Need to reblue my great grandfathers guns. Opinions needed.

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Personally I would have the Smith refinished without a second thought. Either a trusted gunsmith or the factory can make it like new(just a slightly different tint to the bluing than original). This rust needs to be removed. Oil or wax isn't going to stop it,just slow it down.
 
Matt, if it were my revolver I would kill and remove as much rust as I could, then clean and preserve as I suggested in my first post. Remember that your great granddad had lots of fun and memories getting that guy into the condition it's in now.
 
I would kill and remove as much rust as I could, then clean and preserve as I suggested in my first post.
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That's the problem. You can't kill it just slow it down. It will continue to corrode just at a slower pace. The damage has been done.
Remember that your great granddad had lots of fun and memories getting that guy into the condition it's in now.
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This isn't "honest wear" from usage ,this is damage from neglect.
 
I see your point oldbear and appreciate your post intending to help me remove the rust.....but the process you described doesn't seem like something I want to try to tackle. Also, remember, I mainly want to do whatever will make the gun last/function the longest, not "show character". It was my great grandfathers gun.....and if I get it refinished, it was still my great grandfathers gun. I don't want to slow the rusting process down, I want to remove the rust completely and take proper care of the pistol so it will shoot for 60 more years.
 
I'm going to suggest something many may consider heresy.
If you aren't looking for a perfect as original finish but just wish to preserve the firearm for posterity, consider having the gun glass beaded and parkarized in matte black.
The glass beaded with pound the rust out of the pits and the black parkarizing will do a great job of hiding the pits unless one is really looking for them.
 
I have to agree with jimmyray again. The worn edges and occasional nick may be "honest wear" and if that was the extent of it, I'd keep it that way as a proud personal treasure.

The rust, however, is damage from mistakes in protecting that gun in storage. That's not evidence of the good days in the field, it is a scar from lapses in care and poor judgment in safekeeping. And it is likely to continue to get worse if not handled.

I certainly would put that gun back in as good condition as possible, and then consider it my duty to only allow REAL "honest wear" to befall it in the future.
 
Suggestion for the model 12:

I have a 1903 manufacture 1897 Winchester pump that I got from my Dad when he died in 1988. I do not know who (or when) refinished that old shotgun but it is beautiful, functional and very easy to care for. It has so very strange "black chrome" finish. It is shiny in the shade (the lower the light level, the brighter it shines), however if it is in the bright sun, it looks black. Easist gun to take care of I own. wipe it down and you are done. Not one speck of rust, fingerprints or anything. Sorry I can't tell you who did the finish, or even if they are still alive. Dad's 1897 has always looked like that as far as I remember (and I'm old enough to draw SS, and have for the last few years.)

For the S&W, I would reblue it if only to stop the rust. S&W would do the best job, but probably would be the most expensive too. There are others out there that do good work, it's not rocket science.
 
Your old folks spent a lot of time and sweat "aging" those pieces, rare or not.
And you want to paint and pretty them up like Saterday night bar girls.
Clean then and leave them be.
Your generations will thank you.
 
That revolver is what I would call a "shooter". Not a museum piece, no special collector value, but a personal treasure. You probably won't ever want to sell it, so resale value is irrelevant. Your personal satisfaction with it is foremost.

If it were mine, I would certainly want to keep it. I would make sure that it's in good tune and give it the best bluing job I could find. Don't let it rust, and teach your heirs how to use and maintain it. They'll love you for it.
 
The S&W has a nice front sight on it. As for condition, if it were mine, it would be going to Fords or similar shop for a refinish. The rust and such detracts from an otherwise nice revolver.
 
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The S&W has a nice front sight on it. As for condition, if it were mine, it would be going to Fords or simialr shop for a refinish. The rust and such detracts from an otherwise nice revolver.
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That old Smith is just begging for some love and attention. I'd get it refinished and be able to bring it out and brag on it a bit instead of apologizing fot it's poor appearance.
 
I have a couple of S&W revolvers, my grandfather's Springfield/Savage .22 and a Vietnam bring back SKS which look worse than your pics in places. I used #0000 steel wool (couldn't find bronze wool at the time) and CLP to clean the rusty places. I soaked a small piece of the steel wool and gently rubbed the area, wiping frequently, until very little rust would show up on the wiping cloth. It took several sittings. I even used a copper penny with a lot of the CLP to gently rub or scrape the rusty area. The places that just were bare metal didn't bother me. I got most of the rust off and stopped the deterioration. I just couldn't bring myself to refinish the guns. To me, the value and history of the guns would have been ruined if I had them refinished. Don't store a gun in the holster. That's probably where the problem originate. My grandfather's early Smith and Wesson had the same problem. No way I would refinish his gun. It has nice examples of the original blueing around and behind the cylinder. Of course, it's your gun. If you want a really nice new looking gun, perhaps you would enjoy buying one and just let the old gun be what it is; an old gun. Just my opinion. Others differ, no doubt.
 
The Smith is not just worn, it is neglected; probably by being stored in a cheap leather holster with tanning compounds against bare steel in varying humidities over the generations. Notice how the sideplate and left rear of the frame are pretty sound? They weren't in contact with leather. The barrel, cylinder, topstrap, and trigger guard were, and they are rusty.

I would ask S&W if they would reblue a revolver of this age.

The bead front sight is very unusual for a post-war gun. I doubt that makes it a valuable collector's item in its present or potentially refinished condition.


A Model 12 shotgun that "looks like crap", I would send it to one of the established finishers with instructions for a factory level blue. Not too bright a polish but not the current fad of bead blast tackytickle flat black, either.
 
They are your guns. They are not highly collectible in good condition and certainly not in their present ones. You will lose nothing, including nostalgia, by having them professionally restored.
 
Personally, I would reblue it. But not with S&W. I would do Ford's, just cause I'm in Florida also, or Turnbull. They'll probably do a better job than S&W could.

Eddie Ed
 
I've seen some before and after pictures posted right here on this forum testifying to what Smith can do to restore a finish. I wouldn't have believed it.


I'd send it there. The prices are reasonable, and you'll get a long life out of it. It's not like you're going to want to sell it to a stranger anyway. Refinish it, and enjoy it.
 
There's some pitting, but it's minor. Personally I would just scrub with ultra fine steel wool to remove any residual then keep a thin layer of CLP on it. Rust, per se, isn't going to be a problem. If you treat the gun right the rust becomes a patina that protects it. It isn't a virus.

I've seen much, much worse. Think of it as character. If you refinish, you make this revolver less unique and less of an heirloom.
 
Personally I would just scrub with ultra fine steel wool to remove any residual then keep a thin layer of CLP on it. Rust, per se, isn't going to be a problem. If you treat the gun right the rust becomes a patina that protects it. It isn't a virus.
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This is true of surface rust. I've used 0000 steel wool and oil (WD-40)for several decades to remove surface rust very effectively. This isn't surface rust. It's pitting and the steel wool and oil won't have much effect on it because it can't get to it.
It isn't a virus.
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As far as guns are concerned,it's the closest thing to it. If this isn't removed,either chemically or mechanically(glassbead,wire brush,buffer etc,) even if re-blued, it will come back through the new bluing. A professional re-bluer will know how to do it.
 
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