Antiquing percussion revolvers

[Stantheman86]

Anyone who has been in the military knows that issued weapons stay "new" for about a week after being in the hands of Joe . I saw M16s that looked like they were run over by a truck and M9 Berettas with less finish than some of the original 1860 Armies I've seen. Field use is hard on guns especially by 18-25 year old dudes who don't really care about them

Joe existed in 1861 just like he does now....1861 Springfields and 1860 Armies were carried in the rain, cleaned over and over for inspection, dropped, stacked, banged around, sweated on...revolvers lived in holsters for years at a time . Nothing stayed new very long . Rub that revolver with coffee grounds once per week and wipe it with a canvas cloth covered in oil. See how new it stays.

It's not like they were carefully cleaned and put away in a dehumidifier equipped safe after being fired once every 2 months like most people's guns

If you want to really age a repro, just treat it like it isn't yours for 6 months like it's something you have to carry and not lose, and keep clean enough to not have to have 2 weeks pay forfeited. Don't be careful with it at all. It will look field worn in no time

 

[Hawk54]

Anyone who has been in the military knows that issued weapons stay "new" for about a week after being in the hands of Joe . I saw M16s that looked like they were run over by a truck and M9 Berettas with less finish than some of the original 1860 Armies I've seen. Field use is hard on guns especially by 18-25 year old dudes who don't really care about them

Joe existed in 1861 just like he does now....1861 Springfields and 1860 Armies were carried in the rain, cleaned over and over for inspection, dropped, stacked, banged around, sweated on...revolvers lived in holsters for years at a time . Nothing stayed new very long . Rub that revolver with coffee grounds once per week and wipe it with a canvas cloth covered in oil. See how new it stays.

It's not like they were carefully cleaned and put away in a dehumidifier equipped safe after being fired once every 2 months like most people's guns

If you want to really age a repro, just treat it like it isn't yours for 6 months like it's something you have to carry and not lose, and keep clean enough to not have to have 2 weeks pay forfeited. Don't be careful with it at all. It will look field worn in no time

I spent 7 years in the Army infantry and then the Army national Guard after that. Yes, the weapons get used and abused but aren't allowed to be unserviceable. The rifle and pistol finish does get worn but damaged parts are replaced. I never saw a weapon that had even had 20% of the finish gone before either the part(s) were replaced or refinsihed. Weapons like that would not pass an IG inspection. The weapons did not look 100 years old. I understand liking to shoot weapons that look like they are old originals. I have an 1858 that someone aged. I am leaving it that way. I just prefer mine if new I keep them that way or as they age with use I maintain them that way. If I find one that I think should be restored, that is what I do. I really enjoy bringing beat up rusty weapons back to life. I am not going to take one that is not and make it so. Goes against the grain for me. Again, I am not criticizing those that do. It is their choice and I do understand the appeal.

 

[user 52391]

Yeah, I'm an incessant tinkerer, this is just a enjoyable hobby project for me, something else to do out in the shop during my free time. I'm taking used revolvers, some that haven't always gotten the best of care, and artificially aging them for fun...I own plenty of pristine looking firearms that I also enjoy. I worked as a Tool & Die machinist/Diemaker for 28 years before moving into the engineering department seven years ago. During my machinist years, the LAST thing I wanted to do after a 10 hour work day was come home and do more of the same...That has changed now that I spend most of my day sitting in front of a computer.

 

[Stantheman86]

I spent 7 years in the Army infantry and then the Army national Guard after that. Yes, the weapons get used and abused but aren't allowed to be unserviceable. The rifle and pistol finish does get worn but damaged parts are replaced. I never saw a weapon that had even had 20% of the finish gone before either the part(s) were replaced or refinsihed. Weapons like that would not pass an IG inspection. The weapons did not look 100 years old. I understand liking to shoot weapons that look like they are old originals. I have an 1858 that someone aged. I am leaving it that way. I just prefer mine if new I keep them that way or as they age with use I maintain them that way. If I find one that I think should be restored, that is what I do. I really enjoy bringing beat up rusty weapons back to life. I am not going to take one that is not and make it so. Goes against the grain for me. Again, I am not criticizing those that do. It is their choice and I do understand the appeal.

