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Old 07-24-2016, 05:11 AM
samlee1890 samlee1890 is offline
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Severely Scratched the side of my 686 - How to restore? Severely Scratched the side of my 686 - How to restore? Severely Scratched the side of my 686 - How to restore? Severely Scratched the side of my 686 - How to restore? Severely Scratched the side of my 686 - How to restore?  
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Default Severely Scratched the side of my 686 - How to restore?

Hello all, I recently scratched my 686 revolver and I've tried to dremel to polish the scratches...

But I actually made it even worse. I cleaned my gun today and I noticed how severely different the stainless steel looked and wanted to ask you guys on how I can restore it back to normal.

Here are the photos:

Dropbox - IMG_2531.JPG

Dropbox - IMG_2609.JPG

Great thanks in advance..
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Old 07-24-2016, 05:53 AM
kbm6893 kbm6893 is offline
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Somebody will be along to maybe offer a solution, but I can tell you right now thst a dremel tool has no business anywhere near a firearm. A scotch brite pad by hand might be able to make it look better.

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Old 07-24-2016, 07:02 AM
Pisgah Pisgah is offline
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The very word "Dremel" is a curse around guns!

But all is not lost. Handwork with a Scotchbrite pad will fix you up. They come in various grits, each denoted by a different color. I generally use the green pads for an overall matte finish; others prefer coarser or finer. Most likely, once you find the degree of abrasiveness that you want you will have to go over the entire gun to get an even finish, not just the damaged area. But this chore is not as onerous as it sounds. An evening spent in front of the TV watching your favorite show while buffing your revolver will give you very impressive results.
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Old 07-24-2016, 07:24 AM
GeoJelly GeoJelly is offline
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Just another idea; I use 3M Automotive sandpaper. It's not paper - it's foam-backed. I have both 3000 and 5000-grit. 3000-grit might get the scratches to a more manageable level - then, if it were mine, I would use 5000-grit to smooth it over and set the grain. I picked up an M64 off of here a few months back - I used the 3M stuff and it looks great - especially the barrel...

That said, and I guess a statement of the obvious, I haven't found anything which will exactly match the polishing wheels/compound used by the mothership. The 3M automotive does a better job on Rugers but only pretty good on the S&W's ...

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Old 07-24-2016, 07:27 AM
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What about polishing or rubbing compound?


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Old 07-24-2016, 07:46 AM
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I've never much cared for the scratchy look of a stainless revolver. Even so I do love my 640 AFTER I sent it to Smith' for a high bright polish. It's still holding up after 5+ years as my EDC. Unfortunately, the glare is too sharp to capture with this quick pic.
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Old 07-24-2016, 08:57 AM
g8rb8 g8rb8 is offline
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There are 3 basic finishes for a stainless steel S&W revolver.
1. Brushed or Satin. This is this factory original finish for your revolver.
2. Bead blasted or matte, a dull uniform, finish.
3. Polished. Sometimes confused with a nickel finish.

To fix your problem and restore it to an original looking brushed finish:

You can touch up the original finish on a brushed finish stainless steel gun and fix significant scratches with Scotch Brite pads.

Scotch Brite pads come in different levels of coarseness.
Light Grey, called Ultra Fine Hand Pad - (600-800) 800 grit.
Green, called Light Duty Hand Pad - (600) 600 grit
Maroon pad, called General Purpose Hand Pad - (320-400) - which is very coarse for removing deeper scratches. In my area a dedicated paint store is usually going to carry all three.

The scratches I see on your side plate do not look deep enough to need a maroon pad. I think you could start with a green pad.

Study your revolver finish or the finish of another one and follow the direction of the pattern you see from the factory. STROKE IN ONE DIRECTION ONLY.

Work in a small area with tiny (1" square) piece of pad and stroke in one direction only following the linear polishing direction from the factory. Avoid any surfaces but the brushed stainless surfaces. In your case where the entire side plate seem involved you should remove the side plate screws. Start in the most unobtrusive area first to make sure you get a feel for it and like the result. Go slow, literally pushing the pad fairly slowly, and use a light hand. Start with about a pound of pressure. It doesn't take much. Generally the green pad can be used for all applications varying the pressure dependent upon the degree of the scratch you attempting to fix. I think it looks best to finish off with the light grey pad. I highly recommend looking at You Tube for examples of how to do it or further research the S&W Forum.

