Lead filled Luger

[ithacaartist]

Happy Saturday, everyone,

A friend of my buddy Steve--who runs Gunblack in Interlaken NY-- has dropped off a couple of Lugers for him to restore. One is a matching Mauser Banner, but the one in question is a matching 1938 Military Mauser.

It was plated (I think nickel) without a lot of obnoxious buffing. The big question is what to best do about how it was "deactivated." The end of the barrel and the action were poured full of melted lead. The toggle knobs are raised around a half inch above their intended position in battery, and everything is frozen/locked in this position. Therefore, exact extent and location of what Pb was poured into the action is unknown.

Since the temp needed to melt the lead is below that which would affect any of the gun's heat treating, I've tentatively advised that the grips be removed and the gun set up and heated so that as much lead as possible will melt and run out, perhaps helped along by compressed air.

The melting process will not remove it all, of course, but enough needs to go that would allow the upper, TD lever, etc to move enough again for its disassembly. I'm thinking that donning a pair of good, heavy oven mitts might allow moving the related parts while they're still hot enough, before the residual lead has re-solidified.

Does anyone have experience performing this trick, or suggestions about another approach? (I am remiss in that I came away without snapping at least one pic, sorry.)

[gunbugs]

That is a good plan. Wear an apron, and some goggles, along with your welding gloves, and "get hot". I've removed seriously stuck bullets, sometimes several stacked up, using heat.

[Edward Tinker]

In one of the vet bring backs, two 1911a1's were brought back to the USA by this method. They were taken down into parts, then put in the base of a lamp and lead filled around them.
Shipped home
Once home, they simply heated the base up and cleaned up the guns.
I imagine it wasn't as easy as the story told, but the two guns were used for years afterwards I wa told.

Ed

[Kiwi]

Use your oven method to control heat, forget the compressed air, but go for 2-3 trips to the oven.
Like a blacksmith working iron, heat pour off what lead you can, return to heat.

[G.T.]

Hi David, I would do all of the above, Then!!! I would first give it a few soaks and cleans in a commercial bore cleaner / lead remover? Or find out what the active ingreadient (NOT ACID) is and soak it in that, Then!!!! I would set up a chem 10 electrolisis (sp.?) tank and make the part an anode (or cathode? Not sure about direction, (wax on, wax off !) which would get every last molocule of lead... It would take some research, but i think basically easy once you get into it... Best, til.....lat'r.....GT

[ithacaartist]

Originally Posted by Edward Tinker

In one of the vet bring backs, two 1911a1's were brought back to the USA by this method. They were taken down into parts, then put in the base of a lamp and lead filled around them.
Shipped home
Once home, they simply heated the base up and cleaned up the guns.
I imagine it wasn't as easy as the story told, but the two guns were used for years afterwards I wa told.

Ed

Very clever! ...Although they probably didn't wind up with any bring back paperwork this way!