[ElvinWarrior]

Hunter,

No, those pistols are in no way ruined at all. If you go to the Caswell Plating web page, there is a technical bulletin board there, as well as a home hobbiest forum where you can post and discuss your projects, either ahead of time, during the process, or after the fact. They have people there, just like here, of great experiance, knowledge and wisdom. The wand plating method does require that you excercise a great degree of PATIENCE, you cannot be in any kind of a hurry. As you are probably aware, the longer you exose a surface to the electrical current, and plating solution, of the plating technique, by whatever means used, the more metal is plated, the thicker the plating laywer. I took my time with this, plating the surfaces, in 5 separate steps, with buffing/polishing, cleaning, and de-greasing steps at every point, I spent 45 minutes on EACH of the plating layers. There were TWO layers of base copper layed down, before the final finish layers of THREE layers of either Nickel or Gold, depending upon whether the piece was to be plated in Nickel or Gold. I used up ALL of the shipped chemical plating liquids on these two pistols alone. According to the Casewell experts, this would have resulted in a plating thickness as good as a multi-plating step tank plating, at a Fraction of the costs.

And besides, I have a number of little enterprises I run out of my small craft/gunsmithing set-up in my crafts workshop. I produce a number of smaller accessories types of items for sale to various major BP distributors, such as Dixie Gun Works. I will be investing in substantial tank plating systems in the near future, to produce items, allready approved by Dixie and others, to be carried in their catalogs, using high end tank plating systems.

So, if ever, these pistols do show ANY signs of wear, AT ALL, at some future date, I will simply tear them down again, and re-plate them with my much more expensive tank plating systems.

Whats to loose? You can ALLWAYS re-plate your projects AGAIN !!! And, this process is completely REVERSABLE, there are plating stipping agents you can buy from Caswell, that will remove, the plating from any surface, restoring the original surface back to what it was in the begining. In my case, this would be the brass finish of the backstrap, trigger gaurd, and frame, and plain steel of the other components, which then, could be re-blued, browned, or simply bare steel buffed and polished.

I am, currently, co-developing with the owner/founder of Caswell Plating, a simple, reliable method of photo-electro engraving that can be used either with the wand, tank, or chemical plating methods. As this project develops, and we arrive at kits and products for distribution, I will, at that time, publish articles on how to photo-engrave guns with complex and delicate engraving AND ETCHING patterns.

Keep this broadcasting channel open on your receivers fans !!! There are MORE exciting episodes to come !!!

What I try to show, with these kinds of home gunsmithing projects is how, even with a limited budget, any home enthusiast can enjoy the finer aspects of the gunnery hobby. But, as we all know, what you cut from your expense account in bucks, you have to make up for with, skill, determination, and patience. You pay for it one way, or another, there is no escaping that part of it.

Alot of people would just prefer to drop the piece off at a pro shop, and pay someone to perform this service for them. But others, who perhaps either have a limited income, or, who have alot of responsibilities, like, raising more than one kid, may not have that kind of a hobby budget available to them, they need, to explore, these alternative methodes that can save them big bucks, without sacraficing quality at all, if they take their time, and do the job properly. And if they have kids, old enough to help out, these kinds of projects are wonderful Dad/Kid projects they can do together, teaching the young person the value of inqinuity, and creative skills as an alternative to solving problems, and completing projects, with raw bucks alone.

Sincerely,

ElvinWarrior... aka... David