Fixing up a beater Sig...

[lsudave]

Gonna post this because I'm pleased at the progress I'm making. I have a thing for metal 9's; and until recently I had a big hole where the Sig P226 would fit. That's because I also place an emphasis on price.

So a couple of months ago, I finally found one at a price I set; it looked rough to say the least.

Yikes! But it is accurate and runs well, and the rails look good. So, inspired by a thread tincanbandit has here on guns he's restored, I set about fixing it back up, to the best of my ability. I suppose it borders on Bubba'ing it up, but:
I took a small file and took most of the pits off. I didn't get them all, since some are deep. I then took some sandpaper- 180 grit, then 400 grit, then finally 1600 grit, and cleaned it up the best I could. First time I've done this.

Degreased it, and being the cheap coward I am, went the way of cold blue instead of rust or hot blue (I've never done that, and I want to be sure I know what I'm doing before I try my hand at it).

Regarding the degreasing and cold bluing: immediately before I went to apply the bluing solution, I sanded the entire surface lightly with 1600 grit one more time, to get any oxidation off. I had water in the teapot boiling, and a stainless steel sink; so I then sprayed the slide down with Simple Green to degrease it, and poured boiling water on the slide. Wearing gloves, I placed the slide on some newspaper, the very hot water had evaporated and the slide was almost too hot to touch.

I used Birchwood Casey Permablue paste, and had 0000 steel wool, cotton balls, and paper towels. First couple coats, I applied heavily with the cotton balls, let it sit for 15-20 minutes, then degreased and hit with boiling water again. About the 4th and 5th coats, I applied with steel wool, and rubbed it into the metal. Sat for that same amount of time, and hit with boiling water again. Last coat (6th or so), when I poured the boiling water on it, I then slopped a lot of paste on a paper towel, and slopped it all over the slide, leaving it on about 2 minutes. Then I rinsed with cold water from the sink, and rubbed it dry with more clean paper towels. Let it sit about 10 minutes, then coated it up good with oil, and let it sit overnite in that condition.
This morning, I rubbed it down with a bit of Johnson's Paste Wax.

Here's the results:

As a first attempt, I'm very pleased. Other than time involved, I've spent less than $10 on the restoration- I had the wax, file and degreaser, so it cost me 3 sheets of sandpaper and a tube of cold blue.

 

[Panzerschwein]

I have not found cold blue to last very long at all.

 

[lsudave]

I have not found cold blue to last very long at all.

Well, it's a stopgap. I'm going to figure out how to do either rust blue, or maybe some DIY parkerizing, but not right away.
FWIW, I've had mixed results. Did a Tokarev slide that faded badly; did a shotgun barrel that still looks great after a decade.

 

[bannockburn]

Isudave

FWIW, I've had mixed results. Did a Tokarev slide that faded badly; did a shotgun barrel that still looks great after a decade

I have had similar results from cold bluing; some not so long lasting, others that have remained fairly intact over the years.

Your P226 definitely looks much improved from it's original condition.

 

[Mayvik]

You probably want a coating with that much pitting. Graphite Cerakote would look good...

 

[gotboostvr]

I was thinking this looks like a good candidate for cerakote.

 

[mavracer]

I've had really good luck with Wheeler Cerama Coat.

 

[ClickClickD'oh]

A pinned breech block W. Germany marked Sig at that. Nice rescue. Very well done.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Big improvement for sure.
I love Sigs.
And I agree that would be a good project for something like cerakote.

 

[Jim NE]

I had to chuckle... a "beater Sig" seems like a "beater Mercedes" to me. I guess there probably are beater Mercedes out there. Anyway, great job on the gun! Looking much better. Much more presentable than before. Enjoy the gun!

 

[SigsNCigs]

Looks great

 

[cc-hangfire]

Buying a "beater" & fixing it up is a great way to accumulate a group of shooting guns. The results look sharp, & your efforts rescue a handgun suffering from use and/or neglect. And - since it's not a safe queen - you have a SIG that you won't be afraid to "shoot the snot out of it".

I enjoy doing the same thing - I have a near unhealthy obsession with tinkering on those type handguns. Some turn out great, and the others are still works in progress.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

The gun looks much better than when you got it.

May I suggest a much better cold blue for the future? I have found Oxpho-Blue to be probably the best on the market. The more you rub it in with 0000 steel wool the deeper the blue. I did a .22 barrel 3 years ago and its still beep blue. No degreasing necessary and no deactivation with water.

Liquid: http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-t...ld-bluing-chemicals/oxpho-blue--prod1072.aspx

Paste: http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-t...uing-chemicals/oxpho-blue-creme-prod1108.aspx

 

[RPRNY]

Looks good. For the money spent? Looks GREAT

I too recommend Oxpho for your next project and a heat gun or hair dryer. Not to diminish your results, I just find Oxpho a better cold blue. The real trick is in the prep work and you seem to have nailed that.

