cleaning/restoring old Bayard pistol

[Jal5]

I have an old Bayard "pocket pistol" 7.65 cal that was my grandfather's.  My dad never took proper care of it and after being left in a leather holster for so many years it has a good deal of rust spots and some pitting on the front of the slide.  is there some way I can restore this gun myself or is it beyond a novice?

Thanks.

[gunnut69]

If there are just rust spots a cleaning and blue touch up is a fairly simple task. Actual pits are difficult to remove without it being obvious. They can at times be welded up and the part draw filed, polished and blued.. This is obviously not for a beginner. If you can disassemble and clean the piece you're well on your way.. We'd be glad to help any way we can.. Remember other than a light touch up refinishing can have a detrimental effect on value. That said the Bergiman is not likely an extremely valuable opiece in any case. But sentimental value can be high in nearly any tool as personal as a weapon.

[iiranger]

#1). As said, the Bayard is not a "hot" collector's piece... so working on it should not lose you a fortune... Your callllll..
#2). Yes, these guns needed to be drawn from the holster, OFTEN, and rubbed down with an oily/greasy rag to protect from the moisture that is around, in all but the most "dry" areas... deserts... and if forgotten...  Some used resins like "rosin" (tack rag" for a coating... same principle...
#3). Bluing is a controlled rusting... The easiest and safest way to removed surface rust/pits???, take a "lead pencil" /wooden pencil... the so-called "lead" is really graphite and the "number" of the pencil reflects the hardness of the graphite (which is usually mixed with clay...) Rub the rust gently with the "lead" and remove the rust/lead mix with the pencil eraser. If you don't get the "hardest" lead pencils and work gently, often you can get the surface rust off without any effect on the blue underneath and it looks great and CHEEEPPPP!. --PLEASE DO NOT use an ink eraser with grit in it and complain to me you scratched the finish... YOU WILLLLLLL....

Next is the common chemicals. WD-40 might "cut" the lightest of surface rust. NEXT is BRASS wool. (IF you are skilled, feel free to use steel wool. I am not and brass wool is much more forgiving.) With a little "fluid." You can use water, but dry it off if you do. Any oil is better. Even "3 in 1". GUNK will cut blue and remove it. BE CAREFUL.

Next, WILL BE to the "pits." As said, they can be filled with weld... ALOT of work and expensive. More than the gun will bring on the market, but it is your gun...

Blue. Today, there are a couple dozens. Brownells.com stocks the best and sells them cheap. You can do this at home if you can cook. It involves removing the old finish with a remover. Cleaning and drying the metal, COMPLETELY clean and dry. And applying a new finish. Some require heat. Some do not.

If the pitting is BAD, you might want to PUNT. You can go with "parkerizing" or teflon or plating, nickle, etc... This fills the pits or roughens the surface so they do not show... Brownells.com takes questions. See what you inclinations/budget permits. luck.

[Jal5]

thanks ranger these are the kind of ideas I was hoping someone would post. I am OK with trying things like this myself if given instructions.  will let you know how #3 turns out.

Joe

[Jal5]

Well I tried the lead and pencil eraser method, it helped a little but I can't say I see a huge difference. Maybe I am doing it wrong? Used pencil #2.5

Joe

[gunnut69]

I use wd40 and and 0000 grade steel wool to remove surface rust. It's easy and quick. The wd40 loosens the rust and the 0000 steel wool is fine enough to aviod damaging the blue too much. Once the rust is at least in the main gone rinse with carb cleaner and touch up with OxphoBlue from Brownells. Works great and is fairly easy. I would at least field strip the weapon before doing this to keep the crud out of the works.. Rinse and oil before putting it away. The pits will still be there but the rest of the steel will look better.

[Jal5]

thanks I will give that a try and let you know how it works out. Didn't think about WD40 and the steel wool, I tried Breakfree CLP with the steel wool and that made some difference but didn't remove the rust totally.

Joe

[gunnut69]

There is an electrolitic process that will remove all rust on a part. It may well remove the blue but of that I'm unsure. I haven't used the process but am getting ready to. The part is put in a solution that will easily conduct electricity. Such as a solution of baking soda. A stainless or mild steel rod is also placed into the solution. The solution should be in a non-conductive vessel, I'm going to use an old waste basket. A battery charger is hooked up so that the part to be cleaned is attached to the positive pole and the sacrificial rod is the negative. The rust will be converted to black rust which is soft and flakey. It can be easily brushed away. I have an old highwall that was badly damaged in a fire. It's rusted tight. If this frees it up I will be a real believer..

[Jal5]

let us all know how that works out, it sounds interesting.

be careful!

[iiranger]

The retired gunsmith who taught me the pencil trick, grabbed a yellow pencil laying handy. As I recall, it was a #2... like most school pencils were. As said, he warned me about the "ink erasers" with grit in them. Same as sand paper. For this a total NO-NO. At one time I tried a "art" pencil that was a #1, maybe with separate eraser. Didn't do a thing. I believe the higher numbers are harder... #3, #4... I have "cut" rust, light rust, with just a green eraser, the kid in school kind... Never like "art gum" for anything, too crummy.

Point, there are a million versions of blue, It varies with the exact quality of chemicals that went into the tank, the temperatures, the steel being blued, THE preparation... many a blue job has a fingerprint in it... I was always scared of that English blue that was supposed to be so soft, BUT real "blue" color, that you could rub it off with your thumb... If you have a water spot that has turned to a pile of soft, brown rust, that comes off easily. Otherwise, it is a gamble. Sometimes it does not work.

"Blue remover," at least the one I used long ago, was straight nitric acid and said so on the label. The blue came off like mud under the garden hose. I learned about Gunk the hard way too, but it was a concealed area. And some bore cleaners are hard on blue. You can pay the pros for a system they know how to make work, or you can "mess around." I like to mess around. enjoy...

[gunnut69]

Remember for the most part bluing is a form of rust. some of the cold blues create a type of parkerizing but I can garantee 'NavalJelly' will remove rust, all of it. Even the modern hot tanks stuff. I've a buddy who was removing a camo paint job. He was using paint thinner and ran out. He switched to NavalJelly. It took the paint off, and the bluing.. A trip to ArnoldArms and all was right. The trick is to remove rust(red) and leave the blue(black rust).