The cylinder engraving has to go.

[Tacitus]

The Uberti Leech & Rigdon arrived today from Dixie Gun Works. It will get the usual cleanup, inspection and fine tuning (yes, that includes addressing the short arbor). The cylinder engraving is not HC, I find that annoying. The engraving will have to go. Has anyone removed cylinder engraving from a C&B revolver and were there any unforeseen issues that arose from the modification? I have search this sight and can find no posting on the subject. The engraving is shallow and I don't forsee a problem, I just find it more cost effective to learn from other's mistakes instead of being author of my own mistakes.

 

[64Springer]

Do you have a belt sander? Run a wooden dowel through the arbor hole. Hold each end of the wood dowel in your hands. Touch the cylinder to the running belt. This will spin the cylinder and sand off the roll mark.

As for mechanical issues, that roll mark is no more than a few thou deep.

Will have no impact on function.

 

[TDM]

The Uberti Leech & Rigdon arrived today from Dixie Gun Works. It will get the usual cleanup, inspection and fine tuning (yes, that includes addressing the short arbor). The cylinder engraving is not HC, I find that annoying. The engraving will have to go. Has anyone removed cylinder engraving from a C&B revolver and were there any unforeseen issues that arose from the modification? I have search this sight and can find no posting on the subject. The engraving is shallow and I don't forsee a problem, I just find it more cost effective to learn from other's mistakes instead of being author of my own mistakes. View attachment 202357View attachment 202358

I have the same Uberti Leech & Rigdon. Very fine revolver. I removed the engraving on my cylinder by using my wood lath. I turned down 2 wood base plates with tips that inserted into the cylinder, put it back in the lath and sanded the engraving off. I’ve done this to a couple of cylinders, I use 80 grit strips to start and work down to 600 grit. Then clean and re blue.

 

[Tacitus]

64Springer and TDM, Thanks for the information. I plan to secure a bolt through the arbor bore and chuck the bolt into a drill press then using sandpaper remove the engraving from the rotating cylinder.

 

[TDM]

64Springer and TDM, Thanks for the information. I plan to secure a bolt through the arbor bore and chuck the bolt into a drill press then using sandpaper remove the engraving from the rotating cylinder.

That will work fine!

 

[Stantheman86]

I remember back in 2010 or so when Dixie sold the unengraved Uberti .36 Navy cylinders. I called them and ordered one. They didn't appear in the online catalog.

Might not hurt to give them a call. They might have a couple sitting on a shelf somewhere , before you hit that cylinder with a sander.

I foolishly sold the gun with the unengraved cylinder in 2012 or so because I thought I was done with my blackpowder revolver "phase" and I wish I'd have kept it

Instead, I recently bought a new Leech and I used some obscure info I read about where some of the Confederate revolver makers used "salvaged" or recovered Colt Navy parts to expedite production, and some guns like Columbus revolvers or Augusta Machine Works guns exist in private collections with Colt Navy frames, grip frames and in one documented revolver, a Colt cylinder was fitted. It's impossible to know if they left the factory with salvaged Colt parts or if they were added later.

So....I de-blued the cylinder to make it look like an older , "salvaged" Colt cylinder from a damaged Colt was used to build a new Leech & Rigdon . I think it looks cool and the backstory that exists in my weird overactive imagination makes sense to me.

 

[Johnny Tremain]

I got one without the engraving, cut out all this work

 

[Pete453]

64Springer and TDM, Thanks for the information. I plan to secure a bolt through the arbor bore and chuck the bolt into a drill press then using sandpaper remove the engraving from the rotating cylinder.

That will work just fine, but back your sandpaper up with something flat and smooth, like a hardwood block or a file, or whatever you have handy. That will make it cut smooth and evenly, and keep your corners crisp and clean like they should be. You can shoe shine it with polishing grits after you take the engraving off, no worries. I took the warning label off a modern ruger that way, you can't tell.

 

[Stantheman86]

I don't know why Uberti can't manage to just set aside a batch of cylinders to not roll engrave, or laser etch or whatever they do now for the Leech & Rigdons.

 

[TDM]

I don't know why Uberti can't manage to just set aside a batch of cylinders to not roll engrave, or laser etch or whatever they do now for the Leech & Rigdons.

I’m fairly sure they used to make plain cylinders years ago. It might be Pietta I’m thinking about, but one of the two did, maybe 20 years ago.

 

[Stantheman86]

I’m fairly sure they used to make plain cylinders years ago. It might be Pietta I’m thinking about, but one of the two did, maybe 20 years ago.

It was Uberti, the original Leech & Rigdons had the plain cylinders but I guess Uberti just figured it was easier to lathe turn octagonal barrels round and put standard Navy cylinders in the guns.

Pietta still makes plain cylinders, it's actually easier to use Piettas to make Confederate repros. I've found old posts on other forums with guys making Leech & Rigdons, 12-stop Augusta revolvers, .36 Dances etc out of Piettas and they looked good. Taylor's has all the plain cylinders and round barrels.

 

[kh54]

I removed engraving on a brass frame “accidental” Schneider & Glassick exactly as others have suggested, although my rechargeable hand drill had to serve as a drill press. It actually worked well and didn’t take long: DIY Defarbing and Refinishing.

 

[Tacitus]

Got it done. Roll engraving on a Confederate revolver is just plain wrong, shame on Uberti. Thank you to all of you kind enough to offer your advice. I put it to good use and I'm pleased with the results.

 

[pacanis]

Which method did you use?
It came out well.

 

[Tacitus]

pacanis, wooden dowel wrapped in two-sided tape inserted into the arbor bore then chucked into a power drill that I anchored to the table with a clamp I used a sanding block graduating from 80 to 120, 220, 400, 800 grit. Worked like a charm!

 

[pacanis]

Thanks. I wouldn't have thought about using a dowel and two sides tape.