uberti saa

[portlybowlofpigfat]

in another thread i seen a pic of an uberti or other saa clone that looked like it had the same matte black / bead blasted finish as mine except this one looked to have been refinished to appear old and well used .
as i do not care much for the way mine looks and liked other fellows i wouldnt mind hearing some ideas on how to go about it , i'd ask the fellow who posted the pic but darn if i can remember where i seen it .

i was thinking maybe stripping off my finish and giving it a light cold blue that will wear fast .. but i am not sure how it would look with my bead blast finish .

here is a currant pic .. hopefully

77382

[ironhead7544]

Do a web search for putting an antique finish on guns. There are a number of methods. I like the idea of an antique finish as you dont have to worry about beating the gun up.

[220swiftfn]

This is the one that I found that I thought looked best.... Go to the post by "Stumpbuster" near the bottom. There's another post by him that shows more pics, but this'll give you a couple ideas....




http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=337687


Dan

[portlybowlofpigfat]

i rather like stumpbusters myself that is near abouts what i am looking for .
i did a search once before and as i am not so good at searching the information highway all i found was methods using acids and such . using the lewis lead remover was a good idea .

i bought the revolver a few years ago and i have not been able to interest myself in getting it up and shooting mainly because i dislike that matte black finish so much .
i have saved up the jingle for a set of dies and a bullet mold a couple times and spent the money elsewhere due to that lack of interest .

[BCRider]

I'd say that the bead blasting will not be in the right sort of character at all. And it would be a heap of work to remove that finish and smoothen out the bead blasting to get to where you want to be to even start doing an antique finish.

[portlybowlofpigfat]

bcrider
the bead blast finish has me wondering as well . as to removing the black ... it must have been nothing more then cheap paint .
i attacked it last night with some stripper and it pretty much wiped off with almost no effort .
this evening i am going to hit it very lightly with the buffing wheel ,degrease it and break out the cold blue .
in the white the bead blasting isnt all that noticeable except it doesnt have that smooth steel shine
where i go with it as to antiquing it will depend on how it looks with blueing on it .
worst case is it looks bad and i strip the cold blue off and have the thing parkerized

[35 Whelen]

in another thread i seen a pic of an uberti or other saa clone that looked like it had the same matte black / bead blasted finish as mine except this one looked to have been refinished to appear old and well used .
as i do not care much for the way mine looks and liked other fellows i wouldnt mind hearing some ideas on how to go about it , i'd ask the fellow who posted the pic but darn if i can remember where i seen it .

i was thinking maybe stripping off my finish and giving it a light cold blue that will wear fast .. but i am not sure how it would look with my bead blast finish .

here is a currant pic .. hopefully



Was it maybe this one?
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h6/308Scout/Single%20Actions/P1010073_zps2941856a.jpg (http://s60.photobucket.com/user/308Scout/media/Single%20Actions/P1010073_zps2941856a.jpg.html)

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h6/308Scout/Single%20Actions/4450ydsoffhand_zpsc57c5a07.jpg (http://s60.photobucket.com/user/308Scout/media/Single%20Actions/4450ydsoffhand_zpsc57c5a07.jpg.html)

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h6/308Scout/Single%20Actions/Ubertigroup100ed-2_zps0dccaed2.jpg (http://s60.photobucket.com/user/308Scout/media/Single%20Actions/Ubertigroup100ed-2_zps0dccaed2.jpg.html)

If so, I did it myself and can help you, but it'll have to be later this evening.
35W

[portlybowlofpigfat]

ding ding ding we have a winner , your revolver was the one i seen 35w .

and i do like its looks very much .... i might be regretting have stripped of the black and cold blueing mine now .

but by all means please tell me what you did to yours when you get a chance , with a bit of luck i can get mine to look as good as yours

[35 Whelen]

OK, first, if you haven't already, strip the finish. I used vinegar. You can either soak it, or douse a rag and rub it continually. I didn't worry much about getting in every nook an cranny. Next, go here: http://www.theopenrange.net/articles/Antiquing_SAA_Revolver.pdf You can probably skip down to page 6, then down to "Method 2". I pretty much followed his instructions except instead of putting the pistol in the oven before applying the Plum Brown, I just waved it over a propane burner to lightly heat the metal.

After applying the Plum Brown, steel wool it to your liking, but less in protected areas such as the cylinder flutes. Now for some added character I mixed a little table salt in a cup of hydrogen peroxide. I then dabbed it on any place I wanted some "splotching" on the metal. When applied to the metal it will fizz and bubble up rusty looking stuff. I let it sit until the H2O2 evaporated, which didn't take long, then wiped the remnants off with oil, lightly steel wooling it with #0000 when necessary.

