Navy Luger restoration
- Thread starter Biloba
- Start date
I will swim against the stream here. No (and I mean NO) luger collector will keep that piece as anything more than a temporary filler. I vote full restoration at Vulcan if you can afford it. It will be a thing of beauty to behold afterward and you will enjoy actually shooting it as something that is not display only.
Vulcan can micro-weld all the pits and machine back to the original contours, straw the right parts, rust blue it, etc. It will look nearly factory fresh - provided you want to pay for a correct-looking restoration.
If it were in nicer shape, I'd change my vote, but it's already ruined.
Vulcan can micro-weld all the pits and machine back to the original contours, straw the right parts, rust blue it, etc. It will look nearly factory fresh - provided you want to pay for a correct-looking restoration.
If it were in nicer shape, I'd change my vote, but it's already ruined.
I think like you. I will never modify a collector piece. But so much pitting, on a mechanically fine firearm, could be much better and desirable once restored. But a navy Luger, in any condition, is really rare. Not an easy decision to take. Maybe a partial restoration
I think if you are going to restore it, go all the way or forget it. I also have a Navy Luger with little finish remaining and some pitting and am on the fence about restoration as well. I have been holding back as I didn't think Vulcan did rust bluing, and if I ever decide to get it done, I want it as close to original finish as possible.
I know I would never get my money out of it, but once corrosion like this sets in, it will keep on until the pistol is worthless. A quality restoration would preserve it for the future.
As you said, these are pretty rare in Canada, it would be sad to see more of them rot away. I can't even recall seeing a nice collectable one for sale in Canada, so "upgrading" is not so easy.
I know I would never get my money out of it, but once corrosion like this sets in, it will keep on until the pistol is worthless. A quality restoration would preserve it for the future.
As you said, these are pretty rare in Canada, it would be sad to see more of them rot away. I can't even recall seeing a nice collectable one for sale in Canada, so "upgrading" is not so easy.
Just how much money do you plan on spending getting this work done??? It's all doable but where's the value in doing it. By the time you get all of this refinishing done, you can very likely purchase a Navy model in excellent condition.
Still if money is not an important consideration, nor the time it will take, by all means go for it. Micro welding??? Can't hide that up. It needs to be built up and machined to renew the profile. You might be able to get the pitted areas spray welded to fill the pits, something I've had experience with but it will still require profiling after all is said and done. Hourly rates will be prohibitive at best
Nick does incredible work, check out around the 30 minute mark of this video to see how he fixes pitting. It is a really long video, but really showcases the quality of his restorations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7DtLJYXYh4
Good luck with your project.
I've done similar projects in the past but I have the tooling and ability to do the work myself. The work is tedious to say the least and very time consuming.
When all was said and done, I was happy with the results but looking back, the time invested?????????
It depends on what you want - do you want a pitted collector, that will sit in your safe, or do you want to take a nearly perfect looking Navy Luger to the range and shoot it without worrying about damaging it. Entirely different things, really.
