[BJG]

Please see this post and respond either here or there. Thanks everyone!
Colt 1991A1 Commander (http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=81402)

[wasrjoe]

Any way we can see the photos without registering to the forum?

[BJG]

Photo...

[BJG]

Another photo...

[mete]

As far as checkering, 20 lpi flat top checkering is the best way to go. The pitting doesn't seem all that bad from the photos though actually seeing it would give a better idea. I'd first take abrasive paper on a block of wood to see how easy it was to remo ve the pits. To just plate over the pits is not a good idea. Talking it over with the plater would be the best .Always go to a plater with a good reputation and one experienced doing guns.

[Sean Smith]

You could probably have the pitting ground right off, actually, along with the ugly 1991 slide markings. Plating a pitted surface would be a bad idea.

[cerberus]

Find a good Gun Refinishing guy and have it polished and reblued I did this with an old WW1 Colt 1911 and it now looks super nice.

[Gunsnrovers]

Bought a poorly stored S&W M28 that had a great action, but rusted and pitted. The right side plate, cylinder, and right side of the barrel were badly rusted from being laid out on a cloth for months on end. The PO had a smith reblue the gun, but the pitting was still there and more rust appeared. The dummy even had the trigger and hammer blued. Yuck! The reblue on it looked like someone had painted it on with a brush.

Got the pistol for a song and ad a friend bead blast it and refinish it. Not S&W blue, but fine for a house gun. I wish I had a "before" photo, but it was at least as bad as the photo's you posted.
http://www.suckasstheatre.com/myguns/images/m28.jpg
Whole project set me back $100, but the pistol is no longer a rusty eyesore.

Jeff

[BB93YJ]

Take some medium fine wet/dry sandpaper wrapped on a flat hardwood block and slowly knock down the surface to lessen the pits but not remove the serial number, etc. Then have it bead blasted and get a bake on finish like Gun Kote put on it.

[kmays]

The best solution is to remove the pits entirely. Any other approach will be a half-measure at best and will be something you probably won't be satisfied with in the long run.

Most competent gunsmiths should be able to take the metal down just enough to get under the pits. I have done this myself with slow and judicious use of a belt sander, but it's not something I'd recommend to a novice. You can do it yourself with sandpaper taped to a sheet of plate glass but it is a slow process.

The only problematic area might be the serial number. Depending on how deep the pitting is, the s/n might need to be deepened or re-engraved.

The alternative is the quick and dirty method. Have it sandblasted (bead blasting won't be aggressive enough) and treated with something like naval jelly or some other rust remover to remove the oxidation at the bottom of the pits. Otherwise it will just return sooner or later.

Then have it coated with Gunkote or something similar, to prevent future rusting. I wouldn't waste the money to have it plated if you aren't going to polish out the pitting.