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This one is advertised as having chrome bottom metal and bolt. Does this look like chrome plating? I've seen worn chrome before, generally a bit yellowish when the nickel underplating shows through, but mirror bright in the unworn areas. This looks like polished steel that hasn't been cleaned in a long time, perhaps tarnished by decades of fingerprints. Thoughts?
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I don't think so, if it were in the white it would rust with the fingerprints, mine would anyway. I still think it's chrome that hasn't been cared for, it'll rust like that too. Look at car bumpers...over time.
Thanks. Perhaps it was a "good" plating job initially then, and my reference points have all been cheap jobs. Then again I'm no expert. I suppose I could polish away the plating on the bottom metal, but the bolt would have to send out to have it removed professionally so there is no change to its fit.
but wait...is that light surface rust on the floor plate? or tarnish from the plating layers?
here is the bolt...may be a more definitive reference. The yellow could be dried grease/oil or could be the under-plating showing through.
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I'm sure it is pretty but too bad they did that to a P-14/P-17. Whatever it is, I would have it removed and returned to its original finish. The collector value is already minimized by the current plating. Returning it to its original finish would at least allow you to label it as "refurbished." Plus, it will look awesome!
Oh, If I get it, I sure will be removing the plating. I've brought back a few 1903 sporters that had bolt bodies polished and in the white. A couple I left white but fixed the neglected metal by polishing to mirror bright again. On one the bolt body was fine the extractor claw was pretty bad and ugly...so I cleaned it up and polished away the pitting. It looked so nice against the blued bolt I left it.
Some sources report the USMC marksmanship team had highly polished receiver rail, highly polished and blued bolt and bottom metal, highly polished extractor. The picture in at least one book looked like the extractor was in the white, all else blued. Meh.
Fit and function are of primary importance, and in my mind at least allowing myself some liberties at the end in the finish preserves some of its service "history", including perhaps some reference to its years spent as a sporter. It doesn't really change the value of a parts queen, but makes me smile when I pull it out of the safe and take it to the range.
I still think that's plated... If you get it just take a swipe with cold blue in a wide open place and see. You can always re polish it after.Quote:
Originally Posted by ssgross
A little late, I have a similar 1917, but the plating is in great shape. I had planned on having it removed and the reparked, (mine is a late eddystone), but it kind of grew on me. Now I have
a shortened and full length plated bayonets, to go with it.
I passed on this one...the price went to $600 when I stopped watching. I bailed out far earlier.