View Full Version : Old Rusty Hi-Power!!!
GastonG-NoVa
03-17-11, 21:45
What to do with my old rusty Hi-Power? I saw this pistol about 15 years ago, when it was in about 98% shape. I offered to buy it then, but my buddy would not sell.
Fast forward 10 years, and my friend gets a bomb dog, and uses the pistol as bait for the dog. This includes burying it in mulch in the heat and in the cold. Finally I rescued the HP, after trading a POS to my friend. The rust is mainly on the outside, but there is some inside the frame. I have shot the pistol since the rescue and it shoots pretty well.
I had a friend take a similar pistol that took some light liquid abrasive material (I forgot the name) and took off all of the outside finish, including the rust. He eventually had it Dura coated.
So what are your thought, besides pulling out my buddies fingernails?http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/gastong-nova/PICT0022.jpg
That's a crime against JMB right there......
Wow. Well, if it were me, I'd send it to someone to get it bead blasted, zinc or manganese phosphated, and then finished in something like Gunkote, Duracoat, or Ceracoat.
GastonG-NoVa
03-17-11, 21:51
Any ideas who would be able to do that, prefer someone in Va, as that is where I like to spend my money (VA Arms). I am not completely against shipping it, depending on price/hassle/workmanship.
That's a crime against JMB right there......
Wow. Well, if it were me, I'd send it to someone to get it bead blasted, zinc or manganese phosphated, and then finished in something like Gunkote, Duracoat, or Ceracoat.
Yeah, that pretty much covers it. Except for the fingernail-pulling part, which you can entertain yourself with while you're waiting for the HP to come back. That tangent sight makes it look like it was once a collectible.
I'd parkerize as per mil-spec. I've seen worse come out looking very nice and functional. I'm looking below skin deep here, and I like what I'm seeing. Some will probably suggest not to touch? I'm just sayn' if it were mine............
I couldn't even be friends with a guy that treats a BHP like that!
Glad it finally found a deserving home. Hope the refinishing cleans everything up.
The Dumb Gun Collector
03-18-11, 00:44
That doesn't look too far gone. Like Templar said, get it Duracoated. They will bead-blast it to death.
Your friend is nuts!
GermanSynergy
03-18-11, 01:46
Make the bad man stop!!!! :(
That looks like an Inglis HP to boot.
Have someone completely disassemble it that can put it back together to make sure all the internals are ok.
He said he shot it without problem after he rescued it from his "buddy." That being said, I would send it to a well-know Hi Power smith so they can repair and replace any parts that need attention. They'll also be able to finish it with something durable, like one of the ****kotes baked over a park job. That's a really nice, and not too common, Hi Power which has unfortunately been neglected.
I couldn't even be friends with a guy that treats a BHP like that!
Nor would I trust anyone that poor of judgement with a ****ing BOMB DOG.
eternal24k
03-18-11, 11:53
I was looking at US Anodozing and they offer park and other coats. They had a "US Nazy" service pack that sounds like it would be about perfect for this. Not sure on pricing, you could just do the park, I know they do great anodizing, so I feel like they would do other services just as well
US NAVY SERVICE: This service is only available to complete firearms and is intended for any firearm subjected to extreme conditions. A "must" for Military or Law Enforcement applications!
* All parts will be Anodized or Phosphate coated. (Mil Spec
* All parts will be top coated with our Xtremcoat™ (Ceramic/Moly/Teflon).
* Friction contact surfaces will be coated with Xtremcoat™ (Dry Film Lube).
* Parts exposed to high heat will be coated with Xtremcoat™ (Heat Barrier)
These coatings, meet Military requirements for saltwater exposure. Test conducted for 500-hour salt spray (5% salt), the equivalent of a seven-year exposure. The same coatings are used on US Navy, Special Operation (SEAL) weapon systems!
Tomahawk_Ghost
03-18-11, 11:59
Do you have any contacts at a machine shop or like facility?
What I see there is beyond acetone. Where I work we have bead blasting stations that are set up not to put those dings in the metal. I really wonder if that matters. This gun is going to have some pitting anyway.
