Pietta Colt 1860 Army with “Old West” finish

[Jackrabbit1957]

Been giving that refinishing stuff some thought, waiting on a small tank to be finished for doing hot water pistol blueing. On that car, is it a positive ground on the battery?

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Been giving that refinishing stuff some thought, waiting on a small tank to be finished for doing hot water pistol blueing. On that car, is it a positive ground on the battery?

That's right, you was talking about doing bluing a while back. Hope you do that, although I got nothing to blue. !!! Be sure to offer a "aged finish" to your offerings.

A while back, I had Mel Doyle in Idaho (a local gunsmith legend) cut my Super-Duper-Blackhawk's 7.5" barrel to six inches and re-blue the pistol while he was at it. That pistola has been with me since before I was 21 years old, and it was getting "aged". Now it's a real beauty again.

Lumpy Lou is still six volt, positive ground. Never a problem with that, even though most guys convert to 12V. Lights aren't quite as bright as new cars, but as good as some older (1960's?) but not-so-old cars. Kind of like the old International light trucks and Travelalls. We used to joke that although most cars had "brights" and "dims", our Cornbinders had "dims" and "dimmer". The brights were "dim", and the dims were even more "dim"! Most of the old Jeeps on the other hand, you could always see a Jeep coming by it's bright lights. These days, when another car or truck is behind you, you get sunburn on the back of your neck. Anyhow, I just leave Lumpy's lights on bright, can see fine, and oncoming traffic never notices.

 

[hawg]

I always intended to build a bluing setup but it's just another thing I never got around to. Back around 74 or 75 I had a 58 Ford with a positive ground. I hooked up my Lear Jet 8 track deck in it and pushed a tape in. Something popped and the tape spooled out and got all wadded up in the deck when it ran backwards.

 

[Rustmangler]

In my early 60's ford I rewired the headlights and lead crystal lenses and bulbs from air craft landing lights. Street signs reflected so bright at two miles we thought they were oncoming cars.
That truck had low , high and very high beams.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

In my early 60's ford I rewired the headlights and lead crystal lenses and bulbs from air craft landing lights. Street signs reflected so bright at two miles we thought they were oncoming cars.
That truck had low , high and very high beams.

Oh yeah, that was a "trick" with quad-headlight cars, as there was a landing light the same size, and the trick was to put it on the driver's side, in the bright spot/position/place. But, you didn't want to get seen by the "man" doing that. Was not legal and could totally blind an oncoming car.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I always intended to build a bluing setup but it's just another thing I never got around to. Back around 74 or 75 I had a 58 Ford with a positive ground. I hooked up my Lear Jet 8 track deck in it and pushed a tape in. Something popped and the tape spooled out and got all wadded up in the deck when it ran backwards.

 

[45 Dragoon]

I hooked up my Lear Jet 8 track deck in it and pushed a tape in. Something popped and the tape spooled out and got all wadded up in the deck when it ran backwards.

I had a Lear Jet 8 track!!! I had a '64 VW bug which was a 6 volt but I carried a 12v batt up front. When Grand Funk Railroad started sounding like the Beatles, it was time to charge the 12v !!!

Mike

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I had a Lear Jet 8 track!!! I had a '64 VW bug which was a 6 volt but I carried a 12v batt up front. When Grand Funk Railroad started sounding like the Beatles, it was time to charge the 12v !!!

Mike

Ha, I've been meaning to put a 12V in the trunk (room in that trunk for a buffalo) on the '48 and hook it up to a CD player, for some 1940's music.

I still have a Bug, but she's hibernating for the winter.

 

[hawg]

Ha, I've been meaning to put a 12V in the trunk (room in that trunk for a buffalo) or the '48 and hook it up to a CD player, for some 1940's music.

I still have a Bug, but she's hibernating for the winter.

Why not change it over to 12 volt and be done with it? Just leave the starter 6 volt. Every bug I ever had I made into mud buggies. I'm still tempted to build a hot blue setup if I could find a suitable tank.

 

[Malachi Leviticus Blue]

Yep, a really good faux antique finish takes at least 50 years to produce.

 

[woodnbow]

Oh, I didn't know about the laser-engraving instead of stampings. Yes, that's a big plus right there as they are easy to remove. Well, look out Uberti.

Nah. Pietta still makes a butt ugly 1860 and their SAA’s aren’t much better… in my humble opinion…

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Why not change it over to 12 volt and be done with it?

For me, no advantage. She runs perfectly on 6v. Lights are bright enough, and that Chrysler Marine fires up instantly, don't need to turn the engine over faster. Those would be the only possible advantages...which would be...of no advantage!

 

[1KPerDay]

The aged metal finish with new stocks looked weird to me so I stripped them with citriStrip, stained with water based rosewood and ebony and dinged them up with some tools, and finished with gun wax and BLO. Much better now.

 

[hawg]

Good job on the grips. Most people that age them beat them with chains or drag them down a gravel road and they look it.

 

[bannockburn]

1KPerDay

The aged metal finish with new stocks looked weird to me so I stripped them with citriStrip, stained with water based rosewood and ebony and dinged them up with some tools, and finished with gun wax and BLO. Much better now.

Your "worn" grips turned out really well; they actually look like they belong on an "aged" gun!

 

[1KPerDay]

Thanks gents!

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Found a pic of my 1860 with the blue removed from the cylinder, to better match the barrel. I like the contrast it makes with the good finish still on the frame, and I won't be disturbing that.

 

[Rustmangler]

I like these grips the whole gun looks like the edges have been wore smoth.

 

[hawg]

Well used originals tend to get that way.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Grips on my SBH used to like to chip there. She's on her third pair of grips.