Stripping paint of lee enfield ishapore

A

akinswi

New member
I have had an enfield ishapore in my gun safe for some time and i really want to get that john deere looking black paint off the gun. What ever arensal re did these firearms did a poor job on the finish. I just don't know if paint stripper is ok if im going to "cold" blue the metal, or if walnut blasting would be better. I want to shoot this gun more because its chambered in .308 and not the 303 brit, it just looks like [edited by moderator].

thanks
 
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The paint slopped on the Ishapore is Suncorite per Arfcom
The original paint used on an SMLE is Suncorite, which is a very durable paint with high wetting capability, applied with a brush. Once dried, it's nearly impervious to solvent. Hit it with acetone, xylene, and it laughs at it. You have to go medieval with carbon tetrachloride before it'll come off (if you can even find any carbon tet).

But it does chip. It's not unusual for someone to get an SMLE with a chipped and worn Suncorite paint job and hit it with a rattle can. Later, someone else gets it, and it thinks it's all original finish. It's probably not. If I get a painted Enfield, I wet a rag with carb or brake cleaner (non-chlorinated) and wipe it. If the black comes off, it's not Suncorite. Usually I'll end up removing a fair amount of the Krylon crap, leaving behind an authentic, but chipped, original finish.

Suncorite is not available in the USA (thank you EPA), but I have heard of industrious individuals taking vacations in Australia that have been able to bring back small paint cans of the stuff. So, if you search around on other gunboards you'll be able to find someone that can sell you an ounce or two, which is all you need to touch up a rifle (if you even want to do that).

My recommendation, as a collector, is get rid of any Krylon rattle-can crap, and leave it as it was.
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So, apparently it's an ugly as crap (Hey, I can say that I have a 'scoutified' Ishapore) nearly impervious paint. Orange cleaner isn't gonna do it.
 
Okay, so I'll just pop down to the local home improvement store and .... no, none there. Okay... internet will save the day...
Sigma-Aldrich has it in stock:PN: 319961-500ML $211.00

Wai, whut? two hunnert dollars for half a quart? Cripes!

Purple Power degreaser (available at Wal-Mart) soak might remove it and I've heard Aircraft Stripper being used as well (I Think that's what I used).
 
You have to go medieval with carbon tetrachloride before it'll come off (if you can even find any carbon tet).
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I don't have an Ishapore, but if I ever obtain one...
...It's a good thing that I know someone that bought 110 gallons of carbon tet in the 1970s. ;)

Though, apparently, you have to be careful what it comes in contact with, as some substances react to for phosgene gas. :eek:
 
The paint slopped on the Ishapore is Suncorite per Arfcom
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No it isn't.
The (quite decent looking) paint on British-made Lee Enfields is Suncorite (#4227 IIRC). Suncorite is a company making many paint & coating surfaces , like Ford makes many automobiles.

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God only knows what the gloppy matte finished crud that looks like it was applied with a (used) old sweatsock by "Gnish the tent maker" is.:confused:
 
That John Deere looking black paint belongs on the rifle. Don't think it's Suncorite though. Most No. 1 Mk 2A1's were Parkerized. Brits had nothing to do with Ishapore rifles either.
Cold bluing is not intended to be used on a whole rifle. It's for touching up blued firearms. Getting cold bluing even is not easy, to say the least.
 
My MK4 came out pretty well when I cold blued it. Takes a little practice, I learned the hard way to use washed latex gloves so you don't leave finger prints. Im not a pro at it but the devil is in the details of the metal prep work.:)
 
I may just strip it off and see if I can get a nice patena color on it. any suggestions with getting a good patena other than burying it in the dirt :eek:
 
That John Deere looking black paint belongs on the rifle. Don't think it's Suncorite though. Most No. 1 Mk 2A1's were Parkerized. Brits had nothing to do with Ishapore rifles either.
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The British were in India from about 1612 until India's independence in 1947.
It was a colony from 1858–1947, nearly 90 years.

You can't believe a few pints of Suncorite 259 made it into India, the same place that the Brits let have the patterns for making a modified version of the British SMLE Mk III*?

Did the 2A and 2A1 spring fully armed from Shiva's forehead like Athena from Zeus'?

(Sorry, couldn't help the last, too much Googling myself tonight._
 
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It looks like I paid $90 to Gibbs rifle in shotgun news in 1999 + $40 shipping and FFL + $40 to FAC for a catco scope mount.
It came with a lot of cosmoline.
It seems I have not shot it since I started digital range reports in 2003.
 
I AM a professional, and I can tell you this about cold bluing:
You may THINK it looks great, but I can spot it from across the room.
Cold bluing offers little or no protection.
Cold blue wears very easily.
Every neophyte thinks he has found the "secret" to making cold blue look perfect-but he really hasn't.

So, why would anyone want to cold blue a gun?
As said, the gun was either Parkerized or painted originally, so Parkerize it, or paint it-preferrably with a "gun paint" or leave it alone.
 
Bill DeShivs: Cold bluing offers little or no protection.[ /QUOTE]

I was a gun nut from age 3 until 17 and then picked it up again at 43 from reading usenet rec.guns in 1994. I started reading about scopes that cost more than $20... seemed crazy to me.

But in item after item I have learned that I have to pay for the good stuff.
Paint, scopes, barrels, bullets, scopes, bipods, stocks, slings, rangefinder, GPS, shoes, tires, lathes, mills, drills, chucks, lighting, .... it just goes on and on.
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Cold Blue was originally made for touch-ups, for a minor scratch or ding, to try to hide it. It wears very poorly. Also, as mentioned above, it will streak, and you cant get it to match.

For military guns, according if you want them original or not, would be a form of rust bluing, hot water or Belgium Bluing, caustic bluing, or Parkerising. One can Parkerize or hot water blue a gun at home, with the kits available.

Then there is paint. The toughest costs some bucks. However, there are problems with this, as you have to keep it out of certain places on a gun.

I'd leave cold blue for what it was intended for, touch-up.
 
I can't even imagine trying to strip paint from all the little nooks and crannies, and small parts of a rifle using a paint stripper.

Have it de-greased, blasted with aluminum oxide, and painted with Gun-Kote or Cerakote.
 
I can tell by some of the posts that a lot of people here have never dealt with REALLY tough paint. I never went after one of those rifles, but had some issues with epoxy paint (Which I doubt is still on the market).
I decided to strip an old Bear T/D bow riser section. I was leery of ever involving heat (Magnesium riser) in the process. I tried sandblasting, hand sanding, paint stripper, oven cleaner, and wire wheels. I eventually used an assortment of wood chisels and sandpaper to scrape it off.
I think I have an idea what you are dealing with. Good luck.

*Gee Wiz Clark, I hope you were a youngster when you bought that base. They saw you coming. May be an optical illusion, but it looks bent.
 
The difference between "Indian glop" & Suncorite is so wide that it's possible to remove the glop while leaving the Suncorite under it in place.:o
 
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