started overriding the cartridges. Once i figured that out i moved my grip back and held the back of the housing and all was fine again. Recoil was surprisingly light and it was a real pleasure to shoot. The project has been going on for over 10 years and it feels good to almost have complete. I am not planning to repark or anything because i like the way it looks right now kinda worn and "been there" Ryche

[amish-bob 0]

PICTURES! I'm always up for seeing another semi LMG. That rear hanger shouldn't be much of a problem. It's amazing that you've kept after that project for so long. I'm coming up on one year for mine. I have a "line" on everything I need but have to have patience......and a good welder to fix my receiver

[Goodbye_Charlie 0]

Beautiful job! I get what you mean with the marks, you wonder were it's been laid, where it was dropped, what marks are from action... I hated refinishing my stock and was super careful (especially after buying my Ross rifle and some dumb-ass sanding all the serial numbers and stampings off of it)... Nice to see your handi-work!

[M48TANKER 0]

Goodbye_Charlie, Thanks for the kind words. Afer all these years, I've decided not to remove "patina" from any military firearm. I'll clean it up a bit and take care of any major defects. The little dents and dings add to the charm. To each his own I suppose. I've got a Winchester M1 Garand that I left the stock "as is" and I think that's my favorite Garand. I can appreciate the CMP top of the line rifles and the MILTECH firearms with their immaculate wood, but a gun has to be in really bad shape for me to make it look absolutely NIB. I recently did a Yugoslavian AK for my brother. We left the "Trench Art" names and carvings intact. The wood was just cleaned and treated with linseed oil. The soldier had spent many hours carving his girlfriend's or wife's names on the forearm, and that Yugo Crest thingy on the buttstock. Just couldn't remove stuff like that. I sometime wonder about the possibility of locating the former user of the firearm if he carved enough information on it. Has anyone attempted this?