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05-08-2012, 08:16 PM
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Take a look at my freshly refinished "Royal Blue" Colt 1991A1 Compact Clark Meltdown
OK, it's not real Royal Blue since Colt didn't do it, but it is a very nice high polish blue in the spirit of the infamous Colt finish.
Anyway, my Clark Meltdown 1991A1 Compact was suffering from a very worn finish and I was hemming and hawing on what to do with it when I bought a nice set of Grashorn stag grips for it from a Colt forum member. Those grips looked so nice I immediately decided it had to be a high polish deep blue finish. I took it to my friends at Dietrich Gunsmithy in Otis, ME and left it with them for a couple of months and just got it back today. I had them clean all the roll markings off the slide, hand checker the front strap, install a S&A checkered MSH, bead blast the sights for a matte finish and put a brass bead in the front sight, cut an 11deg crown on the muzzle and polish the barrel and muzzle, then polish out the entire gun and blue it. Robin chose to knock down the points on his checkering to fit with the Meltdown theme and it works really well, I'm going to have him do the same with the MSH and round it a bit more to match the frame. Also, rather than cut the front sight to a partridge style and insert a bead, he notched it and filled it with brass. I like it a lot but he left it matte and it needs a bit of polish, that'll get done with the MSH.
So, here's a couple of before pics and the best of the after pics I took today. Please bear in mind, I'm a crummy photographer and it's a gray cloudy day here and I missed some oil when I wiped it down, so they really don't do the gun justice, it looks far better in person than in the pics. Regardless, let me know what you guys think!
Before-
After-
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05-08-2012, 08:24 PM
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Woof! That's a really rich looking finish. Congratulations on a very beautiful pistol. Use it in great health.
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05-08-2012, 08:52 PM
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It's like butta. I like it.
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05-08-2012, 08:56 PM
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If it shoots half as good as it looks!
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05-08-2012, 09:03 PM
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That's a beauty, congratulations, and enjoy!
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05-08-2012, 09:16 PM
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Thats awsome looking, love the bluing on it. Looks too nice to carry now, Larry
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05-08-2012, 09:21 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jbull380
If it shoots half as good as it looks!
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That's the best part, it's a great shooting piece! It's been one of my favorite and most trustworthy carry guns since I got it. Now it looks great, too.
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05-08-2012, 09:25 PM
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That's a 10 ,no a 11,it rocks.
Penmon
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05-08-2012, 09:51 PM
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Very Fine! I like the treatment of the recoil spring cap.
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Dennis
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05-08-2012, 10:10 PM
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Got everything going for to be be an excellent carry 1911, I think its a great looking piece, beautiful finish.
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05-08-2012, 10:15 PM
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Very,very nice!
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05-08-2012, 10:24 PM
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It's almost too nice to shoot!
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05-08-2012, 11:07 PM
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I missed the before
Howdy,
Very nice looking pistol.
I missed the before label on the first picture and thought "Ugh".
Big improvement and I'd be proud to carry it.
Thanks for the pictures.
Mike
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05-08-2012, 11:27 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gunfish
Very Fine! I like the treatment of the recoil spring cap.
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I agree! That's the way it should have looked when you first took it out of its box! A vast improvement.
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05-08-2012, 11:36 PM
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Gorgeous piece! Congratulations!
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Even older, even crankier....
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05-09-2012, 01:01 AM
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That is awesome...very different with the melt job but it makes it unique!
Bimmer
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05-09-2012, 01:42 AM
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Nice, that gun is gorgeous.
bob
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05-09-2012, 02:59 AM
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That is slick. Your gonna cry when you put
that first scratch you put on it.
Chuck
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05-09-2012, 05:48 AM
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Slicker 'n STP on Formica!
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05-09-2012, 06:28 AM
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Wow.... what depth in the blueing.
Impressive, i want one please... 
I wish i could have my sandblasted Husqvarna m07 rebuilt like that.
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05-09-2012, 08:00 AM
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The work you had done is a remarkable improvement. Enjoy!
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05-09-2012, 08:16 AM
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I have a feeling you just got those boys some business. BEAUTIFUL!
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05-09-2012, 11:03 AM
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That is one impressive side arm. All I can Say is "WOW".