People can do what they want with their guns

We also had some M14s in the arms room that looked like they were beat with hammers. Maybe the 10th Mountain, or my particular unit, was really lax , but we had some rough looking weapons. They worked but they had not been refinished or refurbished. They were inspected and gauged regularly by Armorers but cosmetically, no one cared . I deployed with a brand new FN M16A2 and when I arrived at my FOB in Iraq I traded it in and was issued an M4 that looked like it was shot with a load of birdshot , then I beat it up a lot more over that year , then 2 more in Garrison . I know who got that M4 after me, and they're lucky because I put a new aftermarket buffer spring in it , an XTra power hammer spring, Xtra power extractor and spring and a bunch of other stuff that could have gotten me jammed up but whatever.....because I knew what I was doing, and I ordered the parts off Fulton Armory during my deployment. That thing ran like a top too . That rifle got him through his Afghanistan deployment. Who knows, it's probably still in service somewhere, looking like it's 100 years old and never jamming.

The goal is not to make my percussion revolvers "look 100 years old" , people keep putting words in people's mouths here. Or all the "why do you like your guns to look like they've been buried in the ground?" No, that is far from the goal here

Walkers with the blue removed from the cylinder, and I'm letting the rest of the gun just wear naturally

Brassers with the blue removed, patina is settling in on the steel and the brass is slowly getting that mustard color , like guns that have been used hard for a few years (not 100)

I de-blued the frame, hammer and screws to make this Dance & Brothers look more correct. The originals had Iron frames and weren't color cased or if they were, it quickly wore off.

Pietta Schneider & Glassicks I allowed to rust after the vinegar bath, to get a nice streaky patina. They also look like guns that saw a hard 4 years in the field . Bluing was not very durable back then and we aren't even sure what methods some gunmakers used to blue, or black, brown etc. the steel on these guns.

If it enhances enjoyment of your guns, it's not wrong. They're repros, do what you feel like doing. Let the leather and the gun age together with use

 

[TFoley]

Call me picky, but IMO they look way better this way up -

 

[pacanis]

As an I've tried all the traditional methods, some work better than others. I've just haven't been able to achieve that frosted gray-brown, slightly pitted patina that some of my antique originals have. I've read that applying Naval jelly and leaving it on for several hours works nicely...Has anyone here tried it?

I hear ya.
I would love to know what Uberti does to give their antique pistols that "antique" look. I emailed them asking if it was simply in the white or an actual finish and they said a finish. I can't imagine they mess with them too long.

 

[Carl.allen934]

I've done a few, they've turned out okay, but I have never been completely satisfied with the results...Are there any good sources of information on different tips & techniques out there anyone here is aware of and willing to share?

Wait 150 years

 

[Mikekj]

Funny, when I used to reenact everyone was defarbing there muskets and camp furniture. Seems they could not figure out the stuff was NEW than

Defarbing is not related to making something look old or antique.
Defarbing is removing modern markings on replicas.

 

[springfield art]

You have to get creative.

Real black powder fouling. Brass black/brown. Salt. Moisture. Heat.

A little dinging and denting. Waller out the screw slots. Scar up and pin hole the grips.

Look at an old gun and try to imagine how got like that.

I'd draw the line at wallering out the screws! But all these tips are good food for thought.

 

[Stantheman86]

I hear ya.
I would love to know what Uberti does to give their antique pistols that "antique" look. I emailed them asking if it was simply in the white or an actual finish and they said a finish. I can't imagine they mess with them too long.

They probably spray them with something caustic and then wash it off. The increased price isn't worth it, I can beat up guns myself

To my knowledge Cimarron stopped offering the "Old West" finish probably due to lack of demand

 

[pacanis]

I stop at holster wear. I don't want to push myself to give it that French gray light pitting look. Hard to take back

 

[Pete453]

Stan, look up COLD BLUE CASE HARDENING EFFECT on YouTube. It might be something you want to do with that Dance and Bros. frame and rammer assembly. It's very real looking and would give you the faded case color look pretty quickly.