 

[d'zaster]

I was thinking this looks like a good candidate for cerakote.

With carakote, it will look like a new gun. Cost and time will be a lot lower than professional refinishing

 

[gotboostvr]

With carakote, it will look like a new gun. Cost and time will be a lot lower than professional refinishing

Seriously. Hit it with whatever color you want and a new set of grips and it'll be a whole new gun.

Local shop charges $100 for a whole gun to be Cerakoted, it can be done at home for much less.

 

[mavracer]

Here's a slide I did with Wheeler Cerama cote


And I refinished the frame on this one after fitting the beaver tail.

 

[lsudave]

I'm open to considering lots of options.

Not a huge fan of cerakoting; expensive to send out, takes some work to set up safely at home. Don't want to be inhaling ceramics.

Rust blue seems the most likely path; I have a couple of older CZs that I wouldn't mind stripping the coating off, and rust-bluing. I think it's the most attractive finish, and I don't mind caring for it. I shoot these guns, but I also take care of them. They won't be stashed under a car seat rusting away, they will stay in the AC oiled and tended to.

Regarding the cold blue treatments, I've seen some options I know little about:
Caswell makes some type of gel, I've heard it's used on underbodies and AK receivers. Kind of a matte black, some folks say it's a bit dusty... sounds like it's almost parker-like in appearance. Anyone know about this stuff?

Also, I've seen one or 2 mentions of using boiled linseed oil, or possibly a mix with some black oil-based paint, as the oil to seal and cure the finish. Supposed to put on thin and let it cure, provides a tough final coat. Said it takes a long time to cure, but afterwards holds up very well. Anyone heard of this, know anything about it?

 

[RPRNY]

I'm open to considering lots of options.

Not a huge fan of cerakoting; expensive to send out, takes some work to set up safely at home. Don't want to be inhaling ceramics.

Rust blue seems the most likely path; I have a couple of older CZs that I wouldn't mind stripping the coating off, and rust-bluing. I think it's the most attractive finish, and I don't mind caring for it. I shoot these guns, but I also take care of them. They won't be stashed under a car seat rusting away, they will stay in the AC oiled and tended to.

Regarding the cold blue treatments, I've seen some options I know little about:
Caswell makes some type of gel, I've heard it's used on underbodies and AK receivers. Kind of a matte black, some folks say it's a bit dusty... sounds like it's almost parker-like in appearance. Anyone know about this stuff?

Also, I've seen one or 2 mentions of using boiled linseed oil, or possibly a mix with some black oil-based paint, as the oil to seal and cure the finish. Supposed to put on thin and let it cure, provides a tough final coat. Said it takes a long time to cure, but afterwards holds up very well. Anyone heard of this, know anything about it?

Can't say I know about the Caswell paste you refer to. The boiled linseed is for finishing wooden stocks. In that role it's very good.

 

[Blkhrt13]

I love rescues. Cool project.

 

[lsudave]

Can't say I know about the Caswell paste you refer to. The boiled linseed is for finishing wooden stocks. In that role it's very good.

I know about the wood usage; what I'm checking into is the usage on metals.

I've seen a couple of things online that said it was used to seal street signs and such in the past. Some people seem to say it's the ideal for weatherproofing "unfinished" ornamental outdoor metal stuff, to stop it at a certain patina and keep it there. I've seen a couple mentions of people treating their Garands, barrels as well as stocks with it; and have come across a couple that suggest using it on new parkerizing to seal that.
I seem to find more mention of it on metal-working sites, like wrought iron stuff and old woodworking tools.

Basically- it takes awhile to cure, and if slathered on thick it will leave a tacky mess. It seems to cure from the air inwards, so it wouldn't harden completely if thick. As I understand it, it's the 'oil' of an oil-based paint, without the pigment.

The concept is- exterior only, leave the innards and rails alone. What little I've read is to do it very thin and sparingly; you would rub the metal down and let it alone, let it cure. It would be like putting a 'clear coat' over the bare steel, but not one so thick and easily peeled off. The biggest comparison is to curing iron skillets- it leaves a slick, corrosion-resistant, solvent-resistant coating over the steel or iron (or copper, as noted on some sites).

Sounds like more of an old-timer type of thing, but it has me curious.

added...
the biggest drawback to a cold blue is the fragile nature of it- it rubs off quickly, and isn't protective vs rust. But early on, it can look nice, pretty deep and shiny.

