This was shared by a bud of mine on FB. Pretty amazing restoration of a classic piece. Not sure of the age but it could easily be more than a century old.
Like all things internet, this video has its lovers and also quite a few haters, bitching and moaning about various things like the colors used, mechanical operation, etc.
Personally I think it’s one of the best restoration projects I’ve seen, especially the clever use of rust electrolysis, but I’m curious what BS makes of this. Enjoy.
Using manglers…ugh. Should have soaked it in something before manipulating it like that.
Rust electrolysis a really interesting DIY phenomenon. All you need is some water, sodium bicarbonate, some wires, and a decent battery. I think the one in the video is a standard car 12V, but who knows.
Armory Reborn, gents. Please attempt to keep SNR high, thank you.
He fucked that gun up. To do that job correctly, you need to do your polishing by hand. He fucked up by using power tools. He has washed out a lot of the edges. The cylinder looks likes a piece of melted chocolate. He has dulled edges on the barrel, etc.
You want to polish carefully by hand. Keep your flats flat and your rounds round. Keep your edges sharp. He did shitty work.
Also, he’s calling it a restoration, but it’s not. It’s a refinishing. There’s a difference. Restoration means returning it to original condition. He has refinished with modifications.
He seemed to be pretty aggressive with the abrasive processes. Sure, it’s pretty, but would it be safe to shoot? Original condition also implies functional, does it not?
Yeah that mirrors most of the critical commentary I’ve seen aside from people complaining about aesthetics (apparently shiny grips are faux pas).
Notice the cylinder no longer rotates properly, so the gun is def not tenable for shooting. I also read there’s some sort of internal barrel damage or obstruction, possibly from an old squib load.
Actually there’s a very similar newer video on YouTube by another guy, and it was being compared to this. Some different processes and this guy def uses more hand tools.
Much better screwdrivers, too. Totally unsafe way to use HCL, though. Electrolysis would have been wiser.
Yeah. I watched the video without sound. I didn’t even realize it wasn’t functional. I just saw the polishing job.
Yes, that’s mentioned and shown explicitly in the video. It’s a bullet.
Thanks, missed that. He’s got some good additional detail in the comments section. It’s nice to see people asking serious questions, he’s pretty receptive to good and bad reviews.
I should have noted earlier this guy (OP) is not dedicated to firearms, he’s got a bunch of different projects posted. More of a generalist and may not have a lot of experience with revolvers.
Yeah, I was cringing pretty much from the start.
All for the removal of rust by electrolysis. Other than that, Devil nailed my thoughts and experience. Restoration is all about returning an item to it’s original form as closely as possible.
Note-
A decent set of hollow ground screwdriver tips is not that expensive and should be an item for anyone who owns firearms.
That cylinder could have been repaired or possibly replaced.