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Beagle333 · February 9, 2012, 01:07 PM

Today, while waiting for it to get warm enough outside to pour concrete, I turned my attention to the brass on the old 1860.
This is what it looked like before:

And after some brasso:

It cleaned up pretty well. But the point wasn't to show that brass shines up when polished. The improvement was the triggerguard. I was pretty happy with it until I got my Colt last week and noticed that the edges of the brass were blended into the frame, whereas the Pietta had sharp edges on the triggerguard. So while I had it disassembled during polishing, I also slightly blended the edge.

Piettawith just 17 years of wear:

Colt:

Pietta after sanding:

It could use even more, but I want to take it gradually and will just hit it with the 800# whenever I take it off for a good cleaning, until it looks exactly like the Colt.

(and after looking at the pictures posted: No, I didn't use the steel file in the picture, it just happened to be on the bench. I used 240#, then 400#, 600#, 800# and then Brasso.)

February 9, 2012, 01:07 PM	#1
Beagle333 Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2012 Location: Auburn, AL. Posts: 2,332	Just some pictures. . . Today, while waiting for it to get warm enough outside to pour concrete, I turned my attention to the brass on the old 1860. This is what it looked like before: And after some brasso: It cleaned up pretty well. But the point wasn't to show that brass shines up when polished. The improvement was the triggerguard. I was pretty happy with it until I got my Colt last week and noticed that the edges of the brass were blended into the frame, whereas the Pietta had sharp edges on the triggerguard. So while I had it disassembled during polishing, I also slightly blended the edge. Piettawith just 17 years of wear: Colt: Pietta after sanding: It could use even more, but I want to take it gradually and will just hit it with the 800# whenever I take it off for a good cleaning, until it looks exactly like the Colt. (and after looking at the pictures posted: No, I didn't use the steel file in the picture, it just happened to be on the bench. I used 240#, then 400#, 600#, 800# and then Brasso.) Last edited by Beagle333; February 9, 2012 at 01:24 PM.