Just a thought, and I figured this might be a good post to throw it out there.

Back in the day, lead was used for body work / repairs on car sheetmetal. Would filling the cleaned out pitting with lead, then smoothing and coating with something like Dura Coat work? I realize lead would not hold up to high heat (probably not a concern in a snub revolver), and would be softer than the surrounding metal. Might stand up to careful use, and offer a relatively easy restored look? Just thinking outside the box.

Larry