I recently bought this gun from a member for a very good price! I thought when I first received it that it was nickle plated, but it's not. There is no trace of blue left on any surface of the gun. Yet the bore, chambers and internals are near perfect and it shoots very well!
My question for you, is, What should I do to protect the surface? It's going to be just a shooter, for tractor or 4-wheeler riding in a holster! It's pitted bad enough in a few spots that I can't see putting $200 in a blue job. It seems to me that I have read, somewhere, about some commercial spray on or bake on finishes that aren't nearly that much? I know that wax would probably keep it from re-rusting but that doesn't appeal to me. Any ideas?
Dick

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Duracoat has a do it yourself kit for about $30.

Would you pay $32.95?

Black : TEFLON/MOLY OVEN CURE, GUN FINISH | Brownells

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A real sucker for the J-frames

Not a fan of painted revolvers.
I would media blast it and try a home blueing kit from Brownells,
Would make a great project and IIRC online tutorials are available on you tube.

Is it nickle or stainless??. If stainless may want to try some Mother's mag well polish with an old t shirt. Frank

Bead blast it and use Brownell's OxphoBlue. You will be pleased!

My guess is your first choice would be to not spend money.

Once upon a time I bought an inexpensive big ugly .348 Winchester that had been varnished. The varnish had aged to a crinkled amber finish. I separated the wood then used paint remover on the metal. Low and behold underneath there was no rust, browning or even patina, just 95% bluing. I’ll bet you have some kind of paint in the garage. In the worst case the garden pests you shoot from your tractor might file a full report with the federal department of ugly guns. Just don’t miss.

The .348 story had a happy ending. I found it a home with a young elk hunter who hunted with his father and grand father who both carried .348 Winchesters.

The gun was blue, originally. Lots of good suggestions, here, but I'm kind of leaning towards some form of cold blue.
KenL, do you use the creme blue? I've only ever used liquid touch up blue and it doesn't last very well?
The bake on finishes are appealing but sound complicated to do.
k22fan, The 348 story was a good one! I once bought a Browning B-80 shotgun, cheap, that someone had tried to refinish with a heavy coat of raw linseed oil! When I got it home and steel wooled the stock, most of the original finish was still there! It's a very nice gun and I still have it over 20 years later!
Dick

No cold blue is going to wear like a hot blue but the Brownells Oxpho Creme Blue has worked best for me. The only part that has worn when refinishing is the bad of the grip where your hand rubs it the most. But everything else still looks good. Steal the wife's hair dryer to heat the steel first and then apply the Oxpho and let it set. Wipe it clean with a rag damp with a good 3in1 type oil. I then let the steel set for a few days thinking that might help it some but I'm not really sure. Oxpho is also easy to layer to get it darker to match existing blue. And the Creme is the easiest thing to apply I've ever used. No drips, no runs, everything stays where you put it.

I've never used the cream, but it sounds like a good option. They also sell/sold Dicropan, but I believe the OxphoBlue gives you a darker result. Just make sure after you've bead blasted to completely de-grease the metal. Usually a bath in acetone will take care of that. You'll be pleased with the results. It reminds me of the Dulite finish. I put together a youth model 870 Remington for my son years ago and that was the finish it got. Years later the finish has held up well. I think it would be perfect for you requirements!

Hi:
The following statement is from a low income (disability pension) tightwad:
"I would save up my coins and have a decent reblue or renickel finish on the Model 15". I think in time you will be glad you did.
Jimmy (Wimp)

I'd split the difference between a professional reblue and a first-time home job and have a quality shop within driving distance parkerize it.

I agree. Parkerizing is an inexpensive, durable finish and will retain a film of any lubricant/preservative you use. Just my $0.02 and experience as a military armorer.

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"Liberty or Death"

Another vote for parkerizing it.

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

A couple of months ago I found a 457 Smith on GB which turned out to be practically new - with the exception that it had rusty fingerprints all over the slide and a Bubba mark about screwdriver size across the SN area.

I used the Birchfield-Casey Perma Blue and Super Blue stuff which I believe is parkerizing rather than actually bluing. I stripped the finish using the BC stripper then sanded down the rust pitting and went at it several times with the Perma Blue.

I'm absolutely amazed at how well it came out - the slide is every bit as black as the frame (which I didn't touch except to touch up the scratches with Al Black). If you want a black finish, this is the way to go. I've been carrying it for several weeks and there is no holster wear at all - it appears as durable as the factory finish.

