Got a Model 10-8 that needs a little TLC. Locks up tight and all, but bluing loss on the barrel. Here are two pics of both sides:





Little bit of wear on cylinder too.

So is that too much loss for an Oxpho Blue touch up? There's a gunsmith right near my job that does excellent rebluing. A friend of mine had a trashed Model 13 done and it looks brand new now. Cost is $200.

I know guys are gonna say "it's a shooter and it has character", but I just like guns to look good.

Degrease it really good, warm it with a hair dryer and try the Oxpho. Only loss youll have if it doesn't turn out good is time. I have seen that much loss be covered on a shooter.

It's got some character. If it's going to be carried let it be. It's extremely rare for cold blue to turn out well or end up durable...

If the appearance really matters get it professionally done.

Cold blue is best for scratches and minor blemishes on completely bare metal.

Good to have the pics now; might want to see if the mods'll fuse this thread with your earlier one on the same subject and same gun -- it'll consolidate answers.

That's a good bit of lost blue, dispersed over a lot of barrel and with differing shades of loss. I think it'll be hard to cold blue it and get an even look. Since looks are gnawing at you this much, you may as well have it professionally reblued.

But if you're still not convinced, try the cold blue and see -- nothing to lose since you have the option of a professional reblue as back-up.

IMHO it's a bit too much to ask of Cold Bluing. I'd either live with it as is or if all else is in good working order you could always have it re-blued. Nothing like a good old Model 10!

I don't know , I've used T-4 on a gun with 0% finish, and plenty more in better shape, but less finish than the OP's. ( Yes Oxpho is suposed to be slightly more durable, but T-4 give more even coloration.)

You won't confuse it with a brand new gun, but it will be a 100% improvement over the "before" .

And yes, if carried full time cold blue will holster wear . You already have your bottle of cold blue, touch it up every 3 or 4 months if inclined.

If it ain't broke, ......

Ive got a 22 rifle that lost some finish in the middle of the barrel about 30 years ago so I touched it up with cold blue.It looks good from across the room.

Oxpho-Blue=good stuff
It takes a bit of preparation and repeated coats. It won't be perfect but it will get it acceptable for a shooter.
BEFORE
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AFTER
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"it's a shooter and it has character"


charlie

Wow! What was your method? Did you totally deblue the gun or go over the whole gun with the Oxpho? Did you do one side at a time to oil in between sessions, or what?

If I could get mine to look like that I'd be happy!

Did you go over the top of the frame just above the cylinder? That has a flat matte finish and I can't see yours.

Can you clean the gun normally with Hoppes or do you use some other cleaner?

I'm not kbm6983 , but I can comment on the cold blueing experence.

The the missing finish is the result of holster wear vs other reasons ( minor rust , scratches , minor smithing, etc ) , the actual metal will be often polished smoother than the underlieing preparation for the factory blue job. ( Think having patches of high polish on an otherwise average polished gun. From that point you have two aproaches :

Rough up the shiney spots to match origonal finishing , or apply cold blue to bare spots as-is ( otherwise cleaned and prepped). Sucuessfully done matching would help to make the gun "pass" from closer , say 2ft vs 5ft . But the downside is that you will end up having to remove some of the origonal finish to blend in. To really do it "right" , you would remove most of the remaining finish on the barrel to make it all uniform.

*To Me* , my prefered tradeoff is to leave as much origional finish as possable. My personal outlook of " hey , its got character " is quite comfortable with looking decent from 5ft away.

I have used Oxpho , T-4 , and various consumer cold blues. For me I have gotten better color with T-4 , both for internal consistancy within the cold blueing , and blending with origional finish.and needless to say , any cold blue will require multiple applications to get a decent looking finish. But either of the Brownell's profesional cold blues are superior to the usual consumer products.

And yes , you may use Hoppe's , or whatever you usually use on your blued guns.

+1 on Bigfoot's comments above. I've been using a product called "Van's Instant Gun Blue" from C.S.VanGorden & Son in Bloomer, WI. Got it in a box of trade goods at a gun show, and it works pretty well, given careful prep. The look is improved with multiple coats, polishing lightly w/0000 steel wool in between. It will never be mistaken for original, but makes for a pretty good "experienced" look.

Larry

Last question: is the original finish on a model 10 the standard blue or high polish? I'm thinking standard blue for a gun with a huge police revolver customer base.

