Model 36-1 Resto Mod

[Rabbit2047]

I finally tracked down a 3 inch model 36-1 for a reasonable price. So I snatched it up.

I was fully aware that it had some issues. Rust, blueing wear, and a trigger grittier than John Wayne.

This thread will be the documentation of its journey through restoration and modern upgrades.

 

[Rabbit2047]

Here is the rust I previously mentioned. Lots of speckling on both sides of the barrel.

There were also some weird blemishes on the side plate, looked almost like it was dropped on gravel

 

[Rabbit2047]

First step was to see now bad the rust had pitted the metal.

Armed with my dremel, wire brush kit, rags, mothers mag polish, and CLP, I began the arduous process of stripping the original blueing.

As you can see the rust on both sides of the barrel was just surface rust and was nothing major.

Unfortunately, I wasn't so lucky in regards to the spots on the side plate. Since I am cerakoting it I am not terribly worried about those blemishes. However I will still probably work them out just to give myself the practice.

 

[Rabbit2047]

Most of the stripping is finished and I have reached a stopping point for tonight.

For the next two pics I put on a couple different sets of grips I have laying around at the moment.

Although ultimately it will be wearing this set of shoes made by Altamont

Tomorrow I will be removing most of the hammer spur and doing a complete trigger job.

 

[7pt62THOR]

 

[granola82]

Subscribed! Thanks for posting this! I have a 15 snub that I may work on later this year so I'm looking forward to your results. I like those Altamont grips too!

 

[Joshua223]

"Grittier than John Wayne" That is pretty rough brother.

Look forward to seeing it all finished

 

[Rabbit2047]

Okay here we go.

Started off with my belt grinder and an 80 grit belt. Always wear eye pro. Safety first!

Here is a close up of hammer pre bobbing

So I ground off what I wanted to and put a rounded edge on the spur. I did not totally remove the spur because the model 36s don't lend themselves to a aesthetically pleasing bobbed hammer

 

[Rabbit2047]

Cleaned up the profile of the curve with a dremel and a drum sander. I wanted the arch to be congruent to the arch on the back of the frame. Sorry forgot to get pics of that.

Next came time to hide all that bright and shiny metal where I ground off the spur.

Using a blow torch and a digital laser thermometer I heated the metal to 400 degrees.

When it reached temperature I removed the hammer from the vise and submerged it in a bath of my secret blend of herbs and spices.

Next I took it out and sprayed it down with brake cleaner to remove all the excess chemical.

 

[Rabbit2047]

Here is the hammer after coloring and bobbing

And here you can see what I meant about matching the curves. I think I got it pretty close. I realised when I took this photo That I had not stripped the top strap. Oops.

This is what the hammer looked like before

And here is the after result. It is significantly shorter although it still might snag, I feel like the odds are greatly reduced.

While I have it open I snapped a quick pic. I have already cleaned the internals, but have yet to do the trigger job. I will not be posting pictures or an instructional of that, as it is a trade secret. There are hundreds of youtube videos out there showing you how to do a trigger job. My process is different and I refuse to share those details with anyone.