BP kits you build

[ChasMack]

I was watching some videos about building a flintlock pistol from a kit. I went to Dixie Gun Works and they had numerous kits. I was surprised to see a kit to build a Colt Walker by Uberti. Has anyone tried to build one? The ad says" kit is pre-assembled but will require final finishing such as sanding, bluing, polishing, and etc. Skill level 1". How hard is it to blue the gun or any other finish? Is it possible to do a good job that looks professional by a 1st timer or should it be sent out to a "real" pro? I put together a flintlock Hawken by Thompson Center years ago, barrel was already blued and it came out pretty good I thought. I am sure someone here knows more about doing these kits than I do. The Walker is what really interests me. Thanks for any help and info!

 

[M-Cameron]

Sure, it is entirely possible to get good results bluing a gun yourself..... But 'cold' bluing is not going to be a durable as a traditional 'hot' bluing done by a gunsmith.

I personally have gotten great results from g-96 cold blue cream.....but I've heard oxphoblue is also pretty good.... I have never gotten good results from the birch wood cases blues though.

First you need to get the metal prepped, make sure it is free from tool marks and the bare metal looks. Spend time and make sure the surface is good and smooth because any imperfections will show up in the bluing.

Then you need to clean the metal free from any grease or oils..... I typically use alcohol and wipe it down well.

Then I heat the parts with a blowtorch, it doesn't need to get red hot.... Just enough to get the parts warm..... It shouldn't be so hot that you can't hold the parts.

Then I apply the bluing cream with a paintbrush in a nice even coat.

I then let it sit for several minutes and then remove the excess with a rag and some generic cleaner( water, windex, crazy clean, ect.)

I then lightly buff the metal with some 0000 steel wool and oil.... Some bluing will inevitably wear off but you don't want to go crazy and strip it back to bear metal.

I then clean the metal again with soap and water and clean it with alcohol

I then repeat the process as many times as needed.

When I am done, I give the piece a good coat of oil and let it sit for a few days before use.

Essentially it all comes down to the time and effort you put into it, if you cut corners and do a halfass job, you are going to get a halfass result.

 

[Steel Horse Rider]

I have completed two kits from Dixie, the first was a Pedersoli Kentucky percussion pistol kit and the second was a Pedersoli Hawken flint rifle kit. Both needed a lot of wood work (Duelist1954 has a great video on the Kentucky Pistol kit http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=712471) for which I used a block plane, files, and a lot of sandpaper. The pistol came with a "temporary" blued finish that I left intact but will probably get it properly hot blued the next time my gunsmith is running a batch in his bluing tank. I left the Hawken barrel in the "white" with no finish other than a regular rubdown with gun oil. I did use a mill file as a draw file to remove the fine mill cutter tool marks and then sanded with crocus cloth over a wood block for a smooth dull finish. I have used a browning solution on another old pistol that I was refurbishing as it would have been the original finish but I really didn't care for the look. My woodworking background is limited to a few shop classes in Jr and Sr High school and a little custom cabinet making for a remodel in a kitchen but, if you have patience, I think the kit can be finished out very nicely by a person of average skills and minimal equipment. The best purchase is a Black and Decker Workmate vise similar to what Mike uses in the video, I found mine at a flea market for a little over $20.

 

[Skinny 1950]

If I remember correctly the original Walkers came with the cylinder in the white ie: no bluing so this should make it easier to finish.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Look up Express Bluing. It's more labor intensive but can be done at home.

 

[BADUNAME30]

Or, you may wanna concider browning.
Browning is far easier than home bluing and you can get some absolutely beautiful results.
I think a browned Walker would look as handsome as all git out.

 

[jldee55]

I got one of the Walker kits from The Possible Shop..I got it as a tribute to my dad and named it "Old Crow" (his nickname). It in all reallity could have been fired right from the box, the only things in it that were blued were the cylinder, screws and wedge.. The brass was still a rough sand cast and the grips blocky, the loading lever and hammer were already case hardened, the barrel and frame in the white, while rough they only had some mill marks to clean off, ..I took the cylinder back down to the white (a spare one I got later will be left blued). I used a combo of Laural Mt rust blue and some cold blueing I found (while going through some of my dad's old gun stuff) and I am pleased with the look, not show room perfect, kinda looks like an older used look. The brass while not perfect either turned out nice but I can work on that part a little more each time I tear it down for cleaning if I choose..Grips turned out comfortable and were stained with walnut and finished with tung oil, I still am looking for a 1934 penny to set in on one side for his birth year and a 2007 Gold dollar will be put on the other, All in all I am pleased with it, like my dad, not perfect, but functional and you can improve on it as you go, I tears up milk jugs at 127 yards so that's not to bad..

 

[Patocazador]

"I still am looking for a 1934 penny to set in on one side for his birth year and a 2007 Gold dollar will be put on the other."

2007 gold dollar? They didn't mint anything smaller than a "five dollar" gold coin then. It's one-tenth oz. gold and sells currently for ~ $180. Anything larger wouldn't look right when inletted into a grip. Those coins with the presidents that are gold colored are very large and don't hold up well.