[lvcsslacker]

Well I grabbed a couple of Model 82's from J&G sales... Great price on them! Anyways, got them on Friday, and while functional, they look like they've seen better days. So at the moment, I'm taking a quick break from rebluing one of them. I can't help but to wonder if it's worth taking the trigger and such out before going after the frame, since I'm essentially going to soak the whole thing in water on occasion, and I'm worried about rusting out springs and such. As I get closer to the frame, I suppose I'll worry about it. Side plate, crane arm, and cylinder are first...

 

[kubelkampf]

I've done a couple now, without removing the "guts". Not a problem, as long as you flush out any remaining water with something like Break-Free or WD40, after you finish. In retrospect, if I ever do a complete strip/ re-blue job again, though, I'll likely completely strip the gun to the bare frame, though. Then, it'll be a bit easier to get some edges properly blued and brightened - which is a problem with the hammer still in place, anyway.

All that aside, I have another tack on this. Why not simply NOT strip the gun.....and get some Brownell's OXPHO-BLUE....and use that ? I just recently used that stuff for the first time - and I cannot say enough about how WONDERFUL it is. NO water, NO stripping the old blue ! Only wiping down the parts with alcohol first. The Oxpho-Blue is tough, too. Unlike conventional bluing, you don't really have to be careful on the "brightening" step.....the Oxpho essentially cures instantly. It works much better on original bluing than a re-blued gun, however (I know this from personal experience). It even will blend and make disappear damage like holster wear, in which the bluing is worn off completely. If I were you, I'd just use the Oxpho-Blue and NEVER go back to conventional bluing - that's what I am going to do.

If the gun has deep scratches in the metal, not just bluing damage, then a conventional re-blue (with stripping and buffing out the scratches) might be in order. But, short of that kind of thing.....the Oxpho-Blue will do a tremendous job...and very easily.

 

[lvcsslacker]

There is some pitting around, so I'm trying to get that out as best as I can.

 

[AdesteAnimo]

Thanks for the Oxpho Blue tip. I had no luck with cold blue strangely enough maybe that will work.

 

[Tslepebull]

They were cheap because they were rough; that is the beauty of them. They are as ugly as they are ever going to be. Shoot them, enjoy them, they are a tool not a work of art. If they are tight and timed right they are great!

 

[Jake3501]

Let us know how it turns out. I used to be pretty good at making an old dog look pretty good.

 

[lvcsslacker]

Trust me, I realize. But I figured I'd try to make it a bit more rust resistant.

 

[lvcsslacker]

Pictures of the finished product soon to come.

 

[texastaurusguy]

Pictures of the finished product soon to come.

Looking forward to it.

 

[Jake3501]

Pictures of the finished product soon to come.

Hurry, I want to see them! Soon or Sooner, at least at the Soonest!

 

[lvcsslacker]

ok, here's some pics...

Pic 1: STuff pulled apart before bluing. not in great shape.
Pic 2: side plate, crane arm, and cylinder blued, frame still rough.
Pic 3: Top gun is the one I got for my friend, bottom is what I worked on.
Pic 4: same as above. other side.
Pic 5: same. Top of revolver.

 

[lvcsslacker]

Pic 1: bottom of guns. Top one is still my friends
Pic 2: Left gun is mine, right is my friends. Cylinder out.
Pic 3: Front view, same deal.

 

[lvcsslacker]

hope you all enjoyed!

 

[Kentop]

Thank you for posting those pics. Gives me the courage to do the same thing myself. I picked up mine last Saturday. This morning I'm going out to shoot it for the first time, if no problems, I will strip and cold reblue. Since it's destined for my nightstand, I just want it to not rust while it sits in the drawer. It's been my experience that cold bluing rubs off pretty quickly, but for light handling, works just fine.

 

[lvcsslacker]

I figure as long as i keep it fairly clean it should be good for a while. And I'm also sure that if I'd have taken a few days to really polish each part to a brilliant shine, it would have turned out a bit better. I'm also thinking that if I put some heat on the gun while bluing, I may have gotten a better result.

But when all's said and done, if I'm gonna reblue a gun again, I'll take it to someone who's got a greater facility for that sorta thing. Trying to get the frame clean, polished, and blued evenly is a right pain in the rear. Though I do have a .22 barrel I'd love to take a crack at... it's not that it's super difficult. It's more that you need to take a lot of time and have a a great amount of patience.

One other thing I should mention is I used 3-4 coats of the bluing solution.

 

[cooper]

Thanks for sharing the pics. It's interesting to note some of the differences in those two revolvers (cylinder, ratchet, hammer, etc.).

 

[Laker]

Looks like it was a fun project. Thanks for sharing. Now go shoot the heck out of them and report back.

 

[Maximumbob54]

I’m in the middle of re bluing a very used S&W Model 10-10. She has a LOT of holster wear, is covered in little nicks and dings but is very mechanically sound. I’m using Brownell’s Oxpho Bluing Cream. I’m also using Birchwood Casey’s bluing and rust remover. I’m doing my best to use a stone or some very fine grit sanding paper to remove some of the bumps and bruises and then polishing it down with 000 steel wool. I used some Mother’s Mag Wheel polish on the barrel and then scrubbed it down with a nylon brush and alcohol. The barrel looks darn near new again now. But that is after heating the steel each time, wiping on the Oxpho, and then burnishing it with steel wool after each coat. I did the barrel three times. It’s time consuming work but is so far very rewarding.