S&W 19-3 (X3)

[snowman.45]

I was lucky in that my department let us purchase our old issued revolvers when we made the change to semi-autos years ago. At that time, I bought my 66 4", and it has resided in a drawer as my wife's home protection gun for many years. A year or two before I retired, I was checking the department armory and found that there were still a number of 19's left. Now, as you can imagine, all of the really good ones were gone, so what was left needed a little attention. Some were just cosmetically challenged. Others also had mechanical problems ranging from a broken or missing rear sight to timing issues.

I checked to see that we could still buy these revolvers, as the armorers told me they needed the space for more autos and patrol rifles. I was told I could buy as many as I wanted at the same, used price as the ones previously sold. I bought three: one 4" and two 6" models. After the registration requirements were met, I took them home and started to work. New hands and sights were ordered for a couple of them.

When I closely examined them, I got to thinking how much of a shame it was that these old revolvers looked so bad. I toyed with the idea of sending them to S&W for a factory blue job, but decided to tackle it myself using niter-bluing formulas I found on the net. I'm almost done, needing only to do a little more polishing and applying a paste wax job. Here are photos of them.

 

[Hiero6]

I commend you for rescuing these old wheelguns

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

 

[Targets Guy]

Very nice gesture and very nice work. Well done. My 19-2 has become one of my favorite revolvers in a short amount of time.

 

[doowtag]

I was lucky in that my department let us purchase our old issued revolvers when we made the change to semi-autos years ago. At that time, I bought my 66 4", and it has resided in a drawer as my wife's home protection gun for many years. A year or two before I retired, I was checking the department armory and found that there were still a number of 19's left. Now, as you can imagine, all of the really good ones were gone, so what was left needed a little attention. Some were just cosmetically challenged. Others also had mechanical problems ranging from a broken or missing rear sight to timing issues.

I checked to see that we could still buy these revolvers, as the armorers told me they needed the space for more autos and patrol rifles. I was told I could buy as many as I wanted at the same, used price as the ones previously sold. I bought three: one 4" and two 6" models. After the registration requirements were met, I took them home and started to work. New hands and sights were ordered for a couple of them.

When I closely examined them, I got to thinking how much of a shame it was that these old revolvers looked so bad. I toyed with the idea of sending them to S&W for a factory blue job, but decided to tackle it myself using niter-bluing formulas I found on the net. I'm almost done, needing only to do a little more polishing and applying a paste wax job. Here are photos of them.

That finish looks great to me...........nice job. How involved was the bluing process you used?

 

[snowman.45]

There are two different methods I tried. The first involved mixing 5 lbs of sodium hydroxide (100% pure lye) with a gallon of distilled water and start heating as the lye dissolves while adding 5 lbs of sodium nitrate. Bring to 280 to 290 degrees and suspend the parts by steel wire in the mixture for about 30 minutes, more or less. They are then dunked in boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes. When the parts are pulled out, they dry almost instantly due to the heat. They are then liberally coated with WD40 and allowed to hang and cool for about an hour. The gun can then be reassembled.

The other methods is a bit less involved. Buy the appropriate number of 1 lb bottles of Spectracide Stump Killer. It is essentially the same chemicals as above, but with no mixing. You need enough to cover the parts completely and that will depend on the type of container you use. The old porcelain coated roasting pans and pots work well. You have to dissolve the Spectracide by heating to about 400 degrees. Once liquified, you can suspend your parts in the solution, again for about 30 minutes or so. Place in water afterward to neutralize the solution, hang and coat with WD40 for about an hour. Clean off the WD40 and then you may oil and use 0000 steel wool to gently polish the parts and then paste wax.

Be very careful when working with both solutions. They are hot and will burn the hell out of you. Do not plug the barrels or cylinders. The plugs will pop out during heating and may send a shower of solution out of the pot. Make sure to wear eye protection, heavy rubber gloves and cover all skin.

As with anything, the preparation of the metal is the biggest and most important part of the job. Dissolve away old bluing by placing the parts you want to blue in a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water for 60 to 90 minutes. You can then begin polishing the metal after de-greasing. Using abrasive paper from 400 up to 1200 grit, remove all of the surface imperfections you can, sanding with the metal grain. Follow with Flitz or another polishing compound. Then degrease and boil in water for about 30 minutes prior to placing in the solution. MAKE SURE THE PARTS ARE COMPLETELY DRY BEFORE YOU PUT THEM IN THE SOLUTION. IF WET PARTS ARE PUT IN THE SOLUTION, IT WILL BUBBLE AND POP AND MAY SPRAY ON YOU.

 

[doowtag]

thanx very much.........I've got a clunky old .22 bolt gun that I might experiment with. The results you got are impressive.

 

[snowman.45]

Thanks. Good luck with your efforts.