Best of luck.
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Old 07-24-2016, 10:38 AM
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I bought a Ruger Police Service Six for my wife which had a bunch of surface scratches marring the stainless steel. I used a 3000 grit Scotch automotive sanding pad to get all the surfaces looking the same, then I used Mothers Mag Wheel polish to bring up a nice sheen.
By the way, the only things I've ever used a Dremel tool for on guns were polishing rough feed ramps and cutting a stuck scope mount screw off.
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Old 07-24-2016, 10:50 AM
Wee Hooker Wee Hooker is offline
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Most people use mothers mag pollish then grey, dark grey or brown scotch brite pads to refinish the entire gun after such an incident. I've used them myself on several occasions and had VG results. You can do a search on that process here.

That said, It's hard to get a uniform finish unless you start with somethign fairly uniform. You may have done things with that Dremel that are irreversible by home spun means. Your gun may now need professional refinishing attention.
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Old 07-24-2016, 11:57 AM
jack the toad jack the toad is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pisgah View Post
The very word "Dremel" is a curse around guns!
+1
Unless left unplugged.
Another option is look for someone with a bead blaster but use appropriate blast media. Gun will need disassembled and certain areas protected.
And regardless of method used, it may not match factory finish but I think you can improve the current looks to an acceptable level by following suggestions others have posted.
I prefer factory look so I'm not a fan of bright SS. Not a complete re-finish but in my limited experiences, I've had best results using combination of green scotchbrite and Mother's mag polish for touchups that closely match original finish.
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Old 07-24-2016, 01:14 PM
smithman smithman is offline
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A grey scotchbrite pad and an hour or two will fix that right up.
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Old 07-24-2016, 01:47 PM
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Believe it or not, Birchwood Casey's Lead Remover & Polishing Cloth, works wonders! It provides a nice satin finish, very similar, if not just like S&W's own!

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Old 07-24-2016, 02:17 PM
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Look at: Your best looking Smith thread, last page, #312.
I bought the Model 67 Combat Masterpiece that had several dings
and scratches. I had it bead blasted. Think it turned out quite
attractive. What do you think? Might work for yours?
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Old 07-24-2016, 02:47 PM
samlee1890 samlee1890 is offline
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Thanks for all the reply guys.

Actually the last attempt I tried to fix my scratches was with the green scotch brite.

But it came out looking even more scratchier.

I bought a flitz compound last night so Im hoping thatll work.

Considering going to Home Depot and grabbing a 2000 grit sandpaper...

It seems every time I try to make an attempt to fix it, it gets worse and worse
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Old 07-24-2016, 02:51 PM
BigBill BigBill is offline
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Simi chrome polish with a soft rag and lots of elbow grease. Simi chrome polish removes machining marks in plastic injection molds.

NO SANDPAPER. Just simi chrome polish
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Old 07-24-2016, 03:21 PM
samlee1890 samlee1890 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigBill View Post
Simi chrome polish with a soft rag and lots of elbow grease. Simi chrome polish removes machining marks in plastic injection molds.

NO SANDPAPER. Just simi chrome polish
Will i have to chrome polish the entire gun to get an even finish?

Im getting the impression there are no ways to restore the one area back to factory unless I apply it to the whole gun..
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Old 07-24-2016, 03:26 PM
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Dremels should he made to shut off the moment they in contact with a firearm.
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Old 07-24-2016, 03:30 PM
samlee1890 samlee1890 is offline
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I should clarify that the current damages have been mostly caused by scotch brite green pad after I made the original mistake of using a dremel.

i pretty much covered up the damage but ended up scratching it even more with the scotch brite
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Old 07-24-2016, 03:48 PM
sturtyboy sturtyboy is offline
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[QUOTE=g8rb8;139178764]There are 3 basic finishes for a stainless steel S&W revolver.
1. Brushed or Satin. This is this factory original finish for your revolver.
2. Bead blasted or matte, a dull uniform, finish.
3. Polished. Sometimes confused with a nickel finish.

g8rb8 has the best description of most of the responses IMHO.

The Brushed or Satin finishes that S&W uses are different from time to time. Some of the earlier Satin finishes are very fine, smooth and difficult to copy. Some of the most recent finishes are very random and rough looking, most of which look very well used right out of the box. I have some early, like new, unused models that have a beautiful smooth consistent finish, that I would have a very difficult time to duplicate.

"Bead blasted" finishes are the easiest to duplicate. But, I've never seen a strictly bead blasted finish on a Smith revolver from the factory.
I've matched the bead blasted top strap of stainless Smith revolvers easily, with an inexpensive bead blaster and 80 grit glass bead media from Harbor Freight.