I would have some reservations about doing a revolver - which is much more intricate than a simple slide. I noticed that the extractor didn't take the finish - which is not a problem - except a thin line around the rear. I suspect this is due to grinding changing the temper just a bit. Likewise, a small area on the bottom of the slide release did not turn black.

If this is a gun where you have nothing to lose and just need a finish to hold oil and prevent rust, I'd go for the cold bluing. I think that if I was doing a revolver I'd buy a quart of the stuff and dip the gun rather than swabbing it on - same with the de-greasing (which is the key to a decent finish).

Let us know what you decide to do and how it works out.

The first thing that popped into my head was stove black. degrease it, spray it, let it dry and call it done.

when in doubt, park it. great ultilitarian finish

Rust blue it. That you can do yourself right on the stove top. Nothing more than a simple bread pan for a 'tank' for pistols like this. I've been doing them that way for years.
If you bead blast the surfaces first,,it'll take the blue even better.
Mark Lee's soln works well for a hot rust blue. Laurel Mtn for a cold rust finish. There are others.

or,,have it Parkerized. Another untility finish that looks good and wears well. It too gets a bead blast first generally.

Trying to stay away from expensive polishing.

I don't care for the paint/gun-coat type finishes. But you may like them and consider one as an option. Especially if the gun is to be no more than a utility piece and expected to get it's share of wear and marks in the future.
Though some are better than others,,Only maintanance and care can prevent future rust,,no matter what the finish applied.

Another vote for Parkerizing. My 1903A3 still hasn't rusted, anywhere, after 30+ years in the Pacific Northwest.

De Oppresso Liber

Wow Dick, you have a lot to think about. Saw you bought this gun and was happy for you. Make sure you degrease the gun before doing it. I vote for a bead blast and hard chrome. The beads will get rid of any rust and the hard chrome would be tough. Probably wouldn't cost much more then a blue job. If not, I'd use a bake on finish to keep the price down. Good luck, Larry

that revolver in a fire?

If so, you could easily have more problems that the finish to consider.

Several years ago I picked up a Mod 19 that was literally unfired, but had been in a gun rug in a home where a fire had broken out. It got wet and forgotten about for quite awhile. Pretty well surface rusted with a little minor pitting. I had a metaloy (industrial hard chrome) finish put on it and the total amount I had in the gun for purchase and re-finish was about $350.

I've never regretted it.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

The Birchwood Casey products mentioned are neither bluing or Parkerizing. They are just coloring, and do nothing to reduce rusting. In fact can actually cause rust. If you use this stuff, be sure to wash off the residual chemicals afterward, and keep the repaired area coated with a good oil or metal preservative.

You can Park it yourself for not a whole lot of cash outlay if you can get someone to blast it for you. I have read that a sandpapering with 320 grit will work as well as an abrasive blast, but have never tried that, as I have an abrasive blasting cabinet. Hell, I have some light gray (not dark) Parkerizing solution you can have for free if you will pay shipping.

Don't paint it (JMHO).

No, the gun was not in a fire. It came out of Georgia, and I wondered if it might have been lying out in the swamp or on the beach some where? Not much pitting, but enough. I'd like to chrome it like Jebus and H Richard say but don't have anything like that available in my area. Actually, there's not much of anything available in my area! Parkerizing sounds good, too, but I don't have any way of blasting it. I might try 320 grit sandpaper like someone said? Cold blue would be the easiest, though. After all, it's not going to be considered as nice as the other two I have. It's just going to be a knockabout shooter, tractor gun. Sure a lot of good ideas on this thread! It's nice to have so much experience available! Now, I'm off to town to wine and dine my wife! We're celebrating 59 years, today! Dick

You could always brown it with Mark Lee Express Brown #2, available from Brownells dot com.
After browning it, chuck it into a pot of boiling water. It will turn black as the ace of spades.
Dry, oil, reassemble, shoot.

Or, you can make your own hot bluing salts. All you need are Lye, ammonium, postassium, or sodium nitrate, distilled water, a steel pot, and a turkey fryer or Coleman stove.

www.homegunsmith.com
Go to the gun and stock finishes section. The sticky at the top is "Hot blue my way, step by step".
It's all about homemade hot bluing.

Sure wish I could get it black nitrided, like the slide on my Ruger SR9.



Being a native Georgian, your 15-5 reminds me of my 10-6. I bought it from the LGS who bought it from the Columbus GA Narc Squad. It was a seizure gun. It sat in an evidence locker for God knows how long and acquired a rather uneven tan.
I removed the rust with oil soaked brass brushes and oil soaked 0000 steel wool, combined with a generous helping of elbow grease.
Now, it's blue and white. I'm undecided about refinishing. I'd love to send it to Smith to have it look new again.
I don't like gray Park on a revolver. I guess I could park it and then dunk it into used diesel motor oil.
Or, I could get it black Parked. I think that's correctly referred to as Bonderizing.
I could also bead blast it and hot blue/black it at home.
I just don't feel right having a non stainless or non nickel S&W revolver that's not shiny blue.
But, I got it cheap. It's not like I'm hurting the value.
Maybe I could blast it and brown/black it with Express Brown.
For now, I'll just use Oxpho Blue (I use the creme) the white areas.

You could always clean it up and oil it and keep it "in the white".
Yeah, me neither.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

You're absolutely correct that it is neither bluing nor Parkerizing, but, like Parkerizing it forms a surface which holds oil and prevents rust. Significantly easier to apply than true Parkerizing, too.

Without this finish the slide rapidly gathers surface rust. On top of that, a couple of coats forms a black surface that perfectly matches the black anodized alloy frame. This slide has a good bit of holster time, now, and there is no visable surface wear.

Another nice feature is that if the finish doesn't come out to your liking, it is very easy to strip off and there is no change in the metal surface.

I had a rusty M 15 myself.
Went the park route, and although I sometimes wish I had tried a re-blue, it didn't come out too bad:



Looks better in the hand

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ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

Hey Dick, wondering if you decided what your gonna do with it. The bad thing with hard chrome is sending it somewhere and paying the shipping. Check the computer for some plating company near where you live and call them to see if they plate guns. Larry

Larry,
I've just about decided to try the Oxpho Blue Crème. I'm in the process now of sanding the rust with 320 grit. It's doing pretty good other than the pitted places. I may do as you say, first, though.
Dick

IMHO, you shouldn't turn away from consideration of CeraKote. I have had two semi autos CeraKoted. I am amazed at the durability and good looks available thru a baked on paint. I also have one semi auto slide done in Duracoat and I am now convinced that CeraKote is the better choice. .............. Big Cholla

I'll cast another vote for the oxpho blue. Years ago I redid a Mossberg bolt action 20ga using oxpho blue and it came out rather well. IIRC I heated the metal in the oven at the lowest temperature I could get, say 180 degrees then applied the cream while it was still warm. Took a nice deep blue/black finish that's held up well.

Hey it is a Smith and it deserves to be finished again...there are lots of dry spray products to prevent rust...cant wait to see it done..but if you do refinish it..take the time and do it right..otherwise you will always wish you had...great find....

Hey, Fellers,
The Oxpho worked well but the pits are very deep! I sanded and steel wooled it until I was blue in the face! Then, I blued it three times! I ended up with a fairly even dark finish and doubt that the pits will be noticeable at arms length? I used a good blow dryer to keep the metal as hot as I could handle during the blueing process. I also found an old set of chipped target stocks that fit right in! It could use a coat of wax but all I had was spray silicon, which I have found over the years is a pretty good rust preventative. I put a little touch of yellow craft paint on the front sight to finish. It makes it much easier for me to see when shooting black bulls. I already know the gun is accurate and I'm sure it will ride a holster well on the tractor or four wheeler! What do you think?
Dick

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I welcome all your comments!
Dick

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No comments on the finished job, yet? My pictures aren't too good so maybe that's why no one likes what I've done? Personally, I'm pleased! I didn't expect the cold blue to cover the pits. Overall the color is blue black! There are a couple spots that aren't quite as dark as the rest of the gun, and I may touch them up again. I don't think my tractor will notice, which ever way I leave it! I have a new jar of wax on the way. Maybe that will help?
I plan on shooting it again, tomorrow, to see if the clean up and blue job changed the accuracy any!
Dick

The only step you missed was bead blasting before degreasing and Oxpho-bluing. Otherwise, I think it'll suit your purposes. Bottom line, a great shooter and that, after all, is what it's all about!

It sure looks a lot better! Your work shouldn’t have changed the group size but the yellow paint could possible have changed POI if your rusty eyeballs see the light reflected differently. Ever notice how our least expensive guns get used more than our “best” guns?

