Revolver painting!

[punitjalan]

DSC03173.JPG

I do own a Webley Scott Mark IV .32 Revolver and you can see its picture here. The weapon is very old and is discoloured. Can I paint it at home?? What care should I tke in order to keep it in good condition??

[cottage cheese]

DSC03173.JPG

I do own a Webley Scott Mark IV .32 Revolver and you can see its picture here. The weapon is very old and is discoloured. Can I paint it at home?? What care should I tke in order to keep it in good condition??

Hi Punit,

Please don't paint your W&S... otherwise IOF will be vindicated

Where ever you are, I'm sure there is a reasonably competent gunsmith nearby. Ask him to blue it. It will cost you a bit, but it would be the correct thing to do. While he is at it, get him to check the functionality of the revolver, for timing, head space, play etc.


regards,
cc

[The Doc]

Can I paint it at home??

Which colour exactly do you have in mind ?

Rp.

[punitjalan]

Black.

[Mark]

I'd say that your revolver is an excellent candidate for painting if you are prepared to do the work associated with making it a nice looking weapon, because there will be a bit of elbow grease involved.

The first thing to do is a partial dissasembly, mainly the grips and anything else easily removeable.

Next is to fill the pits in the metal. There are a couple ways of doing this, you can either get some "glazing putty" that is used in auto body painting - it comes in a big toothpaste style tube- or the best way IMHO is to use some epoxy putty that is rated for high temperatures (500F). It will usually be one of the grey colored epoxies, just look at the specs and get one that is good to at least 350F. Anyway, fill in all the pits and let the putty be just a little bit high and sand it all down smooth after it has hardened for a day or two.

When the surface of the gun is smooth enough, spray it with a black lacquer. Give it a few light coats to get a nice smooth finish. If you are not adept at using spray paint read about it first and practice on something else initially or you'll be sorry!

After the finish is how you like it, turn on your oven to 250F and suspend the gun by a wire though the trigger guard or other place and have it hang from the wire rack in the oven. After about 10 minutes turn the oven off and let it cool down overnight. It is important to make sure it is completely cool before you handle it or you can leave fingerprint imprints in the lacquer. Once it is cool it will be hard and durable but it can be surprisingly soft until it cools down initially. The temperature will not hurt the gun, but make sure you have every bit of plastic off!

You can also use spray paint, but around here I've found lacquer to be slightly more durable. If you carry your weapon daily you may need to do this every year or two, but at least you'll know how to do it! <G>

[xl_target]

Just one thing that Mark forgot, Before you spray it, you must degrease the gun to get rid of residual oil, fingerprints, etc. This is essential or you will have paint adhesion problems. Degreasers that you can use would be alcohol, paint thinner, acetone, etc. However, acetone my react with epoxy if you have used that to fill in pits. Dry it thoroughly before you paint.
Otherwise follow Mark's steps as he outlined them and you should have an adequate finish. Remember, several light coats are better than one thick coat. Just allow the painted part to dry in a dust free environment between coats.
The nice thing about a paint job is that if it doesn't work out to your satisfaction, you can always strip it off and either redo it or have it finished using another method.

[dr.jayakumar]

i agree with mark and xl-target as bluing will be difficult with all those pitting.