Telltale Signs of a Refinished Luger

[Dwight Gruber]

Originally Posted by ithacaartist

1. The little pin that retains the central toggle axle was "in the white" on originals before salt bluing was commenced by Mauser production. The toggle joint's parts were rust blued while separate, then assembled with an unfinished pin.

Be careful. Many refinishers have caught on to this one, and are "re-whiting" this pin. Be suspicious of pins which are too bright--almost polished--and dead even with the surface of the toggle piece.

Originally these pins were simply cut off (lathe cut) from stock and pressed into place. They have a characteristic "teat" in the center, remnant of the cutting process. A pin end which is smooth has been removed and tapped back into place by a hammer. The pins were often pressed just below the toggle surface, and can be rimmed by grime. The pin faces do not really rust but they do considerably darken with age, to the extent that it is often extremely difficult to differentiate them from the adjacent blued surface. There is a slight color difference, which sometimes shows up a little better in photos than by eye.

--Dwight