Your 10-8 came from the factory with a standard blue: 400 grit polish to a mildly reflective lustre, a bead blast to the top, then hot salt bluing.

The bluing process S&W used when your 10-8 left the factory is different to the one they offer now -- a little deeper and bluer compared to today, and able to handle ammoniated cleaners like Hoppes 9; S&W says not to use them on their new blued guns, and I would expect that extends to their refinishing services.

Well, my birthday is coming up and since I am not that handy a guy, I decided to have the gun professionally reblued. All in all, it's gonna cost me about $250 so this Model 10 will have come to about $575 when all is said and done. I know I could probably find one in near NIB condition for that price, but I already have this one, and selling it is gonna be at a loss, so that option is out. This guy had a bunch of samples in his shop. Guns looked fantastic. He's right near my job so no hassle of shipping it, and I will have it back in about a month.

Good news is doing this project will force me to keep the gun since I'm gonna lose money if I sell it. I have had many beautiful guns over the years that I sell to buy something else. I decided to stop selling entirely. I want this gun to be given to my son one day. And I want him to be proud of it.

I'll take some before pics before I drop it off, and post them with the after ones when I get it back. It's wearing rubber Hogue's now, but with a new blue job, I'm sure some nicer grips will find their way onto it soon enough!

Thanks for all the help!

I cant wait to see pictures of it when you get it back...

__________________
USAF AMMO

I THINK THAT YOU MADE A WISE DECISION. I HAVE NOT HAD GOOD RESULTS WITH THE FEW TOUCH UPS THAT I HAVE TRIED. I AM NOT ONE THAT LOOKS AT BANGED UP OR HOLSTER WORN GUNS, AND ATTRIBUTE THEIR APPEARANCE TO "HONEST WEAR", "PATINA" OR "CHARACTER". I WOULD NOT PURCHASE A WEAPON IN THAT CONDITION, UNLESS IT WAS FOR A PROJECT THAT WOULD BE REFINISHED DOWN THE ROAD, ETC. I DON'T CARE FOR WEAPONS THAT LOOK GOOD FROM 10' AWAY. I LIKE WEAPONS THAT LOOK GOOD FROM 10" AWAY. AS A RESULT, I HAVE GRAVITATED TOWARD S&W STAINLESS REVOLVERS, A FINISH WHICH I CAN EASILY MAINTAIN IN BETTER THAN FACTORY CONDITION (I HEAR THE GASP FROM TRUE COLLECTORS) I SHOOT ALL AND CARRY MANY OF MY REVOLVERS. ALL OF THEM LOOK GREAT, IMHO. I WOULD NOT WANT TO PASS ON TO MY CHILD, A WEAPON THAT HAD TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY SOME WORDS TO EXPLAIN ITS SHABBY APPEARANCE. OF COURSE, THAT'S JUST ME. I WOULDN'T GIVE A CHILD OF MINE A CAR THAT LOOKED LIKE IT HAD BEEN IN A DEMOLITION DERBY, NO MATTER HOW GOOD IT RAN, EITHER…..
I'M IN THE PROCESS OF TRANSFERRING TO MY DAUGHTER, OWNERSHIP OF MY 4" BRITE STAINLESS COLT PYTHON ELITE, 6" BLUED COLT DIAMONDBACK IN .22LR, 4" S&W 10 SHOT 617--ALL OF THESE PURCHASED NEW--AND MY 686+ MOUNTAIN GUN, WHICH I POLISHED UNTIL THE LAME MG SCRIPT WORE OFF. I SENT IT BACK TO S&W TO BE RE-ETCHED, BEFORE I SEND IT OUT. THIS ONE I PURCHASED USED W/O A BOX, FROM A COP THAT MOVED UP TO A SEMI-AUTO ON HIS NEW CHIEF'S ORDERS. THESE WILL ALL BE WEAPONS THAT SHE WILL BE PROUD TO OWN AND SHOW UP WITH ON THE RANGE. YOUR SON WILL FEEL THE SAME WAY, ESPECIALLY KNOWING THAT YOU HAD THE REVOLVER REFINISHED WITH HIM IN MIND…….

__________________
'Nam 1968-69.DAV,VFW,NRA Inst.

I sure hope so. Stainless is sure easier to maintain. Never think twice about holstering a stainless gun. But the model 10 will not be holstered. No real reason to since it will be range use only. Looking forward to getting it back!

Good decision. Please post some "After" pics when you get it back.


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