 

[GYJ]

If you want them to look like they did when they were first issued, you need to first send your Uberti or Pietta to Turnbull for a full refinish. Because that finish on your replica ain't authentic. Further, how long do you think those guns looked like that? A week? A month? Those pitted old Colts didn't get that way from 160yrs of constant use. They got that way from 20yrs of constant use, 140yrs ago. Nobody today is using guns like that.

Then there's the, "let it age naturally" argument. I'm 48yrs old and have been shooting since before I was old enough to go to school. I've never gotten anywhere close to that level of wear on anything.

I love aged guns and leather. I've bought several of the Uberti and Cimarron factory aged guns and have done two myself. So if you want a sixgun that looks like a historical relic, you can either fork out a minimum of $2000-$4000 original in questionable condition and be afraid to shoot it. Or for a fraction of that, you can buy a replica that looks the part but is otherwise new, made of modern steels, that you can shoot with impunity and not worry about.

 

[Stantheman86]

If you want them to look like they did when they were first issued, you need to first send your Uberti or Pietta to Turnbull for a full refinish. Because that finish on your replica ain't authentic. Further, how long do you think those guns looked like that? A week? A month? Those pitted old Colts didn't get that way from 160yrs of constant use. They got that way from 20yrs of constant use, 140yrs ago. Nobody today is using guns like that.

Then there's the, "let it age naturally" argument. I'm 48yrs old and have been shooting since before I was old enough to go to school. I've never gotten anywhere close to that level of wear on anything.

I love aged guns and leather. I've bought several of the Uberti and Cimarron factory aged guns and have done two myself. So if you want a sixgun that looks like a historical relic, you can either fork out a minimum of $2000-$4000 original in questionable condition and be afraid to shoot it. Or for a fraction of that, you can buy a replica that looks the part but is otherwise new, made of modern steels, that you can shoot with impunity and not worry about.

The Redhawk .44 I keep under my car seat is starting to look kinda beat , and it's one of the few guns I own that I actually treat like a tool. It's my defensive gun that I use for my drive to and from work, and it lives in a holster and it gets bounced around a lot . I don't baby it. I carry it and it gets stuck into the drawer under my seat every day .

Years and Years down the road, someone will probably own that gun after I'm gone and probably continue to use it as a tool or wonder what happened to this now 50 year old stainless Ruger revolver , and why is it all scuffed up with beat up grips

Original period percussion revolvers were often carried hard too and like you said, it's a short period of hard use that wears the guns and then they sat somewhere, were used by kids to play with or just were stuck in attics and basements because they were just old antiquated junk until fairly recently.

My Dad's friend told me years ago, he'd buy original cap and baller Colts at flea markets in the 1950s for a few bucks and shoot them. They didn't treat them like historical pieces like we do now.

I'm actually watching Hell on Wheels right now with all the plethora of historically incorrect .44 Brassers they use , but still a good show. They took the time and care to put lots of wear and patina on the guns , and it's only 1866 so it would seem they want these guns that would only be a few years old to look very hard used.

 

[Hawk54]

Most of the issue pistols carried by Union soldiers during the Civil War were carried by officers, cavalry, and light artillery. The pistols spent 99% of their time in a flap holster. An officer would only carry the pistol in the open when facing enemy troops across a field and then often used a sword. If they did discharge the pistol in a fight the rounds were expended and it probably went right back into the holster as most of the time they would not have had time to reload on an open field during a fight. Light artillery would rarely need to draw their pistol. Cavalry carried their pistols in holsters. If an enlisted man not authorized a side arm did get hold of a pistol he would have had to carry it in his belt where it would get beat up but the was the exception. Not the norm. Rifles on the other hand were always in the open and got banged around a lot.

 

[Pukka Bundook]

Hawk,
I remember a great pile of old 1860's Colts at an arms fair in York, (UK) many moons ago.
I think they had come in from some South American country, but the dealer wasn't letting on.
They were all so loose limbed I couldn't find one amongst them to buy. They were pretty cheap as well!
One thing that was consistent, was the muzzles were all worn off at an angle from being carried likely in flap holsters and it must have been dry gritty conditions.
Someone mentioned getting to look like we see them from 20 years of wear.
Yes, it could be, but a hundred years in the shed in the damp or whatever can sure mess with any finish as well. Sometimes we find them with one side all pitted and the other side good. sat on a damp rag or something forever.

