antiquing BP revolvers

[1911]

There was a really good thread on here a while back about how to antique or age your modern black powder revolver to make it look old and vintage.

Can someone point me to that thread?

 

[XTerminator]

Is this the one you're thinking of?

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,5505.0.html

 

[Big Sarge]

I strip the finish using vinegar. Then I either let it rust a little and clean with 0000 steel wool or I use a plum brown finish

 

[K.A.T.]

Strip the blueing by putting the parts in a dish of White Vinegar and let them soak. Useing vinegar gives the parts a dull gray look, the Birchwood Casey blueing remover doesn't gray the metal as much. If you want to add a shine hit it with some steel wool.

Take some Birchwood blueing and a papertowel and wipe some back on, after about a minute, take some vinegar on a papertowel and start rubbing it back off. It will turn it a brown looking color.

If you want to add some rust, put some bleach on it with a cotton ball or Q-Tip. It will start rusting in about two minutes. Keep the bleach out of the barrel and cylinder.

Smear some browning on it, wipe some off with Vinegar. I don't think you can mess up. Just experiment with it and get it like you want it. Here is my new Pietta. After removing the blueing it is a good time to remove the writing on the barrel if you have any. I just filed it off, then rounded it back up, moved to a small file, then started with sand paper and worked my way to the fine stuff. Then used vinegar again to dull the shine back out.

 

[.50cal]

My before and after pictures, used vinegar to remove blueing, BBQ cleaner that has caustic soda to 'age' the metal. Then added a small amount of blueing then wiped back off right away with vinegar on a rag then oil.