Keep us posted!
35W

[IridiumRed]

35 Whelen -

I've seen a number of pics of guns that have been "antiqued" (for lack of better term.... ), and seen some in shops....

But they always turned my stomach a little bit. They never looked "right" - never actually looked like a well used old gun. They just looked.... "off". That, plus the fact that I never understood someone
taking a brand new gun and prematurely wearing it, at least the finish, which provides some protection - esp if the end result didn't really look all that good

BUT! I will say, your gun looks really nice, good work. That really does look like an old SAA used out on the frontier. First time I've seen a gun with that treatment that's made me feel that way :)

[HDS]

Just shoot black powder in your gun and be a little sloppy and late in cleaning its exterior after shooting and with time you should have some proper wear accumulated.

[9.3X62AL]

I like the "antiqued" finishes. I'm not finicky about finish, though--I could not have let that Pasta Colta sit waiting on dies and components. My most recent Uberti Cattleman (4-3/4", in 44-40) didn't last a day before I had it in the desert running rounds through it. SAECO #446 at .429" and run at 800-850 FPS shoot right to the sights. Utter delight.

[Walter Laich]

35 Whelen -

I've seen a number of pics of guns that have been "antiqued" (for lack of better term.... ), and seen some in shops....

But they always turned my stomach a little bit. They never looked "right" - never actually looked like a well used old gun. They just looked.... "off". That, plus the fact that I never understood someone
taking a brand new gun and prematurely wearing it, at least the finish, which provides some protection - esp if the end result didn't really look all that good

BUT! I will say, your gun looks really nice, good work. That really does look like an old SAA used out on the frontier. First time I've seen a gun with that treatment that's made me feel that way :)

Agree with this as I think there would be 1880's cowboys who would take care of their firearms like we do today though I have to admit 35W's look like they are 150 years old.

[35 Whelen]

Well, thanks. When I got the gun it already showed quite a bit of holster wear. I started shooting it in CAS matches and liked it alot and it's proven to be quite accurate, so decided it would be my utility gun around the place. In this capacity it's worn while I'm mowing (gets COVERED in dust), on the tractor or bulldozer(more dust), fixing fence, cutting firewood, checking the cattle, etc. etc. Just yesterday evening I was working on fence and wound up doing so in a light rain shower with the pistol stapped on.
Since the finished was already compromised, I decided to try my hand at one of the antique finishes. Iridium I totally agree with you in regards to factory antique finishes. Some of them them just look plain cheesy. My Dad bought a NIB Uberti with one and I don't really care for the finish. Anyhow, you've all seen the results.
I'm on board with 9.3, if a gun shoots well, I don't care what it looks like.

35W

[Michael J. Spangler]

Great thread. Tagged for updates.

[gmsharps]

I picked up a Euberti 45 colt revolver in the late 90's that someone had asked for a in the white revolver and after the usually long wait for Euberti to do something it came in and of course the customer no longer was interested. I received a call and said they had the revolver available at a very reasonable price so I jumped on it with the intentions of doing the antiqueing process but never got around to it. After reading this thread I may drag it out after my return the end of next year and take a whirl with it. A lot of the work is alreeady done and should be fairly easy to get it looking well used in short order.

gmsharps

[portlybowlofpigfat]

a bit of an update , i blued the revolver this afternoon with birchwood casey permablue .
after having looked at the factory matte black finish for so long i am very pleased with how it looks .
it came out with a kinda multi colored mottled look .. very pleasing to my eye , thankfully i am the only one i have to please . in the morning i am going to steel wool it a bit to add a bit of wear and take a few pics to show off the finished product .

[35 Whelen]

Good deal. Keep us posted!

[SourMashII]

Italian clone, yes. Uberti? I doubt it. Also not an SAA, but a '58 Remmie.

In 2012 when she entered my life, she was 44 years old, also calibre .44.. so that was nifty I guess?


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8020/7282498280_76f3922dec_b.jpg

I decided since mfr was un-known, to de-farb and antique.

Took to the white, 180#, then 320# then double 00 wool, then a 30 minute cold vinegar bath.

(also sanded down the 1968 shellac off the grips, and stained ebony)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2889/9234815655_3646ba09f7_b.jpg

after the first couple of cylinders....

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3666/9234806067_57dc89612b_b.jpg

The dull "retro grey" patina I wanted is setting in, but after seeing some of these polished to a high gloss, I may bust out the wheels and rouges..... The "inner magpie" is strong in this guy. (ran a polishing/detail business for years, I like shiny)

[69daytona]

Here is a pic of a 1915 colt that my Grand Father carried while in the Calvery way back when they were still riding horses.
He carried it throughout his carrier and then while a security guard.
Just to show what honest wear looks like.

