USGI 1911 original finish

[merlin101]

I recently picked up a 1940's era Remington 1911 the problem is some previous owner either did a pretty decent DIY Nickle plating job on it or had a shop do a fair job. Any way it's got some wear and tear on it and since it has no collector value I'd like to refinish it.
What would be the original color/finish? I've thought about Parkerizing but never done it, can a first timer get acceptable results?
I assume I'd have to strip the nickel off, should I bead blast it or will that destroy the markings?
I'm comfortable spraying paint so what about the Dura-coat line, I've used some of it before but never the fake Parkerizing or fake bluing, anyone ever try it?

[Geezer in NH]

I'd use what it is IMHO

[Winger Ed.]

Brownell's sells parkerizing stuff, but unless you're doing a fair amount of it,
It really isn't worth the hassle.

If its Nickel plated, you more or less have to reverse the process and 'un-plate' it first.

If it was me, I'd just enjoy it the way it is.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Good, practical advice from the previous two posters. I'll try to answer your question like this: WW I 1911s were blued. WW II 1911s were Parkerized. If you remove the nickel plating you will likely chemically strip it with some chemicals available from Brownell's. The end result will be a dark gray colored metal. Any nicks or imperfections deeper than the nickel plating will remain, and to remove them you'll have to either buff, file, and sand them out, or just refinish it and live with them. You can remove the nickel and then sandblast the metal, which will give you a duller finish. Yes, your pistol's markings may suffer, and if you go with Parkerizing, where you are adding a coating to the metal instead of just changing its color, the writing and markings may become indistinct. If you blue the pistol the end result will be a shiner blue than were the WW I pistols, which were a dull blue. You can Parkerize it yourself, but as previously stated it's not cost effective unless you are doing several firearms. The various paint finishes might be the way to go, but not authentic. If that doesn't matter, then one of them might be your best bet. There are several such finishes on the market, and they vary in ease of application and durability. You'll likely get the best results with one that requires use of an air brush, and maybe not so good using one that just involves a spray can. When spraying any of them it's important to keep the can or air brush moving and use smooth passes to avoid runs and drips. You'll get the best results if you're patient and can make three-several light applications, rather than trying to do it all at once. Here are some examples:

1. Factory sand blast blue 2. Reblue 3. Factory Parkerized finish

4. AlumaHyde II paint finish

[merlin101]

Thanks guys, I hadn't thought of what may be hiding under the nickle. It doesn't look bad from a foot or two away so I may leave it. Last thing I want to do is to have file away the markings.

[rockrat]

I have the twin to your gun. A nickle plated Remington. It was Dad's aircrew gun and he had it nickle plated and carried it in his B-29 during Korea and B-47 during the cold war.

I wouldn't dream of changing a thing about it.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Good point, that, about the fact that someone liked the pistol enough to have it done. G.I. .45s and Lugers as-issued were never nickel plated, but some were by the factories as presentation pieces. When you run across a 1911 or Luger that someone brought home from the war and spent the money on to have it nickel plated you can bet that the piece was something special to them. No collector value, though-- unless it belonged to someone famous like Gen. Patton. But, if you know the history of the piece, and it's somehow connected to you like having belonged to a relative or friend, it can be a very valued personal possession. Of course, for civilian sale, nickel plated firearms have been offered as catalog items. This was one popular way to approach corrosion resistance before stainless steel was used. Not to mention that there have always been those who liked "flashy" pistols.

Something that I encountered in refinishing nickel plated guns was that what's under the nickel may not be so nice. I can say with certainty that Star (Spain) went to very little effort to put a nice surface finish on guns that they put their Starvel finish on. Once the nickel is removed there are lots of pits and flaws. Also rumored to be true for Smith & Wesson, about whom it is said that they nickel plated their seconds. I found this to be true with the one specimen that I stripped before rebluing it, but can not verify that as being true for all S&W nickel plated pistols. But, it makes sense that manufacturers who intend to nickel plate a firearm wouldn't put in the time/labor to achieve a nice surface that will be covered up anyway, and the nickel fills in the imperfections.

I think the advice initially given to leave it "as is" is good advice.

[merlin101]

"I think the advice initially given to leave it "as is" is good advice." and so it shall be! It's a good shooting gun as is. Thanks for the info and thoughts.

[osteodoc08]

Leave it be and shoot it

[Green Frog]

It seems like from the '40s through the '60s, many GIs who personally "owned" 45s and were stationed overseas liked to have them fancied up, with nickel/chrome plating being popular, along with grips of all types and various levels of engraving. Some of these were actually quite nice, but many of them were beautiful ONLY in the eye of the beholder.

Very early in my gun plumbing days I acquired such a slide that had been plated... I was building my first 45 and it was all I could afford. I took it to the local plating shop and had an expert strip it. Easy peasy and back then it was pretty cheap. You might check into having your (dissembled) parts stripped by a professional, otherwise I would vote with those who suggest keeping it as is and when asked why it's so shiny just proudly say that the previous owner had it done because he was so proud of his personal sidekick. Now that I think of it, that would be my first choice of what to do with it!

Froggie

[Winger Ed.]

when asked why it's so shiny just proudly say that the previous owner had it done because he was so proud of his personal sidekick.

Yeah. If you leave it like it is- Ya got to make up a great story to go with it.
Maybe even get another set of hand grips, beat 'em up, and carve a few notches in them.

A good story to start with could begin like this-
It was willed to you from an obscure relative that carried it the whole way from England, to Omaha Beach,
through the mud going across France, as he walked to Berlin.

He managed to bring it home when he got out of the Service. It meant so much him, he had it plated.

[merlin101]

Yeah. If you leave it like it is- Ya got to make up a great story to go with it.
Maybe even get another set of hand grips, beat 'em up, and carve a few notches in them.

A good story to start with could begin like this-
It was willed to you from an obscure relative that carried it the whole way from England, to Omaha Beach,
through the mud going across France, as he walked to Berlin.

He managed to bring it home when he got out of the Service. It meant so much him, he had it plated.

I like it! After all I am a bit of a bull sitter.

[gwpercle]

Thanks guys, I hadn't thought of what may be hiding under the nickle. It doesn't look bad from a foot or two away so I may leave it. Last thing I want to do is to have file away the markings.

LIKE !
Call it a "Classic " nickel finish with character...clean , apply a coat of Turtle Wax Chrome polish and go shooting ... I always admired a 1911 in nickel ...just a classy look !
Stag grips ( or Ebony) will look like a million bucks .
I have a stainless steel AMT Hardballer , Kim Ahrend suggested Ebony grips and I had him make me a set ...right before the end of his business . He was right the Ebony looks great with the bright finish .
Gary

[Der Gebirgsjager]

O.K.---I'm pretty sure the story goes like this: "Uncle Bob was in the Navy in WW II. He had the pistol nickel plated to help prevent corrosion from the salt air. One night, during the invasion of Guadalcanal, the destroyer he was on was hit by Japanese shellfire. The ship lost all power, was sinking fast, but Uncle Bob was able to send a distress signal by holding the pistol aloft and turning it from side to side while shining a flashlight on it, the flashes from the nickel plating being Morse Code, and alerting a nearby ship to their problem. This action resulted in the rescue of over 200 sailors from the stricken destroyer, and resulted in Uncle Bob being awarded the Navy Cross. Unfortunately, his first ex-wife sold both the citation and medal at a yard sale, and all that remains to verify the story is this nickel plated pistol.

[T-Bird]

You ought'a write fiction. That's good!