Ken,
I would have liked to bead blast but have none available here?
K22fan,
Yes, I know about the front sight looking different. I learned a long time ago to keep sun off the front sight and what a difference it makes in the point of impact if you don't! Especially from the side. I'll readjust the sights if need be. You're right about old eyes, mine are ancient! But I can sure see the sight a lot better with some bright color! I have two other 15s in near new condition. (Pic.) This is a dash 3. I also have a dash 4. Now, I won't have to risk putting wear on them. More, after I shoot, today!
Dick

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Hi Dick, nice job for a catch all gun that could be abused. I think it came out good for what it was and will be used for. It would have been tough to file out the pits. Larry

Thanks, Larry!
I'm pleased! It shoots well with the right load. It is lighter than the "N" frames I've been shooting so much lately, but it's sure easier to shoot standing, offhand. I was able to keep five of ten shots in the 9 ring at 25 yards, shooting one handed. I need to load some of my light bulls eye loads for this smaller gun. What I shot today was 5 grains of Unique with an RCBS cast 153 semi wad. It was hot! The bullet's OK but I need to back off with some faster powder. Back when I shot in a league I used 2.8 Clays with a 148 grain full wad. I have plenty of that plus some Bullseye and some 231.
Dick

Nice to see an old Smith get a second chance. Nice work.

you did 'alright' but that finish is beyond a bead blast, you need some good old fashioned hand work, draw file and sand blast to blend it all in.....I too at first thought it was in a fire or at least sat in some sort of liquid, that's what a gun looks like when it spends some time in a lake or a river ( how do I know??? ) years ago our shop specialized in water damaged guns..............bottom line the blast with sand and either parkerize it or black oxide...gotta "even it all out first" or it will ALWAYS look splotchy.........

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dan
NRA Benefactor,PMA

I appreciate your experience, Dan, but I would have had to remove too much metal to remove all the pitting. The looks are bad but it still shoots like a Smith!
Dick

Hey Boys,
Here is my Rusty Model 15-3 after I waxed it and my Model 19-4 that I replaced the trigger in and put on a pair of smooth targets that I really like the looks of. The wax helped the 15 a little but I don't expect it to ever be beautiful, just a good all round shooter that I don't have to worry about!
I had purchased the 19 from a forum member a while back and when I received it found that the stocks didn't fit a K frame and had been altered to try to make them do so? Also, some one had worked the trigger over and it wouldn't hold cock on single action. That's all fixed now and it a good shooter! A couple of good projects and I'm well pleased with them both!
Dick

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Dick, I think you've done pretty well, with no bead
blasting available.
Personally, I'm not a fan of "in-the-white". So I'm
impressed with your results. On top of that, I learned a
bunch from your thread. Thanks to you and the rest.
TACC1

Thank you, TACC1!
I need to find another one to work on now!
Dick

Had a nice day in Kansas, today, and was able to get out and put a box of shells through the M-19! It's a shooter! The load was 4.0 grs of RedDot behind a 162 gr. cast 358156 gas check bullet! Fairly stout load!
Dick

I made it out to shoot the old rusty, today, it was 60° with bright sun and high winds! But it turned out well, I think! I fired 25 rounds each of 2.7 gr. Bulls Eye and 4.7 gr. U V Clays behind my home cast 153 gr. SW RCBS bullet. I had tried 3.0 gr. of Bull, earlier, and didn't do too well. This 2.7 load did much better. I had tried 5.0 gr. of Unique before and it was too hot. The similar load of 4.7 gr. of UV Clays, while still warm for a small "K" frame, did pretty good! I'm well pleased with this ugly duckling!
Dick

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Hey, Fellers, we had another fine day, today, and I made it out to the range again with my old Rusty! I'm really pleased with this gun! Today, I also fired one of my HDs with the same loads. The 15-3 easily outshot the HD with the adjustable sights, but the weight of the HD handled the recoil much better. I used the same loads as in the previous post.
On another subject, it's been pretty exciting around our house this Thanksgiving! Our first Great grandson was born up in Washington State on the day before Thanksgiving! He'll no doubt be a shooter, too! His Dad, Derek and his Grandfather, Steve are enthusiastic shooters, like me, so as he grows he'll have plenty of guns to shoot and people to teach him! I'm feeling very Thankful, right now! Meet Master Spencer Lee Fors!
Dick

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Please pass along Congratulations for the new arrival!
TACC1