how did all these get reblued?
 

my small collection of lugers include a fairly original 1917 erfurt, and a really nicely done up reblued dwm 1918 and a mismatched mauser with dwm parts etc thats also been reblued. Ive seen reblued ones for sale locally on backpage and armslist etc. So my question to the folks that was collecting these when they were a bit more common. Why did so many of these guns get the buff and reblued treatment? Were these things so plentiful that someone setup shop to assembly line them to make them like new (and hurt the collectability)? I know there are the chrome ones too which I would love to have just because they are different. jim

Veterans and other folk who bought them for $15 dollars out of catalogues post war threw them into tackle boxes, campers, glove boxes, tool boxes and bottom drawers as "cheap insurance". They were viewed much as we would view a Bersa, Lorcin or Makarov today.
They got beat up and sometimes rusty. When they were passed on or when the owner decided they would look better with a reblue, they were taken to the local gunsmith, (which back then, virtually every town had) and cleaned up. Aside from imports, which went through a factory redo, this is why so many home grown bring-backs have been refinished.

You'll also find that quite a few of these reworked Lugers came through the hands of the Soviets and East Germans after capture. Their soldiers turned them in, and they got reused by the police agencies.

VoPo Lugers will generally be reworked, refinished and have been sold here recently.

Marc

Many companies after the wars also exported (companies cleaned them up before sending them) and imported (companies had them cleaned up before or after receiving) lugers and for a few dollars you could get them cleaned up - I have more somewhere but here are two - one that specifically says that the Portuguese would be 'blued' and the other one you could get extra long barrel for your luger

last one you can't read very well, but look at all that is offered. As Geo has told me numerous times, these period catalogs are what shows you what was really available...

Thank ypou for sharing those old ads. As the saying goes if we only knew then what we know now. I remember growing up in okinawa in the 70s they had 1911s at the px for $79. I bought a minolta srt101 for $185 instead.

And some of them really need saving from further corrision and loss.
http://members.rennlist.org/lugerman/DDD2.JPG
http://members.rennlist.org/lugerman/DDD3.JPG
http://members.rennlist.org/lugerman/DDD4.JPG
http://members.rennlist.org/lugerman/DDD5.JPG
http://members.rennlist.org/lugerman/DDD7.JPGhttp://members.rennlist.org/lugerman/DDD11.JPG
http://members.rennlist.org/lugerman/BDA1.JPG
http://members.rennlist.org/lugerman/BDA2.JPG

Just starting to build my Facebook Display page https://www.facebook.com/groups/1389422424635642/ and did NOT realize just how many VOPO Lugers I have restored. They are quite common.

Wow!
Thor you are indeed a miracle worker on old gun restoration. That luger pictured above looks like a dug up relic . I really didn't realize anyone could restore a gun that bad!
Amazing work!
Bob

Bob, my opinion is that just about anything but an actual pile of rust can be restored. Lots of time + lots of skill (Which our Ted possesses in abundance) + lots of $...and a pinch of patience = a beautiful Luger! In very many cases, a labor of love which will take just about forever to recoup through this investment's appreciation, therefore not a particularly productive decision financially. But to breathe new life into these pistols, as Thor does...priceless!

A very nice restoration!