Although you're eager to get that worn finish replaced by a new,
durable, cosmetically appealing one, there may be issues that should
to be dealt with first.
Your gun may have metal damage, caused by rough handling or rust.
It would not be in your best interest to just refinish over these
issues. The new finish won't hide anything. Come resale time, those
bits of damage will most certainly affect not only the selling price
but also the enthusiasm or eagerness of a perspective buyer.
Some guns have travelled the road of time with hardly a mark.
They have been rarely, if ever fired, they've been sheltered from
the elements. They've been generously oiled and gingerly handled,
and were never exposed to combat.
We'd all like to own these guns but unfortunately, reality
dictates that only a select few will be found in that pristine
state. Look at selling prices for these "vault queens" and you'll know
what I mean.
For the majority of us, we have to live with a gun that has had
some use, has seen some weathering, probably didn't get as much
oiling and pampering as it should have, maybe was in Military
service, might have become someone's hunting rifle, or in general,
got banged around.
Experience has taught not only me, but past customers as well,
that even when the gun looks damage free, the chances of rust
pitting, after 70-100 years, are a distinct, almost assured
possibility. The problem with rust on a gun is that whenever the gun
is neglected for any period of time, whether it sits in a holster or
on a shelf, even in a vault, the corrosion process starts working.
Slowly. Almost microscopically. You don't even notice it. Then
someone comes along, maybe a new owner, or a Curator or
Preservationist, and they do the identical same thing. They oil it
and rub it.
They didn't even see that corrosion. But they polished it,
unwittingly. So now that rust spot or area is "smoothed" back down.
But not killed. It's still alive. It's alive and growing and
breathing as long as there's oxygen.
More time goes by (remember 70-100 years is a long period) and
the same thing happens again. And again.
So, all of a sudden, it's a century later and someone's looking
at the gun and notices that the original finish has a little
"patina" (such a lovely word), or a slight bit of discolouration.
Nothing really. So they think, "this thing is mint, other than the
imperfect finish. I'll just send it out for a refinish".
Guess what is causing that "patina"? Those "splotches"?
And no matter how hard they look at that gun, they won't see a
single pit. Not one. Not even under a magnifying light.
Because they were constantly "polishing" that rust, keeping it
nice and smooth.
Now it comes to me for a refinish.
The first thing I do after disassembly is a glass bead blast.
What that does is "hit" that rust ("there's no rust on my gun")
like a million little hammers and causes it to shatter or "grenade",
leaving pits and craters in it's wake. (Have you ever hit a car
brake drum with a hammer?)
Probably as long as that rust wasn't disturbed, and the oiling
and polishing kept being done, that rust (sorry, "patina") would
stay looking nice and smooth.
I've been surprised enough over the years to finally wake up to
what's happening. So please be advised. If there's ANY
different\funny\discoloured looking areas on your gun, it's most
likely RUST!
Which brings me to the subject at hand: