Awesome indeed i think cutting out all those washers is going to be a pain but i guess not as bad as fleshing out and scraping the hide was lol. i have a hole saw that should work nicely it uses a drill bit in the center so two jobs at once
after that final toothpaste polish he will be able to do one handed push ups lol
i wouldn't use electrolysis at all i use vinegar fast easy cheap and non toxic lol and works as well as anything. I would leave the pits alone and leave the patina you will never make a new knife out of an old one just one that is cobbled up looking. if the edge is pitted then no filler will fix that you will need to regrind the edge and that will take some power tools and alot of water not to ruin the temper. Any collector value is long gone if its that rough if there ever was any so you can do about anything you want to the blade shape. Good luck and post some pics when you get finished.
you might as well leave it natural after using neats foot or any of the other methods it will be very dark. especially after a few years of reapplying. Beautiful knife by the way!
Native Americans leather turned out white due to the tanning method, they used the brains of the animal to tan the hide then it was smoked to help with water resistance which turned it a light tan color..
gun shows, and bulletin boards always get some business especially at the local shooting ranges. Take a drive and hit all the ones around your area, the trips may even be deductible.
good eye mine are to old to see that very well! Amazing that one would add a Randall slide to a colt frame from what i have read Randalls are pretty collectable and few were made sure would love to have the lefty version though. I have used a strip of leather taped to the top of the blue gun to simulate the rib and on others to get rid of the "hump" and create a sight channel maybe that would work here as well.