Re-finishing a revolver

[redneck1]

I have to much free time on my hands at the moment and I have been thinking about projects I can do from a chair .

So I have this uberti saa revolver , I've carried this thing around and shot the snot out of it for 20 odd years now .
16 or 17 years ago it went on a canoe trip with me , and got dunked in the Ohio river I wasn't able to get it dried off and oiled right away so it flash rusted . But only on the exterior oddly enough .
There was only a couple hours time between the dunking and cleaning so there wasn't any pitting .
But it took about 75 % of the finish off and mottled what was left .

Obviously what with the time passed since then it's appearance doesn't offend me any .
But hey I am bored as heck and I think it has earned a bit of a face lift.

My preference leans towards a dark blue almost matte finish , while I'm not looking for a show piece I want it to be an even, consistent and durable finish so I am thinking about a slow rust blue .

Any thoughts or suggestions ?

Attachment 250811

[rking22]

I think you will be well pleased with the rust blue finish. I have done several including 2 Smith M36 snubs. I carry one of the 36s when I wade fish and after several years it shows no deterioration of the finish. It gets wet and stays wet for hours at a time. The rust blue is a beautiful finish that is much tougher than hot blue. Really easy to do and not the least “tooling” intensive. Several threads here in the gunsmithing section give good instructions. Here is the IJ 20 I did, it was really rough with deep pitting on the barrel breach and frame. There are some remnants near the roll mark on the frame,I preferred to have the roll mark and accept some slight pitting tenants. Actually not noticeable in use

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Believe it or not there are guys who, seeking an aged and antique finish, deliberately make their pistols look like yours does. Rust bluing will work fine, but is a bit labor intensive. Still, it has the durability you seek, assuming that you don't dunk it in the river again. Another option would be to have it sandblasted and then dipped in a hot bluing tank.

[condorjohn]

STOP ! Don't do anything. It will be talking to you!

[redneck1]

Rking
That is the finish I have in mind nearly to the t

I do know some guys go to great lengths to make these look old , I am pretty sure I even saw one of the Italian companies offering a brand new saa with an aged finish .
And I really don't mind how mine looks at the moment , but I also wouldn't mind it looking better either.
It's not so noticeable in my poor quality picture , but there are a couple things that stick out and make it plain that it's not an honest case of old age and use .
The screws , trigger and ejector rod button all retained thier origonal finish and still look pretty much like new .

[rking22]

That 20ga doesn’t look new. It still wears some scars, but it now looks well care for.
The Remington guns from the teens and 20s were rust blues. Look at original condition m14 rifles and M17 shotguns, that finish wears very well. And it doesn’t wind up looking like an overly made up floosy. Just looks “right” on an old (style) gun. Used but well looked after. The honest wear will come.

[Walks]

I remember about 20 odd years ago there were Cowboy shooters that used "Buck Urine" to age there cowboy guns. Just seem like a weird thing to do.

[Geezer in NH]

Being on a canoe trip and getting wet is honest use to me! I call it character.

[am44mag]

Rking
That is the finish I have in mind nearly to the t

I do know some guys go to great lengths to make these look old , I am pretty sure I even saw one of the Italian companies offering a brand new saa with an aged finish .
And I really don't mind how mine looks at the moment , but I also wouldn't mind it looking better either.
It's not so noticeable in my poor quality picture , but there are a couple things that stick out and make it plain that it's not an honest case of old age and use .
The screws , trigger and ejector rod button all retained thier origonal finish and still look pretty much like new .

It's as honest as it can get. The way it happened is not unlike how it would have happened in the old west. Guns get wet, and you don't always have the time or the means to immediately dry, clean, and oil them. Especially if you are out on the prairie or on the run from a posse.

[Whiterabbit]

I suggest fast rust blue. Mark Lee. That's exactly what I used on my Vaquero and provides a deep but handsome matte blue. Everything go this treatment except the frame which was sent ot turnbull. I am very happy with the result.

[Whiterabbit]

Hey, I have pictures uploaded to castboolits!



Before finishing:



With new grips: