SW 908 Slide Finish ??????

[CHBishop]

Please specify the type of finish the factory applied to my 908. I own 2 one is nearly mint and the other is quite scratched.
I want to know if Flitz is safe to Polish this gun
Thank you

[Old_Cop]

If your slide is blue/black, Flitz will remove the finish. The blue/black was an inexpensive finish for a price leader gun, it was never expected to be durable. The frames are all alloy with an anodized finish, no Flitz. If your slide is silver in color, polish away.

[CHBishop]

This is what I expected, a type of blue/black parckerization I assume. Thank you for your response @Old Cop

[TTSH]

Originally Posted by CHBishop

This is what I expected, a type of blue/black parckerization I assume. Thank you for your response @Old Cop

Some folks call it the "Sharpie" finish, although I prefer to call it the "Marks-A-Lot" finish. It's almost embarrassingly bad (for the mothership) and becomes worn looking after even casual handling... not that the finish on my 3914 is any more durable. It may look a little better brand new, but it's a pretty delicate finish as well. That's why I'm mainly a stainless steel kind of guy.

[stansdds]

The finish on S&W's carbon steel of the first and second generation pistols was pretty good, usually well polished and about as durable as you could get with blued steel. The bluing on the third generation pistols leaves a lot to be desired. It seems obvious that S&W was selling more stainless pistols and their carbon steel slides received less polishing and the bluing was not as deep. The economy line was the worst. I think it might be possible to remove that super thin bluing with just a good stare.

If your scratched 908 is really scratched and worn, perhaps this slide would be a good project for learning how to polish and then finish it with a good cold blue. Or maybe learn to rust blue. Alternatively, you could always have it parkerized, then just keep the finish oiled. Or, parkerize (or use KG Coating's K-phos) and paint it with KG GunKote.