Pitted in crud

[Short Knife Johnson]

So I finally got my grubby mitts on an Antique Status S&W.  A 3rd Model Russian in .44 Russian.  A piece I've ben lusting after for some time.  It wasn't really a steal of a deal, but in the end I hope I did OK.  The barrel was bobbed to just over 4 inches at one point in time, mechanically it seems to function great, fairly good bore, no slop in the frame barrel fit, and the nickel finish seems to still adorn the vast majority of the gun.  Now here's the thing...

The nickel finish has some pitting damage which looks like it's into the metal in some spots.  In the pits resides black crud.  I presume powder fouling of sorts.  It has turned hard, and is proving to be a pain.  The plan is to soak the parts in Ballistol, and hit them with a toothbrush next day.  Then carefully polish with very fine steel wool.  Is there anything else I an use to tune up the old finish, and speed up the process of getting the crud away from the metal? 

[Dick Dastardly]

If the crud proves to be corrosion, there's something called "Rust Stop" available.  Problem is, it turns the rust black and pretty much stops it from spreading.  It actually reduces the rust by removing the oxygen and leaving the iron and a coating that resists further rusting.

I think your Ballistol treatment is on the right path.  Any crud that doesn't come off and remains black may be iron.  Whatever you do, be careful of products that can damage the plating.

Of course, you could get the gun re-buffed and re-plated. . . .

DD-DLoS

[Shotgun Franklin]

Always, always get as much history as you can on a gun before you do much to it. You might get a surprise.

[St. George]

I've addressed this a couple of times before - and when it comes to cleaning up old plating, another few times doesn't hurt.

Plating during the era acted as stainless does, today - but it was a thin plating process and wouldn't get solved until the turn of the century, so missing plating is common.

The black stuff is rust...

Your idea of using an oil to penetrate will help somewhat - be it 'Ballistol' or 'Kroil' or other medium.

Once you've done 'that - get 0000 steel wool and 'Simichrome' or 'Wenol' metal polish (a 'pink', toothpaste-type of product) and polish both carefully, yet with fervor.

The end result will be a 'cared-for' look and the faded nickel will brighten considerably.

Your piece has been significantly altered - re-plating will be prohibitively expensive because of this, so attaining a 'clean, well-cared-for' look will serve you best, and you can spend the money on leather of ammunition and be better served.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Short Knife Johnson]

Thanks fellers.

I'm just about to venture into the laboratory and start working the crud over with the brush.  My camera is nowhere to be found, so I cannot post before pictures, but I'll see what can be done and post after photos.  The brother-in-law has some metal polish like St. George listed am sure. 

I figured no harm done since the barel has been shortened, and I also forgot to mention that someone else had a hand at polishing her up as well, but I don't think it's nothing I can't fix.  The main objective is to rid the piece of the black crud whatever it may be...