How to restore a lock

[Maillemaker]

Hi all,

I picked up a Colt Contract lock for $100 on ebay.

I intend to use this in my Colt Signature Series 2-band musket. It appears that it will fit with minor inletting work to the existing mortise.

The lock is in good shape, but had a dark brown patina all over.

I would like to gently restore this lock to a semi-bright service appearance without removing material or otherwise damaging the piece. I have gently cleaned the lock internals and only polished the working surface of those items. I don't intend to do anything else to them.

I have disassembled the lock completely, and have begun polishing the parts using oil and copper wool. The flat faces I am using oiled 600 grain sandpaper on a flat plate.

Parts are looking better and I am getting some bare metal to show.

There is some light pitting which cannot be touched without removing enough material to reach the bottom of the pits, which of course I do not want to do.

I am considering using Evaporust on the lock plate and hammer. I have never used it before. What do you think about this product for this application?

Thanks,

Steve

https://i.imgur.com/Qvqqxfml.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Be1M4XWl.jpg

[mgmradio]

Steve, The evaporust should work well on the lock and parts. It will remove the surface rust and the rust in the pits leaving you with a gray surface that should polish out nicely. The evaporust won?t attack the good metal.
Mike

[Maillemaker]

Thanks Mike. I don't think I'm going to touch the internal lock components any more than I already have. They are nicely blued and there is no need to strike them bright. I polished the friction areas and that will be enough for them.

But I want to clean up the lockplate and hammer as much as possible.

I ordered a gallon of Evaporust so we will see how it goes!

Steve

[John.Hayes]

About the best final polish you can get is with Simichrome polish and a soft rag. Take your time with it while watching TV or some other and it will sparkle. The best place to find a tube of this miraculous paste is a motorcycle shop. Bike guys love it for their chrome. I've used it for years and it won't disappoint you. jh

[John Bly]

I would rub it out with red Scotchbrite or Beartex before the final polish.

[Rebel Dave]

Steve
You can soak the parts in vinegar also. Its a lot cheaper than Evaporust.

Dave

[Ron The Old Reb]

I would soak it in in some CLR and then in some Creole oil. I don't know if I would soak it in vinegar. I use to build die cast models and to make the paint stick to the metal I would soak the metal parts in vinegar. It would etch the metal so that the paint would stick to it.

[Bob Lintner]

Evaporust works good and does not remove metal, only rust. It does remove bluing, a form of rust.

[Maillemaker]

I have ordered a gallon of Evaporust for $11. As I understand it, it does "selective chelation", and only removes iron oxide, while not touching iron.

Vinegar is basically a weak acid, and will attack all exposed metal equally. I think I will try the Evaporust first and see how it does.

Steve