I did this up for a friend. A 27-2 that had seen some better days but the bore and cyl were in great shape. Some light rust and pits in the metal, blue loss, dings and scratches,,so a good candidate.
I made a set of grips for him. Amer Walnut, just magna style w/a different checkering pattern on them. The wood I sliced off of a forend blank I've had sitting around for just shy of 40yrs. So I figured I better get to using some of this stuff or I never will. Still enough left for a forend yet out of it I think.
Cleaned up the metal and engraved it with a light scroll pattern. The only gold I put in it was a single band at the rear edge of the cylinder and a front sight insert in gold. Both 24k.
I took care of some end shake in the gun by peening the cylinder crane out and refitting. Two of the chambers were OOT. So a bit of careful peening of those ratchet teeth brought those two back in line.
Lots of rust on the internal parts and inside the frame but that cleaned up OK.
I wanted to keep the high gloss polish effect as much as possible in the reblue. I don't hot salt blue anymore, which is the easiest way to achieve that. But with the right techniques and prep, rust blue can achieve the same look.
So here are a few pics of the blue process and a couple of some of the parts as done. One or two of the final assembled piece.
I think he'll like it.
Some of the parts with the Express Rust blue soln coating on them ready for a trip into the boiling water.
Note the high tech equipment and setting.
Frame and parts just out of the boiling water. The brown rust coating changed over to a blue/black 'rust'. The fine loose coating needing to be carded now to reveal the color underneath.
The stove top boiling tank,,, Actually an aluminum bread pan.
Great for pistols and other small items.
A tin can w/ holes punched in it to hold small parts like screws and pins.
You can see some of the parts down in there. Yes they're just lying on the bottom. Water looks like it's about done it's job! Usually needs to be changed out after a couple cycles or so.
Frame after last carding and a light coat of oil on it smeared around.
Cylinder the same
BBl after last carding. I have to repolish the gold inlay carefully here yet to brighten it back up. The carding process and to some extent the bluing too does dull them a little. Either 0000 steel wool or sometimes just a very soft, fine eraser does it. Nothing coarse like a pencil or ink eraser.
Here it is all assembled.
Engraving time was just at 50hrs.,,not all 8, 10 & 14hr days anymore though!
I didn't keep track of the grips and checkering time, but add that in too.
Add in for bluing, a few inches or gold wire and a couple hrs misc for dis-assembly and reassembly (pull bbl and put it back on are in there), you can get an idea of costs if you start applying what you think the engraver is worth /per hr.
A couple other misc pics,, grips and small internals. The parts as they came from the gun w/quite a bit of rust.
I made a set of grips for him. Amer Walnut, just magna style w/a different checkering pattern on them. The wood I sliced off of a forend blank I've had sitting around for just shy of 40yrs. So I figured I better get to using some of this stuff or I never will. Still enough left for a forend yet out of it I think.
Cleaned up the metal and engraved it with a light scroll pattern. The only gold I put in it was a single band at the rear edge of the cylinder and a front sight insert in gold. Both 24k.
I took care of some end shake in the gun by peening the cylinder crane out and refitting. Two of the chambers were OOT. So a bit of careful peening of those ratchet teeth brought those two back in line.
Lots of rust on the internal parts and inside the frame but that cleaned up OK.
I wanted to keep the high gloss polish effect as much as possible in the reblue. I don't hot salt blue anymore, which is the easiest way to achieve that. But with the right techniques and prep, rust blue can achieve the same look.
So here are a few pics of the blue process and a couple of some of the parts as done. One or two of the final assembled piece.
I think he'll like it.
Some of the parts with the Express Rust blue soln coating on them ready for a trip into the boiling water.
Note the high tech equipment and setting.
Frame and parts just out of the boiling water. The brown rust coating changed over to a blue/black 'rust'. The fine loose coating needing to be carded now to reveal the color underneath.
The stove top boiling tank,,, Actually an aluminum bread pan.
Great for pistols and other small items.
A tin can w/ holes punched in it to hold small parts like screws and pins.
You can see some of the parts down in there. Yes they're just lying on the bottom. Water looks like it's about done it's job! Usually needs to be changed out after a couple cycles or so.
Frame after last carding and a light coat of oil on it smeared around.
Cylinder the same
BBl after last carding. I have to repolish the gold inlay carefully here yet to brighten it back up. The carding process and to some extent the bluing too does dull them a little. Either 0000 steel wool or sometimes just a very soft, fine eraser does it. Nothing coarse like a pencil or ink eraser.
Here it is all assembled.
Engraving time was just at 50hrs.,,not all 8, 10 & 14hr days anymore though!
I didn't keep track of the grips and checkering time, but add that in too.
Add in for bluing, a few inches or gold wire and a couple hrs misc for dis-assembly and reassembly (pull bbl and put it back on are in there), you can get an idea of costs if you start applying what you think the engraver is worth /per hr.
A couple other misc pics,, grips and small internals. The parts as they came from the gun w/quite a bit of rust.
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