I've polished out several rough finished Smith revolvers that I didn't like to a beautiful finish, using Stainless polishing rouge, dremel and a 6" polishing wheel, followed with Mothers or Flitz hand polishing. I always wax with Ren Wax

Restoring the factory finish is more difficult matching the grit and direction used. It takes time and patience to find the correct abrasive texture and technique if you want a flawless restoration.

Here's one of my polished examples with a lasered American Flag and Eagle I added. I also bead blasted the cylinder insets to contrast the polishing.IMG_1230 (2).jpg
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Old 07-24-2016, 05:00 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SaberOne View Post
I've never much cared for the scratchy look of a stainless revolver. Even so I do love my 640 AFTER I sent it to Smith' for a high bright polish. It's still holding up after 5+ years as my EDC. Unfortunately, the glare is too sharp to capture with this quick pic.
Hi I'm new here. I thought of getting my new 60LS polished. someone told me it was not a good idea because if in danger the shine will identifiy my location...does that make sense. And how did you find out that S&W will do that? thanks
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Old 07-24-2016, 05:04 PM
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Muss Muggins Muss Muggins is offline
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You just used the wrong Dremel bit. Get the stainless steel scratch removal kit and have a go at it again . . .
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Old 07-24-2016, 05:27 PM
g8rb8 g8rb8 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by samlee1890 View Post
I should clarify that the current damages have been mostly caused by scotch brite green pad after I made the original mistake of using a dremel.

i pretty much covered up the damage but ended up scratching it even more with the scotch brite
It would not be unreasonable to try to soften the scratches with a polishing compound before going back at it with Scotch Brite pads.

Based on your answer and the picture posted you were using too much pressure.
Go lightly (1 pound pressure).
Go in one direction (not back and forth).
Remove the side plate screws and grips and go directly over those areas too.
Finish off with the light grey ultra fine 600-800 Scotch Brite pad.
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Old 07-24-2016, 05:32 PM
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If you have a bench grinder, put a buffing wheel on one of the spindles. Buff starting with a black stick and go from there. Light to medium pressure is all you need. Deep gouges? Yer on your own.
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Old 07-24-2016, 05:42 PM
Boudiepitbull Boudiepitbull is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rmcguitar1 View Post
Hi I'm new here. I thought of getting my new 60LS polished. someone told me it was not a good idea because if in danger the shine will identifiy my location...does that make sense. And how did you find out that S&W will do that? thanks
I suppose there is always the danger that they will see you from space and target you with a drone.

I'm sure that there are people who are driven by tactical considerations (I hear the term "tactards" used here and there) that would consider this a very real thing. I take the point of view that concealed carry doesn't imply lying in ambush for an assailant. Concealed is just that...concealed...inside your waist band, under your clothing, inside your purse...concealed until a dire situation causes you to reveal it. If you're not going to carry, are you worried about hiding in your house in a home defense situation? I think that's backwards. I'd like to think that in home defense if you are armed and prepared to defend yourself then they should be worried about you.

Your Model 60 LS is a beautiful gun. Clean it. Polish it. Show it some love, and be very proud of it.
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Old 07-24-2016, 05:44 PM
GeoJelly GeoJelly is offline
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Quote:
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You just used the wrong Dremel bit. Get the stainless steel scratch removal kit and have a go at it again . . .
MM - I Googled this but could not find the kit you mention. Do you have a part number or any other info? Or, is this something you assembled yourself? Thanks!
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Old 07-24-2016, 05:50 PM
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MM - I Googled this but could not find the kit you mention. Do you have a part number or any other info? Or, is this something you assembled yourself? Thanks!
DREMEL Polishing - Can We Help?

Also note in this article from DREMEL that the DREMEL tool may be used on your finest gemstones as well . . .

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Old 07-24-2016, 05:54 PM
samlee1890 samlee1890 is offline
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Guys... Thank you all so much. I really appreciated all the time you guys spent on helping me with your advice and experience.

I took my grips off and used the green scotch brite again. I used Ballistol on the grit side.

This time I went in one direction and tried to follow the factory pattern.

Here is the result
Dropbox - Screenshot 2016-07-24 14.53.42.png

I just carefully and lightly brushed while watching South Park the movie.

God bless you guys!!

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Old 07-24-2016, 05:57 PM
Boudiepitbull Boudiepitbull is offline
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Quote:
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MM - I Googled this but could not find the kit you mention. Do you have a part number or any other info? Or, is this something you assembled yourself? Thanks!
I thought he was using satire...

I've never polished a firearm. If it was a motorcycle part I would know what to do. Wet sand with very soapy water using 1000 grit to 2500 grit wet/dry paper. Lightly! Then go at it with a buffing wheel and rouge. Some of that must be applicable to a stainless steel side plate.

