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1849 31 cal cylinder ~question~

3K views 26 replies 13 participants last post by  kernel4477 
#1 ·
I became the happy owner of a cased 1849 and it has me puzzled. The previous owner of 35-40 years cannot remember where it came from or the details of the revolver.
It appears to have been seldom fired, but has suffered from handling and played with over the years.
All numbers are matching including the cylinder. It looks like the case took most of the beating for the last 165 years
She has a two line New York address and was born in 1855.

The mystery to me is the Cylinder is in the White.
Any suggestions or was it just stripped at some time?

Thanks all

jpc

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#4 ·
Nice gun! The grips are so nice. I know this may be heresy to some, but I would consider bluing that cylinder with "Belgian Blue". Its a hot rust blue that only requires the solution, a boiling hot water bath, and an afternoon, and gives a soft blue finish, not a garish hot salt blue look that is totally out of place. Not as a way to fake someone out, but rather as a way to make the gun closer to how it was. Just my 2 cents. The cylinder already has no finish. Admittedly though, it actually looks fine the way it is too. I definitely would replace the missing screws. Can you post a picture of the case?
 
#6 ·
Thank you both for the suggestions.
The screw is sheared off about half way in--thus allowing the hammer to work. Likely a challenge to remove, but will give it a try
The wedge screw I removed and have it.
Will take the bluing idea into consideration. It would look better and not trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes.
 
#11 · (Edited)
I have an untouched 1849, produced in 1851, and the cylinder is the only part in the white (although it doesn't appear clearly on the photos below), just like yours. I too think that this is due to the way this part was cleaned after firing in the old days.

View attachment 688307 View attachment 688309

Interesting and glad mine has a Sister now ☺
Thanks for that information
 
#14 ·
I read that during the civil war, after the battle, soldiers used to take their revolver apart and put the cylinders in the company coffee pot to make them boil with the grounds in order to clean them thoroughly and these grounds were pretty abrasive on the metal. This also explains why a good number of army guns of this period now have mismatched serial numbers, as they retrieved the cylinder in the morning without giving much attention to the serials.
 
#16 ·
With regards to re-blueing the cylinder, my advice is don’t. Regardless of the blueing method chosen, to achieve good results you must polish the steel. That means using abrasive polishing mediums ie, Emery paper in various grit sizes. In doing this you WILL remove the cylinder scene in part or worse. The cylinder scene on your revolver is crisp and looks untouched. Belgian blue will only make your gun look like a cheap re-blue, which is what it is. Even professional re blue will require re polish so beware. It may seem tempting as the cylinder condition looks so good. A re blue will not match the barrel bluing as that was charcoal blued. Not modern chemical blue. However, it is your gun.....
 
#17 ·
I worked as a gunsmith for 20 plus years and I can assure you that polishing is not needed in order to blue a part. It must be free from oil. The existing scratches and patina will blend into the newly applied finish giving an aged look. I do agree that the cylinder was cleaned with an acid based chemical that removed the blue and slightly etched the metal giving it a dull grey color rather then a shiny worn surface.
 
#18 ·
Of course it will blue regardless of polish. Any oil free steel surface will accept a bluing formula. What I’m saying is, to blue it well - to match the barrel of this gun - it would need to be polished. Also, 19th C Colts were charcoal blued. If you attempt to reblue the cylinder with modern formulas you will not be happy with the results. And the cycle begins. You try removing the new finish and yet another chemical etching. Get some steel bar stock and practice bluing with various formulas before attempting to do anything to the Colt cylinder. You will then see what is achievable.
 
#21 ·
My opinion would be to leave it alone. Over the years, I've had several percussion Colts that have had cleaned cylinders and good blue and case colors on the rest of the gun. That's just part of their history. My post "Just out of the woodwork" from about a week ago, shows my 51 Navy with a cleaned cylinder. It makes the scene a little hard to see, but I see no reason to try and change it. I do like your 49.
 
#23 ·
JPC, you asked for pictures of my case for comparison. It is on Ebay Item 333561826507 Vintage Colt Model 1849 Pocket Pistol Presentation Case if you want to see a bunch of pictures. I will try to put a few on here, but am a little nervous about that since I'm new to the Colt Forum and don't want to screw anything up. Here goes Wood Tan Box Furniture Table
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#24 ·
JPC, you asked for pictures of my case for comparison. It is on Ebay Item 333561826507 Vintage Colt Model 1849 Pocket Pistol Presentation Case if you want to see a bunch of pictures. I will try to put a few on here, but am a little nervous about that since I'm new to the Colt Forum and don't want to screw anything up. Here goes View attachment 691073 View attachment 691075 View attachment 691077 View attachment 691079 View attachment 691081


Thanks for the pictures and it would appear that your shield shaped escutcheon hole is a little crooked as is mine ☺
 
#27 ·
It has been told to me that the heat treatment of the cylinders was different than that of the barrels which affects how well the finish is retained, making the cylinder much more prone to flaking. I have noticed over the years that many revolvers, besides Colts, that were produced during this period, often show much more loss to the blue on the cylinder compared to the barrel. I think that since the cylinder is the widest part of the revolver, the loss of finish from wear and flaking is greater when in a holster/case, which would add to the loss of finish.

Regards,
kernel4477
 
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