 

[Hawk54]

Hawk,
I remember a great pile of old 1860's Colts at an arms fair in York, (UK) many moons ago.
I think they had come in from some South American country, but the dealer wasn't letting on.
They were all so loose limbed I couldn't find one amongst them to buy. They were pretty cheap as well!
One thing that was consistent, was the muzzles were all worn off at an angle from being carried likely in flap holsters and it must have been dry gritty conditions.
Someone mentioned getting to look like we see them from 20 years of wear.
Yes, it could be, but a hundred years in the shed in the damp or whatever can sure mess with any finish as well. Sometimes we find them with one side all pitted and the other side good. sat on a damp rag or something forever.

Agree. Storing a pistol in an old leather holster will destroy the finish where the finish touches the leather if the leather was tanned using caustic processes like tannic acid. I have seen pistols that were stored in old leather holsters that were really a mess. Removed the finish and badly pitted the metal. I just saw a repro 1860 Army pistol that was stored for some time in an old repro CW flap holster that any where the metal touched the holster all the finish was gone and there was pitting. Muzzle, cylinder, and back strap.

Storing a pistol in a way that traps moisture against the metal is bad. Have seen pistols that were stored in one of the those display cases where the pistol laid on one side for a long time and wasn't taken out and cleaned or oiled often. The side that was in contact with the felt material in the case was rusted. One side looked like new and the other had a lot of rust.

 

[GYJ]

Most of the issue pistols carried by Union soldiers during the Civil War were carried by officers, cavalry, and light artillery. The pistols spent 99% of their time in a flap holster. An officer would only carry the pistol in the open when facing enemy troops across a field and then often used a sword. If they did discharge the pistol in a fight the rounds were expended and it probably went right back into the holster as most of the time they would not have had time to reload on an open field during a fight. Light artillery would rarely need to draw their pistol. Cavalry carried their pistols in holsters. If an enlisted man not authorized a side arm did get hold of a pistol he would have had to carry it in his belt where it would get beat up but the was the exception. Not the norm. Rifles on the other hand were always in the open and got banged around a lot.

They also lived with no air conditioning. They lived and worked outdoors, in all manner of hostile conditions and spent many a night without a roof over their heads. All the caps and powders they used were corrosive. Most handgun wear does not come from when it's in your hands. It comes from when it's not.

Doesn't really matter. What matters is that those old Colt's look how they look now and that's what an artificially aged gun is intended to duplicate. With a new gun, not a historical relic, at 10% of the cost. Either way, I think a shiny new Pietta looks at least as out of place as an aged one but probably more.

 

[Hawk54]

They also lived with no air conditioning. They lived and worked outdoors, in all manner of hostile conditions and spent many a night without a roof over their heads. All the caps and powders they used were corrosive. Most handgun wear does not come from when it's in your hands. It comes from when it's not.

Doesn't really matter. What matters is that those old Colt's look how they look now and that's what an artificially aged gun is intended to duplicate. With a new gun, not a historical relic, at 10% of the cost. Either way, I think a shiny new Pietta looks at least as out of place as an aged one but probably more.

I do like the look of a gently aged cap and ball pistol. I do agree that a brand new finish does stand out but just can't bring myself to alter it. I don't care for the looks of one that has been stripped and then beat, scratched, and pounded. I have seen some very nice defarbing done and some that I didn't like. I don't like all the stampings on the new pistols. I would consider removing the stampings and then refinsih. Rub the new finish back to a good gentle wear appearance. We can agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to this stuff.

 

[Stantheman86]

I also collect , though not as much anymore, S&W, Ruger and Colt .38 revolvers with police property marks. I have some blued revolvers from the 60's-80's that have lots of honest "working wear" from a couple decades of daily carry. It's the same concept, they're worn from 20 years in the holster, not 60 or 70 of constant shooting and use.