Help with a “restoration “

[Edm]

I was going through my shop and found a 1858 Remington I got from someone years ago. Cheap. They had tried to refinish it and stopped. It needs to be drawfiled and the scratches removed. I have no idea who made it. Anyways, how can I easily remove the finish ? The cylinder has all of its bluing. The rammer also. Help?

 

[Gtrubicon]

Birchwood Casey makes a refinishing kit that has all the product you need to do the wood and metal on that pistol. Pretty readily available at gun/sporting goods stores.

 

[64Springer]

Take it down to bare metal and let it age.

 

[Hawk54]

Birchwood Casey blue and rust remover.

 

[Edm]

Bare metal and let it age.... by doing what? It’s been bare metal partly for 15 years or so. You talking about just leaving it? Or aging with vinegar?

 

[Edm]

Thank y’all by the way.

 

[Kansas Jake]

I built a Navy Arms Remington kit gun around 45 years ago. It looked similar to that before it was finished. I’d leave the cylinder and rammer and finish the frame and barrel. The gun on the right is the kit gun done way back then and it has seen lots of use.

 

[Brokennock]

Evaporust will remove the bluing and any rust on the gun.

 

[appalichian hunter]

Try soaking the parts in Coca-Cola.

 

[64Springer]

Bare metal and let it age.... by doing what? It’s been bare metal partly for 15 years or so. You talking about just leaving it? Or aging with vinegar?

Use rust remover to remove all of the bluing.

Deburr the sharp edges.

Hit it with some 320 and let her age naturally.

It'll look good and be smooth as hot butter.

 

[SDSmlf]

Hit it with some 320 and let her age naturally.

Apparently this particular example has been aging ‘naturally’ for 15 years. Should be about perfect? Or is there a secret to natural aging the OP should know about?

Bare metal and let it age.... by doing what? It’s been bare metal partly for 15 years or so.

 

[Hawk54]

I was going through my shop and found a 1858 Remington I got from someone years ago. Cheap. They had tried to refinish it and stopped. It needs to be drawfiled and the scratches removed. I have no idea who made it. Anyways, how can I easily remove the finish ? The cylinder has all of its bluing. The rammer also. Help?

Dissaemble it. Degrease all the parts you want to refinish. Use Birchwood Casey blue and rust remover. It is a very easy process. File and sand any parts that need it. Then clean all the parts with acetone, Windex with ammonia, Birchwood Casey degreaser. Then reblue with Birchwood Casey blue. Could do the whole pistol in a day if you have all the stuff you need on hand.

 

[J2shortt]

Eager to see this turn out. If you do refinish this, please create a build thread so we can follow along. I have an 1858 that needs just same treatment and would love to see how you go about it.