[SourMashII]

Thanks. Now I have a target.

[portlybowlofpigfat]

i am a bit challenged when it comes to tech stuff , i did not have much luck getting a good pic , but here goes .... i still need to do the screws and lose the ugly red finish on the grip... maybe do something with the grip frame as well .

79568

[Markbo]

Here is my favorite guide to such an endeavor. Boge Quinn Antiquing an Uberti. How about that!?
http://www.gunblast.com/Boge_Uberti.htm

[KCSO]

I never quite got the point of an ANTIQUE finish. You buy a new gun and pay someone to put a whoopin to it? I wonder how many folks in the old days went to the gun shop and said, " hey give me that one that looks all beat to $#@!". Certinaly a nice fire blue and silver plated back strap but RUST and acid etch??? Makes it shoot better???

[portlybowlofpigfat]

well normaly i would not refinish a near new revolver or rifle .
but i just could not live with that matte black finish it came with , the only redeeming feature of the origonal finish was it made the revolver way cheaper to buy .
hence the refinish , i didnt use any of the harsh chemicals , just some biodegradable stripper on a rag .
now that i aint ashamed to been seen usin it i'll give her some honest wear from use

[35 Whelen]

I never quite got the point of an ANTIQUE finish. You buy a new gun and pay someone to put a whoopin to it? I wonder how many folks in the old days went to the gun shop and said, " hey give me that one that looks all beat to $#@!". Certinaly a nice fire blue and silver plated back strap but RUST and acid etch??? Makes it shoot better???

The point is it's appealing to some, me included. No, I wouldn't buy a new gun then pay someone to make it look old (although many folks do), but I really enjoyed doing the antique job on this pistol. It's funny, at the local CAS matches I attend, no one gives a second glance to the new, shiny pistols, but ones that look old and have character, seem to draw a lot of attention.

Folks on internet forums like to post pictures of their shiny, unused, unscratched safe-queen guns, but pretty, unused or underused guns have zero appeal to me. I much prefer guns and pictures of guns with that "been there, done that" look. (even if they haven't) If I want to see pretty, I'll order a manufacturer catalog or visit their websites.

I bought my wife a pair or Hombre's that look pretty much like portly's and if she'll ever give me the OK, I'll antique them too!

One other thing about my antiqued .44 pictured above; as I mentioned in a previous post, mine is very much a utility gun so I don't baby it. A little over an hour ago as I was patching a barbed wire fence, I hung the grip on the bottom strand as I ducked under the fence. I felt one of the barbs scrape across the left grip, then across the back of the grip frame and the right grip panel. Oh well.....

portlybowlofpigfat, it's your pistol and you may unapologetically do anything to it any way you wish to do it!
35W

[Jupiter7]

Of course the antique finish shoots better! Painting flames on hot rods makes'em faster! Facts of life. I dig the finish. I like the original rough finish on the gun except it was simply a paint on. Honest wear is a badge of pride, I'm a shooter, not a collector. If those inexpensive pietta clones hit the market, I may try the same, that or flames :)

[HDS]

i am a bit challenged when it comes to tech stuff , i did not have much luck getting a good pic , but here goes .... i still need to do the screws and lose the ugly red finish on the grip... maybe do something with the grip frame as well .

79568

Have you taken any cold bluing to that gun yet or have you only removed finish so far?

I would repeat my suggestion of shooting black powder through the gun and just clean the bore and chambers carefully, be a little sloppy with the exterior cleaning, or leave it a day before cleaning the outside, over time that'll build some genuine exterior wear. It will also do a number on your brass too, take a look at these 1866 receivers, first one is definitely stained by BP residue:

http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt358/Mako_CAS/Rifles/IMG_2438.jpg

http://milpas.cc/rifles/ZFiles/United%20States%20Rifles/Winchester/winchester%20models/1866/Winchester%20Model%201866_files/66-013157-04.jpg

http://media.liveauctiongroup.net/i/14221/14395837_3.jpg?v=8CF9142B69841F0

[portlybowlofpigfat]

that pic is after being cold blued and thinning it back down with scotchbrite .
sadly i wasnt able to get a picture that would show the color a bit better .... oldschool film i understand ... fancy iphone camera's are beyond me .

[portlybowlofpigfat]

i sanded the grip and gave it a few coats of tung oil

79887

[robertbank]

tagged for interest. I am getting the SA bug big time. I have three in the stable now. Can CASS be far behind?

Take Care

Bob