Ok, for those of you who missed the backstory, you can do a quick trip down memory lane.
The short version is this: a P35 from the bottom of Lake Michigan came into my hands. It was a shoebox full of parts, and although there was severe pitting everything seemed functional. I replaced three or four small parts and, surprise, the thing ran just fine. Only trouble was, the finish, such as it was, looked ‘like a topographical map of Utah’. At the gun show a couple weeks ago I met some folks who were local, had some very impressive samples of their coating work, and seemed to have some very good prices. So…why not? To recap:
And, as you’ve been waiting for:
And for full effect:
Work was done by these guys:
Now, let’s address an elephant in the room…yes, you can still see the deep pitting under the coating. Well duh. I didnt expect the coating to fill in potholes like those. Much like how there isn’t enough Bondo and tequila to make Hilllary Clinton look like Jennifer Lawrence, it would take a 50# bag of ceramic mix (or whatever they use) to smooth out this P35. But I wasn’t after ‘make it look like new’..I was after ‘make it look nice and protect the bare metal’. And…seems legit. Price? Well, the gave me a nice discount which I very much appreciated. You can see their prices on the website. I’ve no complaints.
I’ll be sending a couple guns out for coating, I think. Most notably an AR and PTR to get bit of Danish M84 on ’em.
So there you have it, gang. The Watergun is now pretty much done. Since it is in no way a ‘safe queen’ candidate, it is pretty much a ‘truck gun’ in terms of being babied. Can’t really ruin any value on it since my basis is darn near zero and any collector value sailed about the same time the gun did.No, this might just get tucked into my Avenger holster and start carrying the P35 again.
Amazing from how ya got it! As long as it runs!
Have an old 1911 in rough shape ser# already barely legible worried coating will obscure it completely?
I recently brought a Detonics Combat Master out after a deep sleep (decades) with the intention of a referb and start to carry again. I mean who wouldn’t want one of the smallest 1911 .45s as a summer gun in the Deep South? (Anything beyond t-shirt and shorts is ludicrous in this heat)
If you know the Combat Master, you’ll understand I added a nice beaver tial and a Commander hammer but the 40 yr old finish was starting to fade and, well sweat will eat finishes soooo, I got it Cerekoted locally. I finalized on a Back Satin finish, not much gloss to it. It sort of sucks in the light when you look at it, almost no reflection in direct sunlight.
In answering your question, I can no longer read the “Detonics” logo on the slide (pretty worn from 15yrs in a purse) but the s# and Detonics logo are clear. So my answer would be “maybe to probably” .
As for the Combat Master, it has such a violent short stroke that it’s not that reliable for EDC (I CAN count on a recoil with a non-pickup) but is EXCELLENT for failure drills. Doesn’t matter what mags I use (all SS Detonics and even some Chip McCormick) I might have a good mag run, I might have a FTF. As I said good for failure drills.
Excellent “knock around” pistol you got there CZ. The P35 with a CereKote… sounds like the 30s equivalent of the current Glock.
I have a Seattle manufactured 80’s Combat Master that’s been barely shot, to say it’s excellent for failure drills is a understatement. One mag I’ve had good luck with was the Wilson Sentinel a 6 Round, Lo-Profile magazine I borrowed from someone who was running it in a Kimber Pro-Carry.
I almost bought a Detonics ‘small .45’ back in early 80’s, but instead went with a Spanish Star PD. Six shot magazine and fully adjustable sight that pretends to be a standard fixed sight. No jams (quickly polished the feed ramp to mirror sheen) and shoots really well. Bianchi .45 holster.
But I’m screwed if it breaks – not many spare parts left. I have a pair of spare buffers after replacing it once.
The problem y’all have with the Combat Master is the slide weighs much less than is needed for proper cycling. Gets moving too fast, and also smacks the frame when it stops at the rear.
I would suggest talking to Wolf Springs. They show a 24lb spring for that gun, plus 10% extra power magazine springs to help get the round up a little faster.