Pistol Shooter
03-18-11, 14:00
What to do with my old rusty Hi-Power? I saw this pistol about 15 years ago, when it was in about 98% shape. I offered to buy it then, but my buddy would not sell.
Fast forward 10 years, and my friend gets a bomb dog, and uses the pistol as bait for the dog. This includes burying it in mulch in the heat and in the cold. Finally I rescued the HP, after trading a POS to my friend. The rust is mainly on the outside, but there is some inside the frame. I have shot the pistol since the rescue and it shoots pretty well.
I had a friend take a similar pistol that took some light liquid abrasive material (I forgot the name) and took off all of the outside finish, including the rust. He eventually had it Dura coated.
So what are your thought, besides pulling out my buddies fingernails?http://i1220.photobucket.com/albums/dd444/gastong-nova/PICT0022.jpg
Pull out your buddy's fingernails. Very slowly.
I almost threw up when I saw the picture.
rubberneck
03-18-11, 14:41
Any ideas who would be able to do that, prefer someone in Va, as that is where I like to spend my money (VA Arms). I am not completely against shipping it, depending on price/hassle/workmanship.
Richard Fletcher is one of the better Hi-Power smiths but is still relatively unknown for the most part. I don't know where you live in Virginia but he is in Rockbridge Baths. If that gun can be saved he can do it.
Good luck and tell your friend he is an idiot for ruining a perfectly good firearm for no good reason.
http://www.fletchercustompistols.com/contact.htm
We used to ship out much work to these guys, RE: Parkerize...
http://www.philaord.com/
Grade-A results for me, but it's been awhile.
Was also less expensive if you detail stripped youself, and just sent them an inventoried list of the parts you needed refinished. I'm guessing $125'ish? This would also be a good time to switch out old springs with new if you decide to take the plunge? I'd love to see after pics on a project like this....
Any ideas who would be able to do that, prefer someone in Va, as that is where I like to spend my money (VA Arms). I am not completely against shipping it, depending on price/hassle/workmanship.
Seeing that rusty Hi-Power is like walking up to a brutal crime scene. So needless and horrific!
GastonG-NoVa
03-18-11, 17:47
Nor would I trust anyone that poor of judgement with a ****ing BOMB DOG.
Him and his dog are awesome together. He can take one fired shell casing throw it in a parking lot full of cars and the dog will show you where you misplaced you brass. If he could only retrieve the casings.
Good LEO, jus one with no budget.
I've seen worse. :bad:
Try taking some Super Fine Steel Wool (#0000) available at almost any hardware store and soak the steel wool in "3-in-1" Oil or other light oil. Take the grips off. With gentle and judicious rubbing you should be able to remove most of the worst of the rust.
There may still be some pitting but the pistol may look almost presentable again. It should be fine for a carry piece
Good LEO, just one with no budget.
Wish you'd bought a Raven Arms and did a one for one swap.....
Wow. Please post up "post fubar'ed" pics. I think it will look nice either duracoated, parkerized, ect..
Bead blast, parkerize, gunkote, and slap the shit out of your friend for not buying a hi-point or lorcin for that crap.
GermanSynergy
03-18-11, 20:35
Or a Sig P250.
Wish you'd bought a Raven Arms and did a one for one swap.....
Hell. I would probably just wipe it down with CLP; dab a bit of grease on the important things; and shoot it.
Looks like an Inglis...I've seen worse. Simplest thing would be to detail strip it, remove the rust with GI bore cleaner or kerosene, bead blast it, and toss it into a bluing tank. Put in new springs (remove mag disconnect?), and if a new barrel is needed Brownell's has them. That would give you a pretty good gun for minimum outlay.
Years ago I picked up a GI 1911 like that--it took WD-40 and some effort to open--that had been stolen and then left out in the wet for a while. It was pretty pitted so I draw filed the flats and was on my way to making it a utility gun. My wife to be asked me if she could have it (at the time I was only in to it for $35). We knew an up and coming engraver and when I got the gun cleaned up he did $100 worth of scroll work (about 1/3 coverage) on it. We then gave it a decent blue job, and I put on a set of good sights and some pewter Colt stocks. Eventually I put in a S&W 1911 barrel. The gun looks great, shoots great, and my wife loves it. Not bad for an erstwhile junker, and all told we've got about $235 into it. :haha:
In short, you've got a great project there, whatever you do. Those are way more fun than NIB stuff.
sixgun-symphony
03-20-11, 03:50
Please post some pictures when its refinished.
