Learned a trick for checking cold blue touch-ups

[Gun Relics]

I was reading through the Standard Catalog of S & W and noticed the section on refinishes. on page 23. One suggestion was to look at guns with a powerful flashlight. i pulled out my pistols and checked them all - this popped up on an old N frame. The pistol looks great in standard lighting (photo 1) , but at an angle with a high powered flashlight (photo2) - well you can see the difference. It got by me when I accepted the gun.

You probably all know this trick already - but as a newer collector I was shocked at the difference. I will add that different angles of light are required to see this. This only showed up at a certain flashlight angle.

OK so I have one more thing to stress over! Now to find a competent finisher to get this barrel fixed. Dammit!

 

[rct269]

A happier discovery can often be had on older guns where the serial number on the grips is written in pencil is nowhere to be seen----unless--------- also with a high powered light-----also held at an angle (and if angle #1 doesn't produce results, try, try again) the same trick reveals a number.

The next problem arises if it isn't THE number----but you can't always have everything----Dammit! (again)

Ralph Tremaine

 

[DWalt]

And your plan is to spend at least several hundred and it will still end up being a refinished gun? Or maybe I misunderstand your plan.

 

[Gun Relics]

And your plan is to spend at least several hundred and it will still end up being a refinished gun? Or maybe I misunderstand your plan.

I definitely want it improved regardless of the cost. I would not want a complete refinish - there's no need for that.

 

[Grayfox]

I wouldn't worry about it. In normal light it looks just fine.
But if you just gotta, Blue Wonder does an excellent job of blending in a touch up.

 

[6string]

And your plan is to spend at least several hundred and it will still end up being a refinished gun? Or maybe I misunderstand your plan.

Exactly what I was thinking!
I’d sell it. Besides the nasty look, I’d be so ticked at the thought of being ripped off to want that in my possession!
Take that money, add to it the refinish cost, and buy the right gun for you.
You’ll save yourself massive headache and heartache!

Imagine sending it off for refinish work, paying the money, and it ends up still looking bad, or even worse (cough, Fords, cough!).
It’s just not a winning plan.
Refinish just the barrel? Good luck getting it to match the rest of the gun!
Refinish the whole gun? There go the roll markings, the sharp edges, the sideplate to frame fit, all the flat surfaces, etc, etc…..and, there goes your money!

Separately, thanks to the OP for posting this issue!

 

[Lonestar57]

I take a pocket sized high powered LED flashlight to gunshows. They can pick up a lot of finish issues including light surface rust that you may not otherwise see when looking a gun over. It only takes a few seconds and worth its weight in gold.

 

[22hipower]

I definitely want it improved regardless of the cost. I would not want a complete refinish - there's no need for that.

Is there any way that can be done, improve it without a complete refinish? Re-bluing the barrel will almost certainly result in a mismatch between the finish on the barrel and on the frame. If you can't see the issue in normal light but knowing it's there bothers you more than you're willing to accept, selling that one and buying another may be the best solution. If you do find a way to fix it, many of us here would like to hear how it was done. Good luck.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

 

[StrawHat]

Let’s see, heavy barrel, so 1955 or later. Patridge fore sight means Target revolver of some sort.

Model 25-2? Lot’s of members are looking for a shooter grade N frame regardless of chamber.

I am in the camp of take the refinish money, add it to what you get in the sale of this one and buy what you want.

Kevin

 

[rct269]

6string makes a good point---one I'd forgotten all about!

Long story short: I had need of refinishing the cylinder to match the rest of the gun---on a high dollar gun! I called Turnbull-----can you do this? Yes.

We have a race coming up at Watkins Glen, and Turnbull is just down the road a bit. Off we go---and in we go.

"Who told you we could do that?!!" "Somebody on the phone----I don't know." Well I'm in charge of all the bluing, and I'm telling you we can't! I can refinish that cylinder, and it'll look just like it did fifty years ago, but it won't look like the rest of the gun looks today!"

He calms down a bit, and goes on: "Bluing is a living thing---it reacts to its environment. Now we can refinish that cylinder fifty times---altering the variables each time, and we MIGHT get a match two times out of fifty tries---how do you like those odds?!"

I allowed as how I didn't much care for them, and we went back to the racing business.

The good news is all this was back in the good old days when S&W was refinishing their stuff----and you couldn't tell it'd been done, so I had the whole gun done, and we all lived happily ever after!

Ralph Tremaine

 

[Gun Relics]

I can see your (many) points - and my dilemma. Interesting conversation.

 

[maxfam]

Keep it, shoot it, oil it. It’s part of your learning curve.

 

[Gun Relics]

Let’s see, heavy barrel, so 1955 or later. Patridge fore sight means Target revolver of some sort.

Model 25-2? Lot’s of members are looking for a shooter grade N frame regardless of chamber.

I am in the camp of take the refinish money, add it to what you get in the sale of this one and buy what you want.

Kevin

Damn, you guys are good!

I'm also an SWCA member - how can I get that badge?

 

[Yendor357]

If it only showed up under a powerful flashlight at a certain angle, just don’t look at it with a powerful flashlight at a certain angle.

You went looking for a flaw, and you found one. 99% of everything I own has an imperfection. It’s an imperfect world. The one thing I don’t do is pull out the high powered flashlight and magnifying glass and point the flaw out.

 

[AudieMurphy]

Seems to be a consensus of selling the gun and moving on. So with the intention of hosing the next in line? come on now! who does that?

 

[Retired W4]

Seems to be a consensus of selling the gun and moving on. So with the intention of hosing the next in line? come on now! who does that?

Full disclosure fixes that.

 

[AudieMurphy]

Full disclosure fixes that.

yea, its called "as is" LOL

 

[A10]

Damn, you guys are good!

I'm also an SWCA member - how can I get that badge?

Mine showed up after my payment cleared.....

 

[toad67]

Maybe you could just find a different barrel. That way the blueing might be a closer match and the cost would probably be a better fit. And it wouldn't be refinished either...

 

[DWalt]

A couple of appropriate sayings:

- Everything is original only once
- Refinishing a gun is a sure way to spend a lot of money in order to make it worth less

If you can’t live with it as-is, you will be better served by selling it and buying another which you can live with.