Can this be polished out of stainless

[justintyme]

So a couple of years ago, I acquired one of my favorite carry guns, a 3" 686 CS-1. I Love it, carry it always camping and hiking, action is great and accurate. The problem is Bubba got to it before me, and tried his hand at engraving.....so functionally it is fine, and I'm fine with it if can't be fixed, but it's a CS-1 and would be so much cooler restored. I knew what it was when I purchased it and got it cheap, but if you think this could be corrected I may attempt or send it off to be polished. I know the sideplate could be replaced and fitted with a new one to take care of that side, but what about the other?

[Muss Muggins]

That is unfortunate. I'm no expert, but from a hillbilly point of view, it looks like that's there to stay . . .

[llowry61]

Have to agree - with the above post. Probably there to stay. An expert will be along to give you any options that exist. That is a pistol I am looking for. Not necessarily the cs1, but short barrel 686.

[TAROMAN]

Hard to see how deep those gouges go.
I have smoothed out some pretty deep ones.
Issue is, you're not just polishing that spot, but the entire area.

[sodacan]

I'd live with it as a nice shooter and look for better example if you want one.

[chief38]

The engraved side doesn't look too too bad but it's unclear from the picture exactly what happened to the side plate. The gun can be sanded down but it's also difficult to tell how deep the engraving and milky etching of the Side Plate actually go from pic's. You could contact Fords or give it a whirl yourself if you are daring. The main problem I see is if you start sanding you will loose the S&W Logo as well. You might just want to address the Side Plate side and call it a day. Keep it as a "shooter".

[rog8732]

The left side is way less of a "Bubba" mess than many I have seen.
I likely would just accept the scrolls as "personalizing" my gun.

The right side is another story. Neither my memory nor imagination can render a cause for that cloudy look ?
Certainly at the least I would try a little gentle buffing with Flitz polish, with the duel attitude of;... it's mine, and;...what can it hurt to try now.

Replacement side plate fitting is iffy at best, more especially on revolvers that are somewhat limited in production numbers, as opposed to those like a model 10.

At the least you have a gun you want, that shoots well for you.

[justintyme]

thanks for the opinions, it will probably stay as is, maybe I will try some polish on the side plate to see I f I can make it look better, I can't make it worse. I think the side plate is a result of already trying to erase some engraving done on it so they left the other side. it is a fairly rare 686, being one of the one Smith and Wesson made for US. customs and it has the 2M stamp indicati ng it was probably actually in service

[41 fan]

I can't tell how deep the engraving is, but if it were mine, I would use sanding blocks and 600 grit paper. Bead blasting would be my next step. Dean

[CelticSire]

Have it engraved. A good engraver could incorporate what is already done into a custom job, I'm sure. Kind of like a cover up tattoo,,,

[SVT28]

I like Celtics idea. Just like a coverup tattoo, have a well known engraver go at it! Can't botch it any worse than it already is.

SVT28

[murphydog]

I would contact the factory Performance Center and see what they might be able to do. I'm sure they have removed pitting deeper than the engraving from metal, and they can top it off with a bead blast finish that would most closely resemble the original factory appearance. The wild card is the sideplate and they may have to examine the gun to determine if it can be used.

[bigggbbruce]

Side plate is easy.. remove and use a flat plate with 1000 grit then go to 2000 grit sand paper and rem oil. use alternating direction with each stroke about 60 degree changes. You'll get a nearly polished look if done right with the last stroke simulating the original grain direction, then polish the plate and gun to match.

[Jebus35745]

Send it out to a good engraver and see if he can add a little more to it and make the bubba stuff look better. Larry

[BruceM]

That sideplate doesn't appear to fit very well. It almost looks as though somebody installed a sideplate from a nickle 581 or 586 and the nickle has turned chalky. I'd have Smith replace it with a correct piece and live with the rest. Most anything can be fixed IF you throw enough money at the problem. Do you really want to pursue that?

Bruce

[CH4]

I'd beadblast it and call it good. It's never going to be factory perfect; it's a quality carry gun and shooter.

[Buzzsaw]

that sure looks like completely different side plate.

you could also have it Cerakoted

[MJFlores]

I was going to say also...that plate looks nickel. If it is, I'd have a new stainless one fitted. The engraving on the other side, it doesn't look too bad actually. I bet it can be removed, and then blend polish the entire gun. You'll likely lose the logo, but I believe Smith will etch a new one on there. If you're not trying to get it back to factory look, you could even remove the engraving and have the whole gun color case hardened...I know, it's kind of out there but really does look awesome and Tyler gun works does stainless steel. I normally wouldn't suggest such a thing but the gun may not ever look factory fresh so you might as well go crazy and make it yours. Lots that can be done with that gun...it's all just money lol.

[colt_saa]

Originally Posted by CelticSire

Have it engraved. A good engraver could incorporate what is already done into a custom job, I'm sure. Kind of like a cover up tattoo,,,

I have to agree.

A engraving job can turn a sows ear into a silk purse.

You end up with a nice BBQ gun and a story about how you rescued it from obscurity

[BruceM]

I have to agree.

A engraving job can turn a sows ear into a silk purse.


You end up with a nice BBQ gun and a story about how you rescued it from obscurity

Like I said, if you throw enough money at it, you can fix most anything.

Bruce