I'm cleaning up a very dusty & dirty but original condition Lanchester Mk1. The magazine well, as you know, is made of gunmetal, an alloy similar to brass.
On this gun, the mag well is a olive-drab color. At first I thought it was aged patina (and it may well be), but it has more of a uniform chemically-applied look to it IMHO.
When these guns were first made, was the mag well left bright brass color like a SMLE buttplate? Or were they darkened like with an acidic solution or something?
I would personally believe the Brits would not have sent troops into combat in ww2 (as opposed to ww1 when they most certainly WOULD have!) with a bright and shiny brass mag well, but who knows?
Anyhow, before I put the brasso to this thing, I would like to know I am not destroying the original finish.
I don't trust the photos of the ones on the IMA-USA site as those guns have obviously been heavily touched up when they were built up onto dummy receivers.
Please help!!
On this gun, the mag well is a olive-drab color. At first I thought it was aged patina (and it may well be), but it has more of a uniform chemically-applied look to it IMHO.
When these guns were first made, was the mag well left bright brass color like a SMLE buttplate? Or were they darkened like with an acidic solution or something?
I would personally believe the Brits would not have sent troops into combat in ww2 (as opposed to ww1 when they most certainly WOULD have!) with a bright and shiny brass mag well, but who knows?
Anyhow, before I put the brasso to this thing, I would like to know I am not destroying the original finish.
I don't trust the photos of the ones on the IMA-USA site as those guns have obviously been heavily touched up when they were built up onto dummy receivers.
Please help!!
