My cousin thought I could restore his rusted shotgun in a weekend

He brought over this old shotgun that's been sitting in his barn for years. It's covered in rust and the wood is cracked. I told him it would take weeks and cost more than a new one. He got all huffy and said I was just trying to upsell him. Now I'm stuck between helping family and being honest about the work.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_kim2d ago

Classic family move right there. My uncle did the same thing with a truck door panel that was basically mulch. Thought I could just glue it back together over a Saturday. You can't explain pitted metal versus surface rust to people, or that stripping the old blueing alone takes a full day. They see a YouTube short and think it's magic.

charles_kim2d ago

When my cousin handed me his 'lightly rusted' shotgun, I had to show him the hours of sanding under a magnifier. @the_kim, you're right that people don't get the difference between surface and pitted metal.

robinson.quinn2d ago

YouTube makes every skill look like a five minute fix.