Black Widow Authentication

Mac Cat · 05-11-2023, 12:08 PM

The photos we are looking here at are just too dark to make out the condition of the finish. Even, so, it's hard to tell from a photography and there will often be a lot of disagreement.

I'm hardly an expert, but the tell tales include missing normal wear patterns, often caused by the leather holster. The sides of the barrel tip, the side plate, and the butt of the luger will usually show wear.

If you take off the receiver, the rails and internal parts should be in the white, as they were not blued. However, a lot of Lugers were refinished at arsenal depots, too.

The quality of the finish is what good photos will help illustrate. These Lugers did not have straw finish on the smaller parts, like earlier Lugers, so it's correct for them to be blued.

Photos in sunlight give the best results - not direct sunlight, but on an overcast day or away from direct sun light is best. Use a dark background and get a large format image. Also, since you camera will have to open up the aperture a lot, you need to pay attention to the focus. Most cameras will have a very short field of focus, so hold the camera very still and avoid auto-focus, if you can.

That's part of the luger challenge - getting good quality photos!

Cheers!

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05-11-2023, 12:08 PM	#6
Mac Cat Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 778 Thanks: 2,208 Thanked 670 Times in 357 Posts	The photos we are looking here at are just too dark to make out the condition of the finish. Even, so, it's hard to tell from a photography and there will often be a lot of disagreement. I'm hardly an expert, but the tell tales include missing normal wear patterns, often caused by the leather holster. The sides of the barrel tip, the side plate, and the butt of the luger will usually show wear. If you take off the receiver, the rails and internal parts should be in the white, as they were not blued. However, a lot of Lugers were refinished at arsenal depots, too. The quality of the finish is what good photos will help illustrate. These Lugers did not have straw finish on the smaller parts, like earlier Lugers, so it's correct for them to be blued. Photos in sunlight give the best results - not direct sunlight, but on an overcast day or away from direct sun light is best. Use a dark background and get a large format image. Also, since you camera will have to open up the aperture a lot, you need to pay attention to the focus. Most cameras will have a very short field of focus, so hold the camera very still and avoid auto-focus, if you can. That's part of the luger challenge - getting good quality photos! Cheers!