"Antiquing" or aging a Stoeger/Uberti "Hombre" SAA... tips?

[J-Bar]

Longshot Logan was a cowboy action shooter who enjoyed refinishing stocks and antiqueing revolvers.

His method:


https://gungiveaways.com/how-to-antique-a-colt-single-action-army-saa-revolver/

 

[Speedo66]

Nice job, definitely looks better than factory crinkle!

 

[Bartojc]

That looks great IMHO. Not sure I would have had the guts to try something like that but the results look worth the risk.
Jeff

 

[Tallball]

Nice work!

 

[Archibald Stanton]

First of all, if you are "not interested in artificially aging a gun", and "don't know why anyone would do such a thing," you are free to move along. I'll wait....

Okay. For those who know something about this, I have come into possession of a Stoeger/Uberti "Hombre" in .45 Colt. It has the matte black finish but the cylinder is starting to rust on one side, and I hate the flat black finish on SAAs anyway, so I'm thinking of "aging" it similar to that in this thread: https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/antiqued-uberti-hombre.659204/

Has anyone come up with a better-looking method, or maybe a chemical removal of the finish? I don't care about durability of the remaining finish of the gun. It'll be a range toy and kept wiped with an oily rag. According to the thread above this finish is bead-blasted and then blued? is that accurate?

Any tips or recommendations before I dive in with some steel wool?

Best way to age brass or bronze is to handle it constantly and never wipe it off. It will get that dull, aged, and possibly even tarnished look (depending on the alloy) fairly quickly. Leave it exposed to air as much as possible unless you have small kids. All of my brass has that well used look because they are all well used, even my Henrys when people said it couldn't be done with the new ones. As another probably terrible option, you could just leave it outside for a few months and it will look so ancient that you'll wish you hadn't.

Keep an eye on it because humans also excrete salt and as good as your natural oil is for aging things, your natural salt is just as good at ruining it. Shouldn't be too much of an issue unless you sweat a lot or consume salty foods constantly.

 

[Speedo66]

I've heard of people aging brass by soaking it in urine, haven't felt the need, or inclination, to try it.

 

[Barbaroja]

Great job on that revolver. I’ve looked at this model a few times as I’d like an inexpensive single action to tote around the farm to,keep my rugers nicer for longer, but I hate that matte finish. This just moved them into the “decent option” category, thanks!

 

[CraigC]

I've heard of pepole aging brass by soaking it in urine, haven't felt the need, or inclination, to try it.

Believe it or not, I tried that with a brass buckle. I sat it out in the yard and peed on it for months. Didn't seem to do it any faster than the weather would have.

Cold blue turns brass instantly.

 

[1KPerDay]

I've heard of pepole aging brass by soaking it in urine, haven't felt the need, or inclination, to try it.

That just happens naturally

 

[bannockburn]

1KPerDay

Nice job of aging! Just the right amount. The grips look great too!

 

[1KPerDay]

Thanks guys!

 

[1KPerDay]

Video of first shots for those interested.