I just received my USGI Ithaca 1911 back from Nick at Vulcan Gun Finishing out of Maidstone Ontario.
This was a lend-lease gun that went to Britain during WWII that managed to find its way back to North America. It has a number of British proofs on.
The gun as shown in the before pictures had a terrible finish on it. It had been buffed heavily, wearing some of the markings down and taking off all the sharp edges. It had some light pitting, nicks and dents in various places.
Suffice it to say, it was an ugly gun. But it is an awesome shooter. It runs and shoots very well. So, I decided to have it refinished at Vulcan to see how it would look.
To say I am extremely pleased with the end product is an understatement.
The park job was really well done. What was amazing was the metal work he did. He brought back all the sharp edges that had been buffed out. The fine detail file work he did on areas like the slide serrations were amazing. The whole gun looks like new.
Some of the markings were lost in the process. Couldn't be helped. Nick offered to have them laser engraved back on, but I opted not to.
Two spots of tig weld had to be applied, one to a dent in the right side of the slide that couldn't be filed out, and the other to build up the shoulder around the ejection port that had been ground/buffed down. There is some slight discoloration in the park finish at these locations. Again something that couldn't be helped, and certainly does not detract from the quality of the work done.
Nick does fantastic work. All of which he not only photographed, but video recorded as well and posted on You Tube! You can check out his You Tube Videos under: Jason Ithaca 1911A1 by 1928a1tommy. I think it was six or seven videos he did!
I have had work done on my guns by various gunsmiths over the years with mixed results. I can tell you that I am very satisfied with the work and level of service that Nick provides. I will not hesitate to have him work on my guns again.
Before:
After:
I have since added some replacement original Keyes grips to the pistol.
If you looking to restore or refinish your WWII guns or anything else for that matter, I highly recommend you give Nick a call.
As a side note, while I didn't opt for it, Nick offers a green park finish that dupliclates the original finish on aged service guns that were stored in the grease. Something you may wish to consider!
This was a lend-lease gun that went to Britain during WWII that managed to find its way back to North America. It has a number of British proofs on.
The gun as shown in the before pictures had a terrible finish on it. It had been buffed heavily, wearing some of the markings down and taking off all the sharp edges. It had some light pitting, nicks and dents in various places.
Suffice it to say, it was an ugly gun. But it is an awesome shooter. It runs and shoots very well. So, I decided to have it refinished at Vulcan to see how it would look.
To say I am extremely pleased with the end product is an understatement.
The park job was really well done. What was amazing was the metal work he did. He brought back all the sharp edges that had been buffed out. The fine detail file work he did on areas like the slide serrations were amazing. The whole gun looks like new.
Some of the markings were lost in the process. Couldn't be helped. Nick offered to have them laser engraved back on, but I opted not to.
Two spots of tig weld had to be applied, one to a dent in the right side of the slide that couldn't be filed out, and the other to build up the shoulder around the ejection port that had been ground/buffed down. There is some slight discoloration in the park finish at these locations. Again something that couldn't be helped, and certainly does not detract from the quality of the work done.
Nick does fantastic work. All of which he not only photographed, but video recorded as well and posted on You Tube! You can check out his You Tube Videos under: Jason Ithaca 1911A1 by 1928a1tommy. I think it was six or seven videos he did!
I have had work done on my guns by various gunsmiths over the years with mixed results. I can tell you that I am very satisfied with the work and level of service that Nick provides. I will not hesitate to have him work on my guns again.
Before:
After:
I have since added some replacement original Keyes grips to the pistol.
If you looking to restore or refinish your WWII guns or anything else for that matter, I highly recommend you give Nick a call.
As a side note, while I didn't opt for it, Nick offers a green park finish that dupliclates the original finish on aged service guns that were stored in the grease. Something you may wish to consider!
Blued barrel looks good and I'm sure all the small details look even better in person. Enjoy the "new" Ithaca!!
