J.H. Dance and Brothers build project

[Smokey Dave]

I've wanted a Dance in .36 caliber for a while now. There are Pietta versions floating around, but they don't get a few details right and they just leave me cold. So the only way I was gonna get one, is to make it myself.

I started with this well worn Gregorelli & Uberti, Navy Arms 51' Navy. As you can see, it's been WELL used since it was made in 1959. It has zero collector value, but it's a great shooter. So I had no qualms about cutting it up.




Now I'm not a machinist and I don't have a lathe or a mill. But I can put together some pretty good Rube Goldberg operations, and with some hand tools and a little ingenuity, I jumped in.

First, the recoil shields had to go. I used a combination of grinding and filing, and was able to remove them pretty easily actually.



They are the main visual cue on a Dance revolver. So I wanted to get them right. Also, I wasn't too worried about the finish on the frame, as all Dance revolvers were blued, not case hardened. That's one of the things Pietta got wrong.

With the frame coming along, I moved to the barrel. This is where Rube Goldberg comes in. I made up this contraption to put into my drill press. It's just a piece of threaded rod with some heavy nylon bushings and some lock nuts. The bushings are tapered and center the barrel on the rod. It worked out pretty nicely.



I used a few different files and emory papers to turn it round.




The Dance guns also have a brass blade front sight. So I fabricated one from brass stock, made a slot in the barrel and soldered the new blade on.






It's really starting to look like a Dance now. I cleaned it up and put a little blue on it, just to see where I'm at. It has the look of a very well used 19th Century gun right now. But it needs a bit more refining. I will work on it to remove all the file marks and make it look a bit better. Then I'll blue it and age it. I may even remove all the original markings and re-stamp it to look more original. I also want to tweak the trigger guard a bit.



Hope you guys like it so far.

[cheatin charlie]

I like it.  Fine job you did it the old fashioned way.  Should be proud of yourself.

[Smokey Dave]

Thank ya Cheatin Charlie. I appreciate it.

[Abilene]

Excellent!  Mr. Goldberg would be proud!  I'm curious how long it took to round the barrel with your method?

[Smokey Dave]

Excellent!  Mr. Goldberg would be proud!  I'm curious how long it took to round the barrel with your method?

Thank ya Sir!

It took about two hours to round the barrel in my drill press. I used a medium bastard file and emory paper. My hands were tired after that!

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Hope you guys like it so far.

Heck yeah! Looks great. Nice job on that barrel. The frame work is top notch, too.

[Mogorilla]

Very nice!   I have the Pietta 44 version and it is one of my favorite shooters.   It was a graduation present to myself.   My sole Navy sitting in the safe is happy the 36 Dance bug has not hit me yet, but if I find a used 36 navy at a time I have some coins in my pocket, I will be revisiting this thread!

[Coffinmaker]

Really Really NICE.  I particularly like it when someone takes on a build the old fashioned way and does it with hand tools.  Good on ya Compadre.

[Smokey Dave]

Thank you my good gentlemen. I'm pleased that you guys like it.

Work will resume shortly on it. I'm going to continue to refine it by removing the file marks and such. I've also decided to remove all the original Italian markings, and re-stamp the gun to make it look more like an original. I'm also going to reshape the trigger guard a little too. Then it will be refinished and aged.

More to come, thanks for watching.

[swampman]

It looks great. I used to reenact with a fellow who did the same thing to go along with his Texas Brigade impression.   

[Smokey Dave]

Thanks Swampman!

That's a great idea. I would think anyone reenacting a unit from Texas, would want a Dance or a Tucker & Sherrard hanging in their holster. It just makes good sense!

[Tornado]

That looks great so far! 

[Marshal Will Wingam]

Where did you get those tapered nylon bushings?

[Smokey Dave]

Where did you get those tapered nylon bushings?

I got those at the local Lowes. They have a whole section of "specialty" hardware in drawers. Lots of weird little stuff like springs, weird washers, spacers, even fender washers and bolts for cars. Don't know if your Lowes has that or not, but that's where I got them.

If not, there's probably something at the local hardware or auto parts store. That's where I would look.

[Abilene]

On the subject of Dances, just fyi I noticed there is currently a Pietta Dance on Antiqueguns.com with starting bid of $250 and no bids yet.

I'm not sure if it is okay to put links to gun auction sites, but the inventory number is 079-0919-0000

[Marshal Will Wingam]

I got those at the local Lowes. They have a whole section of "specialty" hardware in drawers. Lots of weird little stuff like springs, weird washers, spacers, even fender washers and bolts for cars. Don't know if your Lowes has that or not, but that's where I got them.

If not, there's probably something at the local hardware or auto parts store. That's where I would look.

Thanks. I'm sure our Lowes has a big hardware section. I'll take a look there.

[Smokey Dave]

You got it Marshal.

Another place to look would be in the plumbing section. They use a lot nylon washers and bushings in faucets.

[Rube Burrows]

I like it. Looks great so far.

[Navy Six]

These are the kind of projects I find the most interesting. Over the years we've all seen beautiful work performed by professionals with the proper equipment and the skill to use it. That pretty much lets me out. But when I see something like you are doing, Smokey Dave, you figure " I can do that if I take my time and work carefully". Also, those wonderful Open Top Colt pattern guns almost invite you to try something, especially if it is a neglected old gun in need of some TLC. Hope you continue to keep us updated on this fascinating project.

[Smokey Dave]

Thanks Guys. I appreciate it.

Navy Six, thank you very much. I have always been able to accomplish things, with limited tools. I will at least give things a try. Thanks for the support.