Marcus Zanala, 28, of Portland, an armorer, polishes a Ruger Vaquero revolver at The Gun Cleaner in South Portland. “Each one is like its own little project,” he says.

Marcus Zanala uses a fine pick to clean a bit of dirt from the handle of a handgun at The Gun Cleaner.

Marcus Zanala reattaches the butt of an AR-15 rifle after cleaning it.

Marcus Zanala, an armorer, cleans part of a handgun. Zanala learned the skills at a young age.

The bits and pieces of a disassembled handgun sit on a work rag waiting to go back together at The Gun Cleaner in South Portland. Guns are taken apart, cleaned and put back together.

Marcus Zanala disassembles a Kimber 1911 handgun at The Gun Cleaner in South Portland. He cleans gun parts in a tank of heated solvent.