electrolysis on a fully assembled revolver?

[Cameramonkey]

So rewind many years (15?). Dad had a Smith J frame for as long as I can remember. He got the cancer as Forrest would say. I suspect it clouded his judgement because he was VERY careful with his guns. Yet 10 years ago we found his Smith shortly after his death in his SUV partially disassembled, wrapped in a silicone impregnated reel cloth, COVERED in heavy rust. It had obviously been left somewhere VERY moist and allowed to rust and he tried to fix it, or at least slow it down.

I tore it down, cleaned it, and cold blued it. Apparently I didn't get all the rust out of the pits because when I stopped by moms today and checked it while I was there, (its her home defense weapon) she hadnt wiped it down and pretty much all the rust points were where it had been pitted the first time. So I brought it home to work on. (with several other guns in sad shape)

Can I use the electrolysis method to clean ALL of the rust particles off without totally tearing it down before another attempt at a re-blue? The last time I couldnt get all the pieces back together and had to take it to a smith to reassemble it. (there was some internal part I just couldnt get back together) I know to get a total clean I'll likely have to clamp the frame and cylinder in two separate passes since they arent tightly bonded electrically.

And on a second note, would something like cerakote protect it better and also fill in the pits? Though its a relatively rare gun (36-1, the 3" version) I know due to the current condition any market value is already lost and its just an heirloom at this point. I'm more interested in preserving what's left and making this thing more durable due to its storage conditions and to preserve its shooting condition so it can be enjoyed for generations.

Suggestions?

 

[Methane Herder]

Parkerize it.

MH

 

[churchmouse]

Man I would have to see it -CM- because to do any further coatings it would have to be stripe to bare. Ceracoat might work. But again, I would have to see it. I have a blast cabinet with glass bead or sand whichever you need but the gun has to come "ALL THE WAY" down.

 

[lonehoosier]

If you were closer I would just throw it in the tank and find out.

 

[churchmouse]

If you were closer I would just throw it in the tank and find out.

Wow.

 

[lonehoosier]

Wow.

Zero elbow grease too. That was about 28 hours in the tank for those three pieces. Just one more to prove how will it works.

 

[jburris]

Tear it down and do a rust blue on it. I have had good results with Laurel mountain forge solution.

 

[88E30M50]

I had a handgun that was heavily pitted years ago that I cleaned up by removing the rust, then Duracoat. After the first layer of Duracoat, I sanded back to the metal and did it again until the pits were filled. After that, I just gave it one last nice coat of Duracoat and it looked pretty good considering how it had started.

I also remember seeing a polished blue color of Duracoat at the NRA convention that looked pretty good. For what you have, it may not be a bad way to return it to decent condition while protecting it from future rust.

I’ve never used the polished blue Duracoat though, so don’t know how well it goes on or how easy it is to get a good finish. I have shot a bunch of Duracoat though and with proper prep, it is about as good as Ceracoat if you use the baked version.