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05-09-2012, 01:45 PM
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Too pretty for me to carry, looks like a safe queen now.
It is beautiful.
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05-09-2012, 01:50 PM
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man .. you ruined it ... now its too sexy to shoot
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it just needs more voltage
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05-09-2012, 01:56 PM
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Thanks for the compliments, all. Couldn't bring myself to carry it today, I want my Dad to see it before I bugger anything up so it'll be Friday before it sees leather.
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05-09-2012, 04:46 PM
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Magnificent !!!
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05-09-2012, 05:13 PM
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very excellent...thats a "super blue"and the grips are stunning!
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05-09-2012, 06:55 PM
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Wow! That is outstanding....I may have to buy a blued gun and send it to your guys 
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05-09-2012, 06:58 PM
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Only Holy and then a bunch of expletives I can't type here, comes to mind.
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05-09-2012, 07:36 PM
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WOW!! Just...WOW!! what a great job!
TACC1
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05-09-2012, 07:56 PM
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Are you kidding me?
First, it's a Colt 1911. Second, it's Clark's "meltdown" package; for those who may be wondering...this is a wonderful thing. Third, the sights should be great performers. Fourth, the bluing is superb...some of the best I have ever seen. (This coming from a huge fan of the 1911 platform and Colts in general)
Please do not relegate it to safe duty only...this one needs yearly attention at the range or out on the farm.
Thank you for posting and sharing this with us.
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05-10-2012, 08:24 AM
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Love it!
Congrats - I feel inspired.
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05-10-2012, 09:05 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WC145
Thanks for the compliments, all. Couldn't bring myself to carry it today, I want my Dad to see it before I bugger anything up so it'll be Friday before it sees leather.
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Your kidding!!! You are going to carry this gun? It's way to nice for that. Don
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05-19-2012, 08:03 AM
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Hope its ok I had to come back and drool........
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05-19-2012, 08:10 AM
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I really like the rich finish.
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- Change it back -
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05-19-2012, 10:55 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HAWKEYE10
Your kidding!!! You are going to carry this gun? It's way to nice for that. Don
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Yep, it's getting used, just qualified with it the other day, in fact, and I've been carrying it since.
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06-21-2012, 12:54 PM
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I wish I could find a set of grips that would make my firearm look like that! any for sale?
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06-21-2012, 01:08 PM
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WoW!!!!!!
That's just SMOOTHER THAN FROG HAIR.
Beautiful, just Beautiful.
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06-21-2012, 01:59 PM
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Slicker'n bull snot on a doorknob. Congatulations!
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06-21-2012, 03:39 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bolewine
I wish I could find a set of grips that would make my firearm look like that! any for sale?
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Thanks again for the compliments!
bolewine - The grips are from Pat Grashorn, here's a link to his site: Grashorn Gunworks
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06-21-2012, 03:54 PM
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That is a superb job of what I call a "liquid finish" and is a beautiful polishing job. Made my Glock hide under the desk....
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06-21-2012, 06:02 PM
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That finish is way too nice...I could never bring myself to put it in a holster...
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06-21-2012, 06:06 PM
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Wow! Now that, sir, is truly a melt job. If it looked any more liquid you'd have to carry it in a bottle! Just gorgeous.
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06-21-2012, 06:08 PM
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Banned
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I would have left the rollmarks on the slide, but that's one heck of a nice job, nice gun
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06-21-2012, 10:32 PM
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Absent Comrade
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Hello WC145,
I'd be willing to wrestle you for it and I don't even know how to wrestle! Beautiful gun, Congratulations.
teesur.
Last edited by teesur; 06-21-2012 at 10:36 PM.
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06-21-2012, 11:01 PM
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Say, I just got in a bunch of ammo, might be too much for
my equipment....Can I borrow that for a coupla days???
IF I promise to only use ball ammo???
TACC1
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06-21-2012, 11:45 PM
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That thing looks like liquid steel. I'm jealous.
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06-22-2012, 09:50 AM
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That's sexy
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06-23-2012, 12:03 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CW Spook
Wow! Now that, sir, is truly a melt job. If it looked any more liquid you'd have to carry it in a bottle! Just gorgeous.
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Couldn't say it any better...fantastic! And no one else has one! 
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