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09-18-2017, 06:02 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: NOVA
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Bead-blast Refinisher in No. Virginia?
End of month coming up and I've got my sights set on a couple of possibilities. One is a 649 - the other is a 64 2-inch. Both are fairly finish-challenged. There is one revolver-smith in the area - but I don't think he does any bead-blasting let alone refinishing. Does anyone know of a good refinisher in Northern Virginia? The top tier smiths - like Dave Clements - are so back-logged that I'm sure they won't take a small job... I would rather contact someone I can drive to versus the expensive process of shipping to someone.
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09-20-2017, 08:18 AM
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I'll be watching this thread with interest... my local (CV) gunsmiths who did this type of work are all gone now, so I'd be willing to drive that far if I could find somebody.
Froggie
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09-20-2017, 09:49 AM
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Could you go to Harbor Freight, buy a blasting cabinet,,
pick up some old stainless flatware at a yard sale,,
and practice,,
You might be surprised how easy it is to DIY!!
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09-20-2017, 10:17 AM
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Richmond, Virginia
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David Sams
David Sams at Sams Custom Gunworks in Cartersville, VA does excellent refinishing work.
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09-22-2017, 02:26 PM
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Quote:
Could you go to Harbor Freight, buy a blasting cabinet...
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I did some research and a small cabinet wouldn't be too bad - around $120. I'm guessing prolly that much again for a low-end compressor. My biggest concern is dust inhalation. I guess a decent mask would be another $60 or so. Cartersville is a long drive from here. IF I had a separate shop I would go ahead and invest the money ... but I don't think my Frau - a neat freak - would tolerate something like this set up in the garage. So, I'm still looking ...
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09-22-2017, 03:40 PM
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US Veteran
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SweetMK
Could you go to Harbor Freight, buy a blasting cabinet,,
pick up some old stainless flatware at a yard sale,,
and practice,,
You might be surprised how easy it is to DIY!!
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X2
That's pretty much what I did but I built my own blast cabinet.
There's very little airborne dust when using a sealed cabinet with a recovery system.
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09-22-2017, 09:15 PM
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If I just have a piece or two to do, I do it in the grass outside the garage. It isn't worth trying to save the media. I wear a dust mask, face shield and rubber gauntlets. I have a little blaster from harbor freight for these jobs. I added a pressure regulator so I can fine tune. For anything bigger, my father in law has a blast cabinet.
__________________
Chris
SWCA #2243 SWHF #292
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09-28-2017, 04:43 PM
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Bead blasting of guns is very simple to perform, anyone can do it. I have done many guns, followed by hot bluing, far simpler and quicker than polishing. But of course you don't get a highly polished surface. I had access to a professional bead blasting cabinet where I worked at the time. Something from Harbor Freight might work OK for small jobs. Use the finest bead blasting media possible. I am not sure what size media I used, but it was about the consistency of flour.
Last edited by DWalt; 09-28-2017 at 04:47 PM.
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