Now I've dug into cold blues, and it seems like there is a small copper/selenium coating that goes on, and that is what darkens... which is why copper solvents (like Ballistol) can quickly fade a cold blue. And of course you don't get the black oxide coating that resists rust.

Was bouncing around the idea to somehow seal that newly colored metal, to prevent it from rubbing off or rusting. The comparison to curing a skillet has me intrigued, as that actually works very well... if there was a similar method available to treat and cure a slide and it 'took', it should work as well. Afterall, we're talking about steel, not some mystical material.

The Caswell stuff I was looking into is used on metal tools and things we darken under cars. It's a matte black, not a glossy blue. I've seen some chatter on the AK boards with people using it. I think it works much the same way as other blues, but it looks a little different.

 

[RPRNY]

Well, I've used "case color lacquer" to clear coat case coloring on firearms. Never gave much thought to what the lacquer might be made of. Entirely possible it's a wood sealant like boiled linseed. Entirely possible that was an old school topper/protectant for metal. Wouldn't be something that I would use today given other options.

 

[lsudave]

No, I hear ya. There are plenty of more modern finishes. Couple of intriguing things that I'm learning about the boiled linseed oil (BLO), the more I dig into it regarding metals:

thin coat, very flexible, doesn't chip (this in comparison to other coats, like enamels etc). Takes a long time to cure (boiled will take a couple days, non=boiled may take a month). For exterior usage on ornamental things like pricy gutters etc, a yearly wipedown was all that was needed to keep things pristine.
There seems to be mention that if applied to a hot object (in blacksmith usage), it would polymerize, and leave a polymer coating.

On these sites that discuss it, there keep being recurring mentions of usage in aircraft and helicopter tubing- the steel underparts that hold the aluminum frames together. primary theme is lightweight, flexible and complete rust inhibition.

More mention as undercoating on cars- an annual event again, let it cure a day or so, extremely resistant to rust and impact. Doesn't seem to effect other coatings the way "newer" products might. Causes water to bead up.

Something that caught my eye and made me laugh- on one forum, there was a question on why it wasn't touted more, if the usage was so effective. The answer was that it wasn't a "mystery miracle ingredient" that could be extremely profitable to market, it's a common and cheap product. That definitely sounds familiar to anyone involved with guns...

In bicycle usage, used to coat rims and spokes as they are assembled. protects the metal from corrosion, seals like loctite to prevent movement, can be reworked as needed.

There seems a lot of mixture applications- mix with turpentine or similar to thin it out, mix with wax to make a thicker or more resilient product.

What all this seems to tell me- if used, stay away from moving parts, as it would never fully harden (and thus gum things up). But apparently a good-to-go treatment of exterior surfaces (like the outside of a slide), if you can let it sit long enough before using. Sounds like the correct application would be a thin wipedown, leaving the metal looking damp, and not a heavy application (don't soak it). Sounds like you should definitely keep away from the rails etc, and then let it sit up a weekend or so before handling. If you don't put it somewhere that could bind up, it doesn't sound like it would hurt anything, and should be beneficial. A light wetting of grip screws seems like it would both protect, and lock them into place (and keep them from backing out, while not 'welding' them permanently into place).

Definitely sounds more like a treatment than a finish... sort of like Barricade or similar.

The single biggest drawback I've seen mentioned, is the fact that it can spontaneously ignite. Apparently it creates a lot of heat as it oxidizes and cures, and if you soak some rags in it and leave them wadded up, they WILL catch on fire. The heat is part of the reason it works well on woods etc, and probably works well with waxes. This issue is probably one of the reasons it isn't touted more for guns etc- I know when I wipe my guns down with Ballistol at the end, it's with an oil-soaked rag which often just gets tossed next to the other cleaning supply afterwards, for further use. Sounds like a recipe for disaster with BLO!

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Also, I've seen one or 2 mentions of using boiled linseed oil, or possibly a mix with some black oil-based paint, as the oil to seal and cure the finish. Supposed to put on thin and let it cure, provides a tough final coat. Said it takes a long time to cure, but afterwards holds up very well. Anyone heard of this, know anything about it?

My favorite all be it old fashion stock finish is boiled linseed oil. No need to mix in paint, just stain the wood to the desired color then apply the oil finish.

Here is a tip on using linseed oil, apply a lot if light coats instead of a few heavy coats. The results are better that way IMO. After each light coat dries buff it slightly and apply the next coat. You can achieve different end looks from slightly dull to almost a glass finish with plenty of hand rubbing.

I used boiled linseed oil on my M1 Garand stock and when done it looked like the originals did.

 

[rklessdriver]

I would parkerize it and then spray with Brownells Teflon Moly.

I did the Teflon Moly on my PD trade in P226 in about 1998.... its held up well.



Will