If you want to remove rust don't resort to abrasives.
Option 1
Naval Jelly. It's essentially phosphoric acid, it converts red rust/corrosion to black iron oxide. You can wipe most of it off but it takes repeated applications (slow).
Option 2
Electrolysis. You take a big tank of water, fill it with an alkaline electrolyte (sodium carbonate, washing soda, you buy it in grocery store). Stick a big steel plate that you dont want to save in one end of the tank, then hang all the gun parts on a wire or something on the other side (important that rust is all line of sight to your sacrificial plate). Get a rectifier (car battery charger), connect the POSITIVE to the sacrificial plate, the NEGATIVE to the parts you want cleaned (do not get this backward or you will end up speeding up corrosion on your gun). 24 hours with continuous current flow will do it. Dont do it near any open flames since it gives off pure hydrogen gas.
When you remove it from water dry it and spray with clp right away. You can actually watch rust form if you expose it to air for 5 minutes.
This will remove only the corroded bits, nothing else.
-.-
Edit: Link with pics since I dont have any. http://www.rowand.net/shop/Tools/Electrolysis.htm
Then you can get it parked or w/e.
send it to steve morrison... just saying
Bead blast, parkerize, gunkote, and slap the shit out of your friend for not buying a hi-point or lorcin for that crap.
Another vote to have it beadblasted and then Gunkote over parkerizing.
I am also in favor of the slap down on your buddy for letting that happen.
Having just had mine done, I'd vote for Atranite.
...
What if any markings can you distinguish on that pistol and where did your buddy get it from? I can't tell from the pic, but if it happened to be one from WWII produced under Nazi occupation, I'd advise against bead-blasting and other forms of metal refinishing. Better to leave some ugly on it and arrest whatever is going on without resorting to abrasives.
If you want a nicer looking one, there are collectors of martial arms that would give it a good home and give you a fair price towards a similar and less historic example.
Military issue or not, it's sad to see how that old timer was treated by it's last owner.
Saleen
GastonG-NoVa
03-27-11, 11:35
Thanks for all of the advice. I am going to attempt to figure out its history, before I start messing with it too much.
Thanks
Wayne Novak, Parkersburg WV
http://novaksights.com/customguns/BHP/modifications.html#finishing
It's a shame to see that.
Dude would have been a thousand times better off burying a new Glock and treating it like that than that poor old war horse.
Tangent sight too, Jesus. I'm tagging this one for the "after" pics.
Robb Jensen
03-27-11, 13:31
Any ideas who would be able to do that, prefer someone in Va, as that is where I like to spend my money (VA Arms). I am not completely against shipping it, depending on price/hassle/workmanship.
Hey brother I don't do that kind of work. I'd recommend Drew at WAR Rifles in Manassas Park VA. He'll be doing parkerizing very soon and he does GunKote, Norrells and Ceracoat.
GastonG-NoVa
04-06-11, 20:43
Rob, thanks for WAR Rifle reccomendation. Local is good!!
Any update to fixing up this Hi Power?
What a shame. If I knew somebody was going to do that I would gladly front them the cash to buy a brand-spanin'-new Hi-Point.
[QUOTE=saleen;945569]What if any markings can you distinguish on that pistol and where did your buddy get it from? I can't tell from the pic, but if it happened to be one from WWII produced under Nazi occupation, I'd advise against bead-blasting and other forms of metal refinishing. Better to leave some ugly on it and arrest whatever is going on without resorting to abrasives.
If you want a nicer looking one, there are collectors of martial arms that would give it a good home and give you a fair price towards a similar and less historic example.
Military issue or not, it's sad to see how that old timer was treated by it's last owner. Saleen[/QUOTE
If it is a ww2 pistol, I would use kroil and bronze wool to remove the surface rust, that combo with leave any remaining blue intact.
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