Edit: I just saw the picture you put up. It looks pretty good. That makes at least one redeeming factor for South Park: The Movie.

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Old 07-24-2016, 06:00 PM
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Muss Muggins Muss Muggins is offline
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I thought he was using satire...
I was, but that nice fella' gave me the chance to use it again . . .
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Old 07-24-2016, 06:23 PM
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You're almost at a point right now where you can't make things much worse. However, I never tempt "worse"! That said, you now can experiment with Mother's, Flitz, SimiChrome, Grey or Green ScotchBrite pads, additional dremel buffing, varying grits of wet or dry abrasive paper or whatever additional play things you choose. Or, you can save all that effort and heartburn and send it back to the mothership and get it done correctly. Your gun and obviously your choice. Keep in mind however that contrary to popular opinion, it is possible to mess up the surface by dishing and rounding certain areas to the point that even Smith & Wesson will not be able to correctly restore it.

Bruce

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Old 07-24-2016, 06:25 PM
GeoJelly GeoJelly is offline
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My Mom always told the neighbors I wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer ... now I finally understand what she meant ...

That said - the 3000 and 5000-grit 3M sandpaper is good stuff. I may have to post a picture of my restored, of sorts, M64. The 3000 is great for removing small scratches and setting the grain. The 5000 can then be used to soften the grain from using the 3000.

It's not really sandpaper - more like very fine grit crocus cloth on thin foam rubber versus cloth or paper ...
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Old 07-24-2016, 06:47 PM
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Guys... Thank you all so much. I really appreciated all the time you guys spent on helping me with your advice and experience.

I took my grips off and used the green scotch brite again. I used Ballistol on the grit side.

This time I went in one direction and tried to follow the factory pattern.

Here is the result
Dropbox - Screenshot 2016-07-24 14.53.42.png

I just carefully and lightly brushed while watching South Park the movie.

God bless you guys!!
What a difference! I've never use the scotchbrite lads because I've never needed to, but if you want a bright almost nickle like look, a clean t-shirt with Mothers Mag Polish or Flitz will make that gleam!

Glad you brought her back to life. One of the big advantages of stainless over a blues finish.
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Old 07-24-2016, 06:55 PM
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If you have a bench grinder, put a buffing wheel on one of the spindles. Buff starting with a black stick and go from there. Light to medium pressure is all you need. Deep gouges? Yer on your own.
I strongly disagree. Keep all power tools away from it.

Remove the scratches by hand. I would start with 600 grit wet/dry abrasive paper adhered to a rubber pad (flat rubber eraser). Once the area is flat you can progress to finer and finer grits of scotch bright.

The important thing now is to DO NO FURTHER DAMAGE!
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Old 07-24-2016, 10:47 PM
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Rub with 600 grit sandpaper, then 800 grit, then 1200 grit.
It's a no fret easy fix.
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Old 07-25-2016, 07:24 AM
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I strongly disagree. Keep all power tools away from it.

Remove the scratches by hand. I would start with 600 grit wet/dry abrasive paper adhered to a rubber pad (flat rubber eraser). Once the area is flat you can progress to finer and finer grits of scotch bright.

The important thing now is to DO NO FURTHER DAMAGE!
Still got a little work to do.

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Old 07-25-2016, 11:22 PM
Pisgah Pisgah is offline
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I should clarify that the current damages have been mostly caused by scotch brite green pad after I made the original mistake of using a dremel.

i pretty much covered up the damage but ended up scratching it even more with the scotch brite
That's because you are not going in the same direction at all times (obvious from your photo), and you're not sticking with it. Just as with obtaining a fine finish on a piece of wood, you must "follow the grain" and keep at it until it's all evened out. And, yes, you are likely going to have to do the entire gun before it all matches. There's no shortcut, but I've never had to spend more than an evening on even a really doggy stainless steel gun.
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Old 07-26-2016, 09:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by samlee1890 View Post
Guys... Thank you all so much. I really appreciated all the time you guys spent on helping me with your advice and experience.

I took my grips off and used the green scotch brite again. I used Ballistol on the grit side.

This time I went in one direction and tried to follow the factory pattern.

Here is the result
Dropbox - Screenshot 2016-07-24 14.53.42.png

I just carefully and lightly brushed while watching South Park the movie.

God bless you guys!!
Great job and perseverance. It looks GREAT!.
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Old 07-26-2016, 10:09 PM
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Turned out great!
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Old 07-26-2016, 10:23 PM
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Someone above mentioned Flitz. Good stuff. I recently helped out my Colt Trooper in nickel.
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