He doth clean too much, methinks

[Chuck]

Apologies to Shakespeare.

I finally had time to do a good detail cleaning of recently aquired Mauser 98K. While whipping around a flat metal area (bolt head?) on the left side of the stock, forward of the trigger guard, what seemed like grimy black metal suddenly showed itself to be REALLY grimy metal of a more shiny variety! Cleaned other side, yup, same thing happened. Now I could see what looked like the threads of a bolt. Both bolt and nut (?) were of this shinny, nickel like, metal.

Did I just scrub off decades of crime? Or is the metal loosing some kind of coating? I think the former if only because I can see some kind of marking on the bolt head. This didn't happen with any other metal pieces.

Thanks from a MilSurp newbie!

-= chuck

 

[SKS Ray]

Was it a Russian capture K98? Most have been reblued with cheap bluing techniques that can be removed with good cleaning.

 

[Chuck]

Yup, she's Russian capture. So, is this a bad thing, corrosion wise? Should I think about learning how to blue parts? It looks nice and shinny now!

-= chuck

 

[SKS Ray]

I posted about removing Russian bluing on the Parallax forums and got replies of using brake cleaner, acetone with steel wool, and even vinegar.
My original question there on Russian bluing had to do with the fact that after I got done doing the initial cleaning on my newly acquired RC K98, I accidentally scratched the receiver with a screwdriver and it stuck out like a sore thumb.
A quick touch up with some cold blue and it looked like it never happened. That was all good for looks, but I don't want a repeat and felt the Russian bluing was poorly done. Plus after seeing pics of what great German metal finishes people found underneath theirs, I figured removing the Russian blue is the way to go for me. To me it looks like black primer and thats not what a German K98 is supposed to look like.
I haven't done it yet, and I may find very little original finish under mine, who knows. What I do know is since all the markings are intact and I've already stripped the Russian shellac off the stock to reveal the German laminate, I might as well go the distance and make it as true to form as it came out of the BNZ factory in 41 as I can.
I'll let you know my results when I do it.

 

[Joe R.]

Had my RC K98 at the shoot but didn't pull it out of the trunk...

The bluing that looked flat ( no shine ) on the guns would come off with the above listed chemicals. If it's really dried, you can chip it off with your fingernail. My M44 has the bluing on it that looks like a magic marker was used to put it on has been impervious to the normal cleaning agents. I'm glad they didn't use that stuff on the RC...

Joe R.