[Greenleader]

Great work Squid as always! I’m enjoying this build. Have you decided to keep or sell ?

 

[WC145]

I understand that when bluing, most finishers remove the front sight, especially a gold bead, because it could be ruined in the hot salt.
what I do NOT understand is how the better pistolsmiths out there profile the sight so nicely to the slide, then pull the sight, finish the gun, and then re-install the perfectly profiled sight without buggering it.
Any tips out there? I want to install the sight and test fire when I fit the new bushing. Then adjust for accuracy, profile the sight, and remove it.
How do you avoid ruining the sight profile?

Good question. Joe Chambers put a gold bead sight on my Baer Boss and it is seamlessly integrated into the dovetail, no idea how he did it except maybe inserting the bead after the rest is done.

Here's a pic, if you make it big you can see that there is just a hint of a color difference between the slide and sight.

 

[Squidsix]

Good question. Joe Chambers put a gold bead sight on my Baer Boss and it is seamlessly integrated into the dovetail, no idea how he did it except maybe inserting the bead after the rest is done.

Here's a pic, if you make it big you can see that there is just a hint of a color difference between the slide and sight.
View attachment 1719240

Thats a great point. Inserting the bead after the fact. I have done that with several guns and I have plenty of confidence with it.
But I have this super sweet Wilson white gold bead sight that I want to use on this…

 

[Squidsix]

Great work Squid as always! I’m enjoying this build. Have you decided to keep or sell ?

Thats a hard one. I think it will be done well enough to sell, but unique enough that if I saw it I would buy it.

 

[dmattera5]

GEEZ. So I have been working on getting one of those as well so this esspeically calls to me.

BUT I REALLY have been digging the upper french border, but assumed I really couldn't do it because I lack a mill and fancy tools.. But I do have a ruler and files.. so now I may make a gross error and blame you. Stay tuned..

But for real, amazing work, I can't wait to see where it goes!

 

[Greenleader]

Thats a hard one. I think it will be done well enough to sell, but unique enough that if I saw it I would buy it.

I like all the special Colts they make. That LtD edition with the gold bead and checkering was nice for the price they are now. Your’s will be better. Keep it show it off shoot it and then decide. 🙂

 

[Greenleader]

Are you going for an arrow on the TG ? How in the world do you get short lines like that?
love it !

 

[Squidsix]

Are you going for an arrow on the TG ? How in the world do you get short lines like that?
love it !

Total accident. The trigger guard is curved and arched. The spacing file is flat. Pure accident that it did that, and I like the look so I left it.

 

[Squidsix]

More blending. Some rounding of the butt. I really need more practice sanding straight and flat.

 

[JM44]

Looking great! Can I send mine back for some upgrades? 🤣

 

[Choc. Lab]

Awesome work. Can't wait to see the final result.

 

[Squidsix]

Looking great! Can I send mine back for some upgrades? 🤣

You got quite a decent package. I really enjoyed working on that gun. The only reason I sold it was to fund this build.
As it stands, yours is pretty well bullet proof. Might not have as many hours of my incessant cursing though…

 

[Squidsix]

Question for the refinishers out there:
I stripped the gun and soaked in white vinegar to get the rest of the factory bluing off, and now have weird spots.
What do I do?

 

[Greenleader]

Total accident. The trigger guard is curved and arched. The spacing file is flat. Pure accident that it did that, and I like the look so I left it. View attachment 1719357

Oh yea looks cool

 

[Long Branch Setter]

Awesome work. I can’t wait to see the finished gun.

 

[Augee]

Love all of this--checker all the things, and "do it live" with all hand-tools, stubbornness, and swearing.

I've become a big fan of the under the trigger guard checkering since I decided to give it a go--how does it feel with the finer pattern compared to the front strap? I thought about going a little finer on mine, but wasn't sure what would be "right" so just ended up doing 20 LPI, and I really like it, but I can't help thinking that a finer pattern would look very smart, since there's less surface area / fewer pyramids, so it almost looks "out of scale," though I love the aggressiveness.

I wonder if 25 LPI would "split the difference" for me.

~Augee

 

[Squidsix]

I like to think:
Smaller surface area = smaller checkering (more lines per inch)
So a tiny space gets tiny checkers.
However, I also like consistency. I LOVE what Chuck does with golf balls on little surfaces, like slide stops and thumb safeties, but I lack the tools to do any golf balls.
I think your 20 LPI on the trigger guard is likely better than nothing. On my springfield and one of my BHPs I stippled under the trigger guard. That made sense because I stippled the front strap.
If you checkered your front to 20 or 15 LPI, you are perfectly good to go with an under-the-tg 20 lpi

 

[jv715]

Question for the refinishers out there:
I stripped the gun and soaked in white vinegar to get the rest of the factory bluing off, and now have weird spots.
What do I do? View attachment 1719521
View attachment 1719522

Those are various oxides, which pop up fast. Rather than white vinegar to remove bluing, I've found phosphoric acid gel ("Rust Oleum Rust Dissolver, which they sell at Lowe's, is this) to be preferable and cause less oxidation after the bluing is gone. It should also remove those oxides. Coat the gun in the gel, let sit for a while, and then scrub with something mildly abrasive like the back of a sponge. When finished, immediately coat in WD40 (or some other petroleum product of choice to prevent new oxides from forming. When ready to refinish, degrease and go straight to your finishing process before new oxides form.

If any of that oxidation is really tough, you may need a stronger acid and/or lightly sand off.

 

[Squidsix]

Those are various oxides, which pop up fast. Rather than white vinegar to remove bluing, I've found phosphoric acid gel ("Rust Oleum Rust Dissolver, which they sell at Lowe's, is this) to be preferable and cause less oxidation after the bluing is gone. It should also remove those oxides. Coat the gun in the gel, let sit for a while, and then scrub with something mildly abrasive like the back of a sponge. When finished, immediately coat in WD40 (or some other petroleum product of choice to prevent new oxides from forming. When ready to refinish, degrease and go straight to your finishing process before new oxides form.

If any of that oxidation is really tough, you may need a stronger acid and/or lightly sand off.

Thank you!
Gettin after it today.

 

[Squidsix]

Realized I already had some Loctite brand Naval Jelly (the same kind of gel you were describing) and globbed it on this morning. Thanks again for the tip