Recommendations for redoe of Derringer kit

[erzengel]

I want to ask for your recomendations and advice for a redoe of a Philadelphia Derringer kit. It is along time since a once tried my hand on this kit and your suggestions are hartly welcomed.

My old assembly of the kit is no longer satisfying and I want to redoe it with the hope, to get it a little bit nicer.

I have already sanded the wood and polished the brass and barrel. While the deep scratches in the brass could be removed by a filing and than polishing, there was enough material, scratches on the barrel remain. Do not want to file material off and by polishing the scratches want go away.

The wood is beech and I want to stain it in honey maple because I saw that colour and like it. The barrel I want to be brown not steel. May be I would accept a barrel in Blue-Black.

Should I do something with the lock?

The dismatled Derringer looks at the moment like:

And for those who want to have a look at the muzzle:

 

[paulvallandigham]

Because the lock plate is blue, now, I would suggest you consider rust bluing the barrel, and breech. Brown the barrel using any browning solution. Then when the brown is the color you like, clean the barrel of all grease, and put it into a tank or pot of boiling water. The Brown will turn dark blue in 10-20 minutes. When its the color you like, you can darken it further( if desired) by heating the barrel up on your gas range to about 265 degrees F. and then spraying the piece with any good oil, to cool it down. The oil will give off fumes, so do this outside, and stay upwind of it so you don't breathe the fumes. Heating opens the pores in the steel, and allows the oil to burn the color into the metal deeper. This creates a longer lasting dark blue finish, than even rust bluing does.

 

[rafterob]

If you brown the barrel, I would brown the lock also. Take the lock fully apart. Only brown the outside of it and brown the hammer also. Do not reassemble until the browning has cured and been oiled. And for extra fun-inlet those escutcheons.

 

[erzengel]

:hatsoff:

Thank you very much for your kind advice. Well, the choices are staying difficult to say. :hmm:

I should have included in the original posting,
what would historically be more correct? Brown barrel, blue, black ?

As the stock is beech, walnut stain seems not appropiate to me. Is hoeny maple a choice or is some other stain nearer to history?

I am not sure if I go for the colours I like more or to go for those who make it closer to the orignal. Best would be, the colours I like have an historic example. That would fit two needs for the price of one. :v

 

[paulvallandigham]

Dark blue on the barrels. Wood would be walnut, with a reddish stain finish, but basically brown. I have some original Pepper box revolvers made in the 1830s, and 40s, and none of the parts or barrels were brown. One 5-shot is brown from rust, but it was either bare metal, or blued originally, looking at the inside of the action. All the wood stocks appear to be covered with a simple varnish, rather than hand rubbed oil finishes.

 

[JayDee Flohr]

I just rebuilt one myself. First thing I did was remove a ton of excess wood. I removed the great American novel that was stamped into the barrel and finished all steel with Naval Jelly.
Also replaced the brass screws with steel.

Darn thing is a fun little thing to shoot. :thumbsup:
Be sure to share the finished product when you are done.

 

[Bob Riegl]

:v This is the way I refinished mine and you're right it's fun to shoot. :thumbsup:

 

[erzengel]

:thumbsup: You are right, they are fun to shoot.

Thnak you for your comments and sharing the photos, I give a try for honey maple and brown with option for black, when brown is not what I hope for.

When finished, I show you.

 

[Mulebrain]

Posted by another forum member, I like this one!

I have one as well, but have other projects in front of it.

MB

That barrel of yours looks nickle/chrome plated, and I would be stripping that off! Unless you polished the heck out of it?

 

[erzengel]

:thumbsup:

Getting more difficult with every post to stick to my decision. Well, I ordered a second kit just to have a pair of them and they will be different.

This kit and the new ordered is made by Ardesa and was and is I think you can say cheap. I have polished mighty long to get the finish it has now. There are still scratches which I can not remove by polishing.

Unfortunately the photos before polishing are of no use. The part of the barrel which is normally seated within the stock looked like cast iron. I polished for hours until that grey colour and the spots vanished.

Would not expect that it is a plated barrel.

 

[Zoar]

I have one too. Had to work on that trigger tho alot to get it to work smoother/lighter pull.

Darker is better for this little gun in my opinion. I like using sevreal layers of ALKANET ROOT alternated with a water based dark walnut stain to get the deep rich red/brown look (thin layers) and then put many layers of tung oil on, hand rubbed very thin, each layer, and then finish with a touch of spit and pumice and rottenstone... makes the stock look like it truly came from 1800's. I also agree about taking alot of the wood away. That one gun posted above with almost a forend groove sanded in it looked very nice.

Nice essential gun for any collection.

 

[erzengel]

:hmm: The question of stain or the colour remians difficult. Still time to decide.

:hatsoff: Thank you very much to all of you for kind response.

The trigger is ok, only little pull necessary if the small spring is in the right position.

As stain I do have honey maple and walnut. As I get a second kit I should make a ligth and a dark one. Left hand , right hand and easy to distinguish.

Making a stock from scratch out of some real walnut or other good stuff, yeah that is another otpion for the future. I'll see a third and fourth Deringer on the horizon in the future.

I have some room left for little pistols to store)

 

[Pork Chop]

There was a version that had a white painted stock and a chromed barrel - but I htink all of the other metal parts were chromed too. :barf:

Whatever color choice you decide is up to you. My only input will be to reshape the hot dog bun front stock like the other posters have done...

 

[erzengel]

My only input will be to reshape the hot dog bun front stock like the other posters have done...

hot dog bun front

Not enough english knowledge on my side I fear. :v

Hope I'll get ready on Sunday and show you what it is than. Browning was a very intersting adventure. Seems as if the breech plug and the barrel are of different material but not nickle / chrom plated.

That was the first time after many years, that I tried my hand at an (easy) kit, but I am