Vintage melt on a 1911?

[Sirshredalot]

Ive seen carry melts on a 1911 but have been looking at new Colts and they just look more "crisp" than the older variants....say a model from the 50's-70's...or better yet a well experienced USGI war-horse.

The older guns all seem to have "softer" edges and a smoother look....Am I imagining this or is this real? Did they come like this or is this part of the aging process....like how my knees wore out?

The side of the slides on new guns are well defined and bordered rectangles....on the older guns there seems to be much less differentiation between the slide rounds and the flats....seem to have more rolled edges and corners.

If this is a thing...does anyone do a "vintage melt" to make a newer "crisp" 1911 have more of a vintage feel?

Please and thank you
God bless
-Shred

 

[phylodog]

A well worn, old workhorse of a 1911 is a thing of beauty rarely matched in the firearms world in my opinion. I know some folks offer a carry melt but I think it's going to be a bit different than the wear from use. Neither is a bad thing if you find it appealing.

 

[TCLe]

Perhaps that, or the manufacture process from over a century ago would lead to less definition of shape.

 

[actaeon277]

I gotta ask. What is a vintage melt?

 

[Leadeye]

A reblue job will usually lightly round the sharp edges. It's one of the ways to spot one.

 

[6mm Shoot]

I am assuming he is talking abut the rounding of all the corners till it has no sharp edges. I don't know what they call it in new custom guns but they remove all corners and round stuff off so it don't get hung on stuff when you have to draw it from under a coat or what ever.

 

[Drail]

What you want to ask for is a "de-horn" job. It's done with stones. Most shops do them. They can take off a tiny bit - or a lot. Tell them what you want. A "melt" is where all edges are totally rounded like a used bar of soap. Clark Custom Guns does it.

 

[88E30M50]

This is an interesting question. I agree with the OP in that older 1911s do seem to have slightly softer edges than the current factory ones. I don't think it's a matter of wear though, since it does not correspond to bare metal and the original finish usually covers it. The new 1911s are a thing of beauty when done right, with clean, crisp lines. I'll compare my older ones today to see if there is any evidence of the older 1911s having had the edges broken during production.

Years ago, when learning to be an aircraft sheet metal mechanic, we were taught to break the edges of whatever we cut and formed to reduce stress and remove burrs. I've done that on pistols I've bought that were near razor sharp on the production edges, such as a Walther PPK/S. That thing would slice skin in no time if you were not careful. Once I went over the gun and broke the edges, it had a whole different feel to it. It may be that old production processes required breaking the edges of machined parts before they received their finish.

 

[Sirshredalot]

88E30M50, Id be very grateful if you could report back with your findings.

The new ones just dont look "right" to me...Like the difference between a late 60's chevy nova and a late 70's chevy nova....yeah...I can see the same shape in there...buy the hard edges and line mess it all up.

God bless
-Shred

 

[Sirshredalot]

I gotta ask. What is a vintage melt?

I made it up...I think?

God bless
-Shred

 

[churchmouse]

88E30M50, Id be very grateful if you could report back with your findings.

The new ones just dont look "right" to me...Like the difference between a late 60's chevy nova and a late 70's chevy nova....yeah...I can see the same shape in there...buy the hard edges and line mess it all up.

God bless
-Shred

I see the point here.
But in my eye the newer ones do have a significant enhancement with the modern machine techniques. They are works of art when turned out properly.

The vintage pieces do have a softer look to them. Also very handsome.

 

[88E30M50]

I'll try to get some photos for comparison tonight.

 

[Leadeye]

Here are some old ones. 1924 on top, 1927 below.

 

[88E30M50]

Leadeye, you are really bad for my savings account. Every time I see photos of your guns, especially the early 1911, I feel like going shopping. Those are absolutely beautiful.

 

[88E30M50]

Here are some photos for comparison. The two pistols are a WWII Colt (1943 production) and a Dan Wesson CCO. I think that the only rounding done would be what the machinist did to de-burr the part. Even with a 40X viewer, I don't see anything that looks like an intentional rounding of the edges. There is also about 73 years worth of use contributing to the Colt's softer edges.

 

[6mm Shoot]

I like the looks of the 1924. It looks so very rounded at all edges. Very nice 1911. New ones don't look like that.

 

[Bigtanker]

Don't go overboard. I remember seeing one on here that was horrible.

 

[churchmouse]

This makes me want to go find a project gun and spend some time with the stones.......

 

[BogWalker]

High edge wear is a natural process that, in my opinion, greatly increases the handsomeness of a firearm. Of course it's preferable when it comes naturally from years of use.

I wish I had gotten one of those Sistema .45s from Sarco when they had them. All the look and feel of a classic Colt without the price tag. Now they GunBroker for near $1k so that's out of my price range.