Antiquing the white finish?

[Steel Dinger]

Hello has anyone put a antique finish/look on pistols, rifle barrels that come in the white finish. Iread the article Antiquing a SAA Revolver. Ihave canidate pistol for that. What Iam doing is getting a BPCR Barrel new in the white, then attach to the aging action that has a really nice pitina look. would like to match the new to look old ,aged, worn out, but still a shooter. Thanks Steel Dinger   

[St. George]

You 'do' realize that if you're trying to portray a shooter during the Frontier Era, that your weapon would be near-new and not look old and battered - right?

You can artifically age the weapon by chemical 'browning' that's similar to cold blue - and you can buy the 'Birchwood Casey' browning solution at most well-stocked gun shops.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Rube Burrows]

You 'do' realize that if you're trying to portray a shooter during the Frontier Era, that your weapon would be near-new and not look old and battered - right?

You can artifically age the weapon by chemical 'browning' that's similar to cold blue - and you can buy the 'Birchwood Casey' browning solution at most well-stocked gun shops.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

I do agree that back then the guns would have looked new but after a few years on the range with the weather and other elements would the gun not look aged some?

Like the Walker that Gus carries on Lonsome Dove?

I dont think that people aging the guns to look like 200 year old guns would be most correct but maybe some of the bluing left on and just giving it a worn look would.

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[St. George]

Then let them 'age' naturally - exactly like the originals did.

Handling, shooting, cleaning, holstering or scabbarding - all of these normal activities 'will' cause finish to wear precisely where it did during the time and the weapon will be left looking 'right' as opposed to looking like it was great-Great-Grandpa's - stored poorly for decades.

Try not to take cues from the movies - the 'John Ford Reference Library' provides someone's vision of an artistic 'look', but no real reference to anything historically accurate.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Paladin UK]

I gotta go along 100% with St.George.......

Then let them 'age' naturally - exactly like the originals did.

Here`s TWF 45 yr old 45!!
 
Thats jest `bout how they would have looked way back then when they wuz 45 yrs old!!![/b]



Paladin (What Lurvs the .45 LC ) UK

[stepnmud]

Had good luck with the Casey's PLUM Brown stuff on several revo's and the Henry rifle in avatar.

here's a bad camera photo I took at "Collector's Firearms" here in Houston, this gun store seems to always have many quality/rare guns on display and I had taken my Henry into the store to compare to an original Henry. I was surprize at how close in color mine was to the original and also measuring the lever stroke on the original and mine with a short stroke.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/stepnmud/0516081111a-1.jpg?t=1266268390

[Curley Cole]

This gun came as a kit "in the white". I antiqued it. I used a cold blue on it, and then used it for 30 years. It now has that pleasant finish ya see...(looks just like Doc Hollidays gun in the Peacemakers book.)

a gun that is in the white won't age like you are thinkin. (I have a couple of Taylors in the white.) If you don't keep em oiled, they will just rust. not age. there is a difference.

good shootin
curley

[Professor Marvel]

Cold Blue is basically a chemical "copper wash" that adhears to the steel, then the copper is simultaneously stained blue chemically. It is not nearly as robust nor thick as a good "Hot Blue". Thus If one were to use Cold Blue on the "in the white barrel" then accelerate the wear slightly for a time with rough cloth (say a burlap gun sleeve) that could accelerate wear on the high spots, and one might find the sort of look you desire...

yhs
prof marvel

[Steel Dinger]

Yeb  the Cold Blue is what i will use, will post pictures when I get this rifle complete. Thanks Steel Dinger

[Daniel Nighteyes]

Here's how mine look:



I just stripped off that butt-ugly Millennium finish (discovering that the underlying surface had been bead-blasted) and let 'em age naturally.

I rather like the mottled look, 'cause they're supposed to have been through war, hell and parts of Texas...

[hawkeye2]

Daniel Nighteyes what did you use to remove the milenium finish with?  I have a pair of Taylor's milenium fininsh SAAs that I have been meaning to strip, cold blue and age.

[Daniel Nighteyes]

Daniel Nighteyes what did you use to remove the milenium finish with?  I have a pair of Taylor's milenium fininsh SAAs that I have been meaning to strip, cold blue and age.

White vinegar.  Just disassemble and then degrease the parts with brake cleaner (don't get any on your skin).  Drop them into the white vinegar and them soak for about 30 minutes.  You should be able to wipe the finish off with a paper towel.  Let them soak in plain old tapwater for another 10-15 minutes to get the vinegar off.  The instant they hit the air they'll begin to rust, so be ready to wipe 'em down good with oil, paying particular attention to the bores.

You might also want to correspond with Max Doolin, because he recently finished the very same project on the very same pistola you're thinking of doing.  He's around here somewhere...

Regards,

-- Nighteyes

[Daniel Nighteyes]

Hawkeye 2,

Here's how my two NMA's looked shortly after I stripped off the finish, oiled 'em up good, and etc.  Note that I did not strip the finish off the cylinders.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

   Daniel, those guns are beauty's, you did a great job on the stripping, and I have say worth the effort.


                     tEN wOLVES 

[hawkeye2]

Nighteyes,

       Thank you very much for the information and for the pictures, they look much nicer in white than flat black.

[ndnchf]

I too like the aged look on some of my guns.  There are some really sweet looking examples shown in this thread and others. 

I don't mean to bust on anyone here, but one aspect that is ofter overlooked when doing this is wear on the edges.  Simulating many years of hard use should also include very slightly breaking all the crisp, sharp edges, corners etc.  This can easily be done with a very fine file and some 400 wet/dry sandpaper before stripping the blue and aging.  It doesn't take long and is easy to do, but it makes a more convincing appearance.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

I too like the aged look on some of my guns.  There are some really sweet looking examples shown in this thread and others. 

I don't mean to bust on anyone here, but one aspect that is ofter overlooked when doing this is wear on the edges.  Simulating many years of hard use should also include very slightly breaking all the crisp, sharp edges, corners etc.  This can easily be done with a very fine file and some 400 wet/dry sandpaper before stripping the blue and aging.  It doesn't take long and is easy to do, but it makes a more convincing appearance.

             Very good point

               tEN wOLVES 

[Daniel Nighteyes]

Nighteyes,

       Thank you very much for the information and for the pictures, they look much nicer in white than flat black.

IMHO, they look even better now, after about 3-4 years of fairly constant use (2 to 3 matches per month).  You'll also note that I've substituted "antique" finish conversion cylinders and "aged ivory" grips.



I like the "mottled" look they've attained.  After all (as I said in another thread), they're supposed to have been thru war, Hell, and parts of Texas.

-- Nighteyes

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

 Daniel, those are great looking guns, and that knife is awesome, I'm a push over for a coffin handled Bowie, the aged ivory grips  really look nice, and are a great touch. Aging these guns was the way to go, at least to make them look authentic, and you pulled that off.

      tEN wOLVES