Featured How to restore antique flintlock pistol

I'm finally beginning to collect antique flintlock pistols and have acquired my first one.

I'd like to do all the restoration but I'm at a loss with how to properly go about this.

I want to restore the metal portions as best as I can, specifically to get all the black out of them but does anyone know how I can do this on the barrel without removing the silver inlays? The other metal portions should be easy to restore with basic metal polish but I'm concerned about stripping the silver inlays on the barrel and loose all that beautiful scripting.

Regarding the wood, I want to restore as much of the original color as I can. Is it possible to get the wood to it's original brown and remove all the dark portions? If so, what products should I be looking to get?

 

It's lovely! And yours, so of course you can do as you please, but...whatever value it may have (an' that may be quite a bit, or maybe not...) will be steeply reduced by each of the 'restoration' steps you propose. My considered counsel is to savor it for what it is, at this long remove from its origin...and nothing more! Continue to collect, an' learn...seek advice from local & regional experts in the arcana of early firearms, but reserve 'fixing' for those rare items that are both cheap to acquire, an' needful of only judicious detailing.

 

percussion belt pistol and I also would leave it as is

 

The black belongs. Not meant to be shiny.

 

I appreciate the replies, thank you all for chiming in and providing me a different way of thinking about this.

I still much to learn about these old firearms as @bobsyouruncle has corrected me in indicating that it's a percussion and not flint pistol

 

Trying to bring the pistol back to it's original state is a mistake. You could lose up to 75%, or more, of it's current value.

 

I wouldn't touch yr Belt Pistol-it's like retouching a gold coin w/ an exacto knife or a valuable stamp w/ colored pencils.The antique firearm auctions (reputable big $ ones),always note any re-bluing/re-browning to the metal & any other piece that's been replaced or tampered with (even period repairs).The serious black powder connoisseurs are as smart as our jewelry experts-you could easily bash hundreds or thousands off it's value.
Do you know the date & provenance of the piece.You might send a few pics to some antique arms experts-you'll find many online.Congrats on a beautiful piece !
PS- You might have @komokwa look at this.

 

Pedro Jose Aguirre Spanish Ornate Percussion Pistol.

nicest lion hammer I've seen.
possibly a flintlock , changed to percussion....

the wear on the screws shows it's been knocked down before.

A lovely gun.
The addition of the belt hook is unusual, and cool !

If it were mine , I might take it apart......gingerly....and clean it....... " clean it ", not strip it , or polish it , or buff it , or oil it.
Just get any surface dirt & grime off it , without touching the patina , or natural wear that a mid 1800's weapon would acquire .

There are many of his weapons out there and not one has been restored to it's MIB condition.....as that would kill the value of the entire item.

 

Absolutely agree!!! This beauty needs NOT to be touched
I love the exacto on a coin and colored pencil on a stamp looks like a kyratisation project

 

I absolutely love it the way it is, that wood in its current state is beautiful to me.

 

We own a firearm business now for 9 years. A friend of mine does restore firearms. He has always said leave it alone. Do not redo the original finish. Black powder is corrosive but your pistol looks in pretty good shape so probably well taken care of. Hoppes is a gun cleaner . Guns should be cleaned before oiling with gun oil or else you simply trap corrosives under the oil. Look for any active rust spots. Inside and outside the barrel. A gun cleaning brush and/ or Frontier 45 pad ( looks like a scoring pad but secret formula that won't harm blueing. Hoppes won't harm the wood either . What ever you do ,do not use WD40 it does more harm than good. when handling your pistol it is not a bad idea to use cotton gloves. Oils and sweat from human hands can cause rust.

 

Thank you all for the great replies and for convincing me not to restore the pistol You've given me some great info I was largely unaware of with respect to antiques and their value.

@bosko69 It is a Spanish pistol made in the Eibar region in 1842 by Pedro Maria Aguirre. There are two Pedro Aguirre mentioned in a book I have on Spanish pistols, one in the late 1700s and another between 1840-1850. Perhaps the Pedro that @komokwa mentions is the father of this Pedro? Can't find anything to substantiate that, however.

@komokwa The lion hammer caught my eye as well! I'm open to taking it apart and cleaning it. Any recommendations on what I should use?

@Lark I don't have Hoppes but I do have Ballistol and a slew of brushes and oils for my modern guns and rifles. Perhaps a rag with a touch of Ballistol on the wood and metal?

 

Beautiful,craftsmanship in those days was astounding.Look at the quality of engraving !
It would look beautiful though mounted on one of Kyra's handmade 'Dragon Pistol Sculptures'.

 

It can be disassembled safely and fairly easily without damaging either the piece or the value. Ballistol would be good to use for cleaning both the wood and the metal. Don't use an abrasive on either, just a soft cloth.

For long term care, I've had success with a good quality car wax. Make sure it's all clean and dry, and apply the wax, let it dry a bit, and buff it off with a soft cloth.

 

Ballistol is an oil so you need to get a cleaner first. My husband uses it on his old colts after he cleans them with hoppes. We heard that during the civil war the soldiers drank it like castor oil! Probably wouldn't hurt you but not suggested.

 

I would advise you not to touch it.

 

Got a bottle of Hoppes today so I should be all set along with the Ballistol! I don't plan on drinking any of it though