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S&W Antiques S&W Lever Action Pistols, Tip-Up Revolvers, ALL Top-Break Revolvers, and ALL Single Shots


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Old 01-19-2022, 12:36 PM
Mustang51 Mustang51 is offline
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Default 2nd Model Russian

I’ve been away from this place for a long while, but am getting back to shooting and reloading, so have started hanging out again. When my father passed many years ago, my brothers and I divided his collection. I am now guardian for one of my brothers, and while inventorying his things, I have discovered that one of Dad’s guns was not stored properly. As a result, the nickel has some areas of rust and pitting. I’ve used compounds to restore nickel on other guns, but since this is historical, I don’t want to impact the patina, only remove and stop the rust. Looking for suggestions. The gun is engraved as a gift to E. M. McCook, who was then governor of Colorado Territory. It is dated 1874.
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Old 01-19-2022, 01:31 PM
mmaher94087 mmaher94087 is offline
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My Go-To is a 50/50 mixture of Acetone and ATF. Carefully/gently remove the Pearls (they are fragile; don't pry) and soak the revolver in the solution in a covered pan for 24 hours. Gently rub the rust with fine Bronze Wool which is available at ACE Hardware and other hardware stores. Do not use steel wool as it will scratch the nickel. Acetone is extremely flammable and should be used outdoors.
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Old 01-19-2022, 01:40 PM
SchofieldKid SchofieldKid is offline
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That's a nice looking pistol! Most of the antique guns I own are well used and not particularly "collector condition", so I know what you are talking about. Nickel plating itself does not rust, it flakes off, wears off or gets attacked by things like chemicals, humidity etc. Think of the nickel on your revolver like the paint on a car, any little chip of the paint or moisture trapped next to the paint will eventually become a source of rust. It's normally not 100% perfect either, nickel plate or paint. Exposure to the atmosphere, especially in high humidity parts of the country ( South, Midwest, and coastal areas) will find that tiny little defect and attack the substrate material. I find the worst rust under the grips on most old guns, especially wood grips. The plating there is normally not very well done anyway and moisture and sweat accumulate in this area too.-see photo below. So trying to polish the rust away won't solve the problem long term, though it will temporarily improve the looks of your pistol. Active rust(red flaky) has to be removed mechanically or chemically neutralized. Either method will not be friendly to the remaining nickel plating, so be very careful here. You may want to try something like Flitz on an inconspicuous area to see if that helps and then use a gun wax afterwards to help seal the damaged area. Pits in the plating can be dealt with the same way, keeping in mind that you're not actually solving the problem, just trying to "seal" the area and slow down the oxidation issue. I do this annually on my plated guns and it really helps. I know this doesn't sound like much help but short of having the gun stripped and re-plated( I wouldn't) that's about all I know of to do. Hopefully someone on here has a better solution and will chime in. Good luck!
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Old 01-19-2022, 02:17 PM
Mustang51 Mustang51 is offline
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This has been my everyday carry for close to 15 years. It looked totally stained and milky until I used Flitz on it recently. Obviously, it’s a different situation with the Russian, but maybe a judicious use of it in the spot of rust would help.
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Old 01-19-2022, 02:34 PM
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I have used Flitz on my 100-150 yr. old nickeled guns with excellent results, shines & evens out the finish, then coat with Renaissance Wax. There are no dangerous chemicals or fumes involved and a little of each goes a long ways.
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Old 01-19-2022, 03:19 PM
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I would use Flitz and nothing else. That gun does not need any restoration.
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Old 01-19-2022, 03:21 PM
John in AK John in AK is offline
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This is one of those 'personal taste' things that is hard to answer satisfactorily.

As far as active rust removal and subsequent preservation, the gentle application of large amounts of light oil on 0000 bronze wool, taking care not to peel off any more nickel, is just the ticket, followed by keeping the gun's surface oiled or waxed to seal it and prevent more deterioration.
Now, 'polishing' is another story. This gun is 145 years old. 145 years of age and wear changes things naturally. Those scratches and discoloration are honest wear and tear, and accurately reflect the true age of the gun.
I say, once the rust is gone, leave everything else alone. No polishing, no Flitz, no changing of the honest patina that the gun now has.
Your opinion may vary, of course.
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Old 01-19-2022, 03:25 PM
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Very nice Antique. Presentation guns are definitely my favorite antique revolvers. Rock solid provenance.

Murph
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Old 01-19-2022, 05:05 PM
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It will take closeups to see what you are talking about, but with those images, I cannot see any rust on the nickel that an oil soaked bronze wool will not take care of. Very nice revolver.

I do see the results of what MOP stocks can do to the frame. So much rust under those stocks that it has permeated to the surface of them. It is not uncommon to find heavy rust under old MOP stocks, and I have often wondered if this salt water material can hold salt in it shell? What other reason would this happen??
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Old 01-19-2022, 05:46 PM
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Very nice gun.
If you use Flitz or bronze wool, be VERY gentle.
You can polish it up but you will lose something if you do.
From your pics it doesn't look too bad

Thanks for sharing

Last edited by iby; 01-19-2022 at 05:47 PM.
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Old 01-19-2022, 09:08 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by glowe View Post
I do see the results of what MOP stocks can do to the frame. So much rust under those stocks that it has permeated to the surface of them. It is not uncommon to find heavy rust under old MOP stocks, and I have often wondered if this salt water material can hold salt in it shell? What other reason would this happen??
I’ve also noted that most firearms I’ve handled with mother of pearl stocks tend to be rusty under the stocks. I’ve never questioned why, but your theory certainly sounds plausible.
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Old 01-20-2022, 10:52 AM
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I use Gorilla glue on the underside of pearl stocks to stabilize them. I use a toothpick and a little water to activate the glue. Make sure it's dry before putting it back on the revolver.
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Old 01-20-2022, 06:12 PM
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That is a nice looking gun with what I would consider minimal rust. I can't add anything to the suggestions other than I have used many of them with good results.
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