My Tanfoglio project with pics!

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nwilliams

nwilliams

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Dec 10, 2006
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Albuquerque, NM
So the other day I was at my local gun shop and saw something behind the glass that called out to me. It was a Tanfoglio Witness compact in .45acp and the price was $250. I asked to see it and when the manager walked by and saw me looking at it he told that they could do $225 if I wanted it. Well I took him up on the offer and brought the gun home, my plan was to make it a project gun and do a complete refinish.

The gun came with three eight round mags and original case, it seemed to be in good working condition with a good barrel. The only real issue with the gun is that whoever had it before me apparently tried to remove the original finish and didn't do a good job.

A buddy of mine lent me his Blue Wonder bluing removal kit so I figured I'd see what I could do with it. I went to work on the gun and after a couple hours I got some fantastic results. I used the Blue Wonder removal stuff, some steel wool, and Flitz to get the results you see below. I'm still not 100%, there are still some places I need to touch up but I couldn't be happier with how it looks now!

How it originally came....
Witnessbefore-1.jpg

Before.....
Witnessbefore-2.jpg

After....
Witnessafter-2.jpg

Before....
Witnessbefore-3.jpg

After....
Witnessafter-1.jpg
 
My project is nearing completion. I have reblued the gun using Blue Wonder and it seems to be working pretty well. Not sure how it will hold up over time but there is only one way to know. Still need to do some touch-up here and there but it's almost there.

Witnessfinal-1.jpg

Witnessfinal-2.jpg

Witnessfinal-3.jpg
 
Could you tell us how you applied the Blue Wonder? Dip it or use a swab?

Really nice work...
 
Nice job, and congrats on a great find.
I also love Tanfoglio pistols and beleive that they are as good in many ways as the original CZ pistols. I had the luck of picking up an unfired Tanfoglio TA90 series 88, which is the run of pistols right before EAA started importing them as the Witness series. It is a fantasic pistol in many ways, great DA trigger, very accurate, built like a tank and very tightly fitted. so be the case for most of Tanfoglio's pistols, they just get a bad rep for EAA's CS. If you can do your own work or find a knowledgable gunsmith, I believe that is the way to go if any problems were to occur.
I hope it runs great and serves you well, good luck!
 
Could you tell us how you applied the Blue Wonder? Dip it or use a swab?
Click to expand...
It was a very easy process it just takes time and patience. I ended up using almost the entire 2oz bottle of Bluing to get it to the point its at now. I applied it by simply wetting a cloth with a small amount and then wiping it across the surface. It starts darkening right away but you need to add many coats to get a nice deep dark. Once you have the surface covered with the bluing you then apply a single coat of the developer the same way and that darkens it even more. After a few coats of bluing I would stick the gun in the oven which was pre-heated to 130 degrees and leave it in there for a short time. Bluing reacts with heat and you can use a blow torch or hair dryer if you want, I just decided to use the oven. After heating it up a bit I would add a couple more coats of bluing followed by another coating of the developer.

I would say I put a good three or four hours into getting this gun blued and I still need to do some touch-up in a few spots. Overall I'm very happy with the way it has come out, it's a lot cheaper than sending it away to have it refinished and more fun this way. There are a lot of mixed reviews out there regarding the Blue Wonder stuff but I'm quite impressed with the stuff.
 
Well I think it's finally done!

I used up the last of the bluing that I had and spent about another hour working on it. Now it's got a nice dark finish that is even all around and I'm very pleased with how it came out.

Final couple pics....

Start...
Witnessbefore-3.jpg

Finish....
Witnessdone-2.jpg

Start....
Witnessbefore-2.jpg

Finish....
Witnessdone-1.jpg
 
The refinished guns do look good ,but, there is something about a well warn pistol that lets you know it has been around the block a couple times. It just has a certain amount of class that a new look'n gun does not have.
 
Great work, nwilliams! I attempted the same with a Winchester 1894 that had been neglected by its previous owner. I used Outers and it turned out acceptable but not as impressive as the results you achieved.
 
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