Scheintod Pistol

W

wuluf

New member
I have a late 19th century Scheintod pistol that I want to sell on Gunbroker. It has some surface rust. Should I attempt to remove this, or is this " patina" more authentic?
 
You can use fine steel wool or brass wool and oil to remove surface rust without doing harm to the finish. But don't try to remove long time patina; you can't do it without harming the gun from a collectors viewpoint.

Jim
 
Had to look it up, Gas pistol, do you have the 3 barrel type? Rust is not patina, if you have to put a name to rust call it a corrosive metal eater, because that is what it will do if not stopped. With out pictures we can't tell how bad the rust is but what I use for minor rust is a very good light gun oil and 0000 ( 4 0, very fine ) steel wool or even brass wool. Use it very lightly , like rubbing lotion on a baby's butt and then finish with a tooth brush, some use a copper penny ( one ot the older ones, the new penny's are Zinc ) rub out the rust . Others may have different methods or better ideals.
 
I have always wondered about the origin of that term as applied to a pistol. "Scheintod" means "appearance of death", and is sometimes translated as suspended animation, coma, or even an appearance like that of a zombie. Nothing in common use that could be expelled by a pistol would cause a person to go into a coma. It is often written that they fired tear gas, but the most common cartridges expelled a cloud of powdered tobacco. I can imagine the effect that would have on the eyes and face, and it seems unlikely that it would cause anyone to take on the appearance of a corpse - just the opposite, I would think, with an extremely animated reaction.

Jim
 
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