Page here: https://www.gunsprings.com/DETONICS/cID1/mID17/dID98
The drawback is that the short slide 1911s get harder to rack than the full size guns. TANSTAAFL
Also, get some good buffers for the slide. There are two versions I’ve used.
A hard fibrous type for the stock slide type with the thin, sharp edge on the rear of the dust cover.
If you have a thick, flat surface there, use the soft version (reverse spring plug has that sort of rear edge) The thin edge type will quickly eat the soft version! This combo may end up leaving bits of buffer inside the gun. Not good, so pay attention to the type you need. The soft one is a better cushion, but the thin edge will cut through it in just a couple hundred rounds, or less.
I just looked for info on them, and this gun should have the original reverse plug, so the soft buffer should be okay.
They list this gun as 3-1/2″ barrel, same as the Colt Officers, which could be tuned to be 100% reliable. The mags I use for my various Officers Models are no longer made, sigh…
Or you could just buy a Glock 😉
You mean that G43 in my pocket right now? It’s good for work, but I’ll keep my Officer’s 1911 when not at work.
Thanks for the suggestions Will, I’ll give them a look. The double spring on the Combat Master is already pretty stout and the barrel is slightly shorter than even the Officers.
Doesn’t everyone own a Glock? Been debating looking for the two(?) parts needed to convert my G27 to a 9mm.
BePrepared:
One of the sites I looked at showed the original recoil spring was a triple spring! The Colt was a double, but Wolf typically is a single. Works well in the Officers version.
Cool and a dramatic difference. But I kind of liked the original version – looked what I imagine quite a few handguns will end up looking like after The Apacolypse. A real ‘Book of Eli’ sort of gun.
I hope it continues to please you – rock on Commander !
Congratulations on finishing the project. Out of curiosity, what lead you to opt for the two-tone look?
For whatever reason, I expected that you’d go for a grey or silver to preserve the weathered look (like in your “The Survivor” pic above) while still protecting the metal.
I thought about a clear coating of some kind but………
The whole OD/coyote two-tone look I’ve seen on recent new guns seemed attractive. What I didnt expect was the black highlight the guy did on the sights safety, and slide release…they really accent things nicely.
Candidate for next project-Boston tv reported on .357 revolver found in New Hampshire lake last week.
You found a gun that some one lost in a boating accident?
So they are not just fairy tale?
Had a SIG 220 that I received from my dad’s estate that was in bad shape (rust and some pitting) and I sent it back to SIG. They made it look brand new, still have it!!
Wonder what they could do with that Winchester “Tree Gun” they found propped up in Great Basin National Park NV.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forgotten_Winchester
What a story that gun could tell…
Regards
That story would get really boring a chapter or two into it.
YES! Went with the two tone! That is nice looking for how rough shape it was in. I need to do that to my FEG clone, been thinking of just getting it parkerized and be done with it since I’ve worn off the blued finish in a few places. Thanks for the update.
Considering the original condition of the High Power, the finish on the P-35 is a lot better than I was expecting. I have a beaten up Winchester 94 Trapper that I just may have to get refinished. Thanks for posting this Commander…
I have to agree the black details actually make the look work for me. Hard to believe it’s the same weapon…
I’m wondering if there is an epoxy of some sort that would work to fill in those craters, and handle the impact shock and potential heat of a firearm? Essentially the equivalent to a Bondo job prior to having it coated.
Have one of these (P-35 Hi-Power), surplus from the Policia de Buenos Aires and I love it. Unlike yours, mine has the internal extractor which broke. They are incredibly hard to find and expensive when you can find them. I tried cutting down an extractor from a 1911 (same general shape but bigger) and it worked after a fashion. Eventually found a true replacement at a show ($85). One comment on a bulletin board said there has got to be a shipping container full of P-35 internal extractors in a depot somewhere in the world, given how popular the pistol was with military and police.
Beautiful job renovating a great old pistol.