Trying to blog using an iPad and "guest" wifi is a serious prelude to madness but I am still here and counting the minutes until my return to
civilization New Orleans. So far, on St. Simons Island, I found a restaurant called Barbara Jeans, and it's owned and run by a retired Marine Corps F-4 Phantom pilot named Jim who would fit right in here with some of the mil bloggers--patriotic, conservative and interesting as hell to listen to. It's my new favorite eatery now, even beating out Southern Soul BBQ. (The BBQ is top notch, to be fair, but I like Jim and his wife better as hosts...and the $4 Margaritas that Jim serves up are winners too.)
I had planned to meet Keads in Charleston, SC this weekend, but he had family commitments which have to come first, and just as well, because tropical storm Bonnie landed. Direct hit on Charleston when we would have been there so it's all good not to have gone.
Latest report from the dog sitters is that the dogs are behaving (even Murphy) and all is good on the home front.
A local gun shop here has a Nazi-marked Walther PPK for sale cheap, and had someone not nickel plated it, it'd be mine already. Anyone know about de-nickeling and re-bluing a gun without destroying the markings?
Enjoy the Memorial Day, and thank a vet today.
Barbara Jean's is a local chain. There's another one on the edge of Amelia Island (Fernandina Beach) that's owned by a relative of an instructor I used to work with at FLETC. It's a very good place, and I have fond memories of eating on their patio (with my wife, no less!).
ReplyDeleteCheck the Custom Pistols page on Facebook. One of those guys will know what to do or who to contact.
ReplyDeleteUh, Custom Handguns. Sorry.
DeleteI think it can be done. Nickel-plating is an electrochemical process and it can be run in reverse. If you were to put the gun on the anode and a piece of nickel on the cathode and immerse the gun in the right solution, the process should run backwards.
ReplyDeleteA bath in sodium hydroxide might do it.
I'd sure as hell leave either process to a pro shop to do. At the end of the day, you'll end up with a reblued gun that'll have zero collector value. And it might cost you more than finding a piece with its original finish.
But if you want to do it as a project, what the hell. Go for it, if the price on the bubba'd gun is reasonable.
Too bad you and Keads didn't get together - that would be interesting! :-)
ReplyDeleteA $4 Marg is always good! As long as it's not made with Crystal Light!
Good to hear the dogs are behaving.
gfa
I'm jealous. They better not transfer their affections from me to THOSE PEOPLE! :-)
ReplyDeleteThought about you when Weather Channel said that storm was going to hit the beach this weekend.
ReplyDeleteWhat misfit said is true. If you just want it for yourself and for something to do, why not? It will never have any collector value but given some of the pieces you own and their value, what does one little pistol matter?
Enjoy, and agree with Harry!
ReplyDeleteA possible problem is that it might have been polished prior to the nickle plating, and having it blued may not look appropriate. Do the markings still look sharp under the plating? Do you know it would have been blue for sure? Perhaps Parkerized? That might hide the polished surface.
ReplyDeleteDo you know for sure the nickle is not original?
The Internet Gun Wisdom is that the Wehrmacht never accepted any nickel-plated guns - but that aftermarket-plated bringbacks abound.
DeleteWhich is where you get things like this monstrosity - which, in addition to being a horrible-looking plate job, is a felony-in-waiting with the partially-obliterated and also ALTERED serial number. I mean, FFS, the plating is OVER TOP of the attempted obliteration gouges.
I mean, it's not really related to the conversation. but it popped up in my searching...
Will made an interesting point: Apparently, there were a small number of factory nickel guns made during the Nazi era. If that gun has an original nickel finish, it's worth really stupid amounts of money.
ReplyDeleteIt is good to hear that the dogs even Murphy are behaving Have a safer trip back home.
ReplyDelete