Members feelings on rust!

[GaryR]

Seriously considering buying a 1948 mfg K38 Masterpiece (45k serial#). However… was stored badly and about 20% of the cylinder has pretty significant rust! Rest of the gun is 95%. Think I can prob. get into it for around $300 or so. Cylinder will need restoration. Any opinions on this? Thanks!

 

[mh51]

If you want it for a shooter, buy it as cheaply as possible and just clean it.. Trying to find someone who can remove the rust and then match the bluing will be difficult to do, and will probably drive the cost up to where you could have bought a 95% original condition gun.
Good luck, whatever you decide.

 

[Dino44]

I used to avoid guns with corrosion issues. Then I saw a no dash model 19 at an online auction and won it for a decent price. I cleaned it up the best I could, and now I have a remarkable shooter that has become one of my favorite range companions, and it has some pretty cool history. It shipped in 1959 to Evaluators Ltd. Quantico, VA. and was sold to a USMC Officer. Here are before and after photos of the worst side.


I also rescued a pre-model 29 that turned out pretty well too.

I'd say go for it, as it sounds like a good price as long as all the vitals check out good.

 

[Gun Relics]

The gun is a buy!

The K38's usually have matte finishes, so they are an easier match than a highly polished blue. The rust itself is not a problem unless it has damaged the metal under it. You can try boiling it for 10 minutes and then carding with 0000 steel wool. The boiling water will turn the rust black. If that's not enough, go over it with cold blue (I like Super Blue) and light steel wool, then douse with water. Polish and repeat until the surfaces are uniform. You can use 0000 and oil (lightly) on the final coats to blend the finish, then polish briskly with a cloth.

If the metal is corroded or damaged, this might be a good time to try your skill at completely refinishing the cylinder. the cylinder is easily removed by removing the right side screw opposite the trigger. Then remove the blue, polish the surfaces smooth with progressive grits of fine paper. Get a nice uniform shine to the metal, then cold blue.

Here is a cylinder I completely re-blued on a Highway Patrolman - it was pretty dinged up and rusted too. You can also rust blue, but in this case I don't see an advantage.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

You can make it prettier but you cannot restore collector value. I have refinished several guns and have lost money on each one that I later sold. I didn't do a refinish to make money. It just rankled me to see a scarce or rare gun in deplorable condition. Other folks are enjoying the ones I sold and that is reward enough for me.

 

[Jaco1234]

For light surface rust, 3in1, or kroil with bronze wool will take it off.
For heavy pitted rust a crimped wire wheel on a grinder will take off the rust and feather the pits without softening the edges. Do not use a twisted wire brush. Work the brush in the direction of the surfaces.
Polishing removes metal and smoothes out the contours of the surface.
Cold blueing will make a fair looking shooter. Even a professional hot blue job never matches the original.
As Wiregrassguy says you can dress it up but it will not be like new.

 

[gwpercle]

You have to ask yourself a couple questions ...

Do I want a shooter that I can shoot and not have to worry about damage to the finish ... not only rust but wear and tear in the field .

Do things like the rust marred cylinder bother you ...
Some folks just couldn't stand to have a "not perfect" finish .

Think About It !
Gary

 

[H Richard]

It might depend on how deeply the rust is. If it is not pitted a clean up and then having it Metaloyed for an indestructible finish could be the answer. I had opportunity to buy a surface rusted Mod 19 that I cleaned up and had this done. I got it cheap and the total finished cost at the time was less than I could have bought a 95% gun for.

 

[MajorD]

I love neglected gun I can get inexpensively! I shoot everything in my collection including my antiques, and I would vote for judicial removal of rust, clean up best you can and shoot it
If you have skills and patience trying to refinish the cylinder like some above have demonstrated recognizing it will likely never match in appearance but would protect it from further damage

 

[smith17]

Years ago Darrel Pocock gave me a bottle of RB17 off of his table when I asked him how to remove rust. He said it was the best product he had used to get the initial corrosion. I still use it on friends' guns and some I have found.
Rest in peace, brother.

 

[2152hq]

A 1948 K38 in 95%condition except for the cyl for $300, I'd be on that in a hurry.
The cylinder can be polished back up again.
Cylinders can be tricky to polish though they look easy to do.
Doing them by hand is best if you are not experienced using belt grinder equipment.
The flutes need to be polished as well usually and they can be tricky to do while keeping sharp lines and edges to them.

Then either have someone that hot salt blues 'dunk' the part for you, or Rust Blue it is an option as well. The latter can be done by the person that polishes out the cylinder if you take some time.

The term Dunk usually given to mean a pre-polished part is recv'd by the bluer and then just run thru the bluing operation and returned to the owner.
It gives the re-bluer some quick $$ while the tanks are up and running, as he does not have to invest any time/labor in polishing the part(s).
Usually quite a bit less expensive than having the part polished and blued by the same person.
Plus you can't always know or trust their polishing skills unless you have had contact with them and their work previously.

The other way to a decent blue is Rust Bluing.
If a soft textured type of finish is needed, then a carefully done rust blue will get you there. Either Express or Cold Rust will do it but you have to control the process so it doesn't end up with a heavily matted surface from too much etching caused by the rusting solution used.
Even a high gloss finish can be gotten with rust bluing. It just takes more time and attention to the process and techniques involved.