The Colt New Service Project: part 4

Part 4 of this restoration, if you missed the first three you can find them here

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Before removing the 100+ year old finish, I wanted to get one last picture of the shine the metal still retains, despite the rust, pitting and patina

Birchwood-Casey's Bluing & Rust Remover, took most of the remaining finish off

 A light kiss with the wire wheel to remove the rough finish left by the acid

People say that bluing will not hide blemishes....that is not entirely true, it does tend to reduce the severity of them.

Some close ups to show the pitting, there is more here than I anticipated

And the sanding begins...I decided to start with 220 grit and sand in all possible directions. This way I can avoid taking too much metal and leaving any deep scratches.

From here on out the side plate and crane will be in place during any sanding or polishing

The bottom of the grip frame had some pitting, but cleaned up nicely

 Working the trigger guard

 The little black spot in front of the trigger guard is a pit, it was a stubborn one...like the last flea on the dog, it refused to vacate the premises.

more progress.... I'll get everything smooth and down to a 220 grit before stepping up to 320 grit

The inside of the trigger guard is now pit free, this is a 220 grit finish

 Cleaning up the front of the frame

 The cylinder window had a rough looking floor, the reason is partly due to it not getting much attention from the factory, nature did the rest

 We'll leave this at a 220 grit finish, it will look as good or better then when it left Hartford

This is one of the many dents in the barrel, only elbow grease and determination will remove them

Almost gone, this is a 100 grit finish

the bottom of the barrel is now pit free, this is also a 100 grit finish

I have the entire gun polished to a 320 grit finish. On most guns I go to 400, 600 or even farther, but I wanted to return his gun to its roots as a working gun.
The 320 grit finish will leave the gun with a freshly machined appearance.

The next time you see this gun it will have a deep black oxide finish