Have you defarbed your percussion revolver?

[hrt4me]

If so, then please describe your process and share any photos of your work and/or final result...

 

[Stantheman86]

Deblued the cylinders on my Walkers as the originals were.

Also just "antiqued" 4 brass frame Navies but not really Defarbing

 

[hrt4me]

What is the difference between defarbing and antiquing?

 

[Stantheman86]

What is the difference between defarbing and antiquing?

I always think of "Defarbing " as removing all modern markings, adding historically correct stamps/marks, etc

Lodgewood sells a Defarbed Spiller & Burr that is completely done over and looks like an original.

I just made some of my revolvers look "field worn" by putting all the metal parts in a Vinegar bath , taking them out and wiping them down. It gives the metal a Patina and makes them look like they spent years in a holster. I didn't try to remove any markings.

 

[Stantheman86]

I "antiqued" this Uberti London Navy because my basement flooded and the humidity put a haze rust on some of the bluing. I removed all the blue and fake color casing with vinegar. I love it , I think it looks great. It has that "saw 20 years of carry " look

These Piettas I deblued just because I think the white gunmetal and brass looks good. I was going to polish the steel but I thought the patina looked better. The metal has an uneven color and looks aged. As the brass darkens I think they will look better. Two have unengraved cylinders and are pretty much Schneider & Glassicks , 2 have engraved cylinders but I'm just leaving them in. Still looks ok if not "correct".

 

[hrt4me]

those do look good, thank you for sharing your photos

what is your process to antique them using vinegar?
too much vinegar is harmful, though, right?

 

[Dashing Leper]

Vinegar does not create rust, it removes it (gun bluing is just a stable form of rust). You're not going to create any pitting or corrode away base steel with a vinegar bath.

 

[M. De Land]

I never could quite figure out the whole "fake wear" notion on gun finish. Shoot the gun regularly, care for it properly and it will develop it's own "real" patina very naturally. It doesn't need any help from it's owner to age prematurely. One mans opinion!

 

[JBrandon]

Defarbing often means removing the honest history of the gun - who made it, when - and adding a fake history to it. And yet some of the defarbers complain about all the fakes and how hard it is to tell them when they pop up on GB and the like.

 

[jimhallam]

One thing that bothers me about "defarbed" items is that they could end up being sold as originals --- ESPECIALLY some time in the future. I have certainly been offered such fakes. As a matter of principle should our heritage be protected by stamping a suitable legend under the grips -- or possibly under the rammer?

 

[barracudadave67]

Lots of guys who do Civil War reenacting want defarbed muskets, pistols, and pay a good buck, to have it done to their Arms defarbed.
I am not a reenactor.
I think the people who do the defarbing (especillay on muskets) move the modern markings to the under side of the bbl. That is, the marks that can ce moved.

Dave

 

[jimhallam]

Surely this just dishonest fakery which no-one interested in our heritage should approve of ?

 

[jimhallam]

Lots of guys who do Civil War reenacting want defarbed muskets, pistols, and pay a good buck, to have it done to their Arms defarbed.
Dave

If they want it to LOOK the period, that's fine by me -- - but NOT faking originals.

 

[hrt4me]

I think the majority of shooters who defarb their pistols, muskets, revolvers, rifles, etc. do so because they like the look, and not to deceive...

 

[Pete G]

Modern replica guns are much different from originals, No serious collector would ever be fooled.

 

[FishDFly]

I never could quite figure out the whole "fake wear" notion on gun finish. Shoot the gun regularly, care for it properly and it will develop it's own "real" patina very naturally. It doesn't need any help from it's owner to age prematurely. One mans opinion!

No, not just one man's opinion, I concur.

 

[Whitworth]

I think most antiquing and defarbing by non-reenactors is because they are turned off by all the manure stamping that detracts from the guns appearance. I recently passed on an Pietta 1863 Remington Pocket .31 because I couldn't stand the way the barrel was defaced with markings and warnings. Many older repos weren't stamped up as objectionably as new models. YMMV

 

[barracudadave67]

I agree with Whitworth.
Pietta revolvers have the modern info on both sides of the BBL, I don't know why the don't put it underneath theBBL, as Uberti does now. its like a bilboard.
Dave

 

[FishDFly]

That is one reason to buy Uberti.

 

[brazosland]

Defarbing often means removing the honest history of the gun - who made it, when - and adding a fake history to it. And yet some of the defarbers complain about all the fakes and how hard it is to tell them when they pop up on GB and the like.

I’m sorry, but this is just BS in my opinion. My enjoyment of owning the firearm is significantly degraded by having to look at Made in Italy, Black Powder Only and the other manure that is stamped all over import guns.

If you buy a reprint of a famous painting does it have to say Copy of Van Gough across the middle of it?

Not to mention the legal paragraph Lyman stamps on their guns.

Uberti apparently gets it. My full fluted 1860 I bought last year has all the roll markings under the loading lever.

All of the “stop liking what I don’t like” by posters on this board gets really old sometimes.