I picked up a nice 3" lady smith model 65 at my lgs. It is the satin stainless finish and not shot much at all. There is some surface rust under the grip on the frame that only shows if the walnut grips are removed. It is a line of etching that follows the upper contour of the grip so I'm guessing it was caused by the grip.I want to put some Badger grips on the gun but this exposes that rust line. Is there anything I can do to help minimise the look without damaging the satin finish,or should I just clean it ,oil it and not touch it? It is a great looking gun otherwise. What do you all say?

I have removed rust on many guns this way, without harming the finish:

Get a small piece of FINE steel wool. Oil the surface of the gun with a good amount of oil, covering all the surfaces. Oil the steel wool, too. Then, gently rub the rusted area with the steel wool. It should remove the rust without harming the steel underneath.




-----------------

I bought a 627 PC that was slightly used off the internet. It came from Florida. It had very light rust in a few spots under the Hogue Monogrips. I scrubbed the rust spots with a bronze brush 3 times a day for a few days letting the Kroil work between scrubs. Most of the rust disappeared. Now with my normal cleanings it seems that it is all gone. I didn't pay much attention to the satin finish because the spots were in the folds and don't show.
Edited to add:
I wouldn't use steel wool on a stainless gun. Get some bronze wool at the painting supply store.

__________________
Accuracy supercedes Speed

NEVER use steel wool on a stainless gun. As ridgewalker suggested, you need extra fine bronze wool and Kroil. Steel wool leaves microscopic bits of steel in the surface of the gun which will rust.

I had the same problem with my M-65 lady smith, as did a friend. I wonder if there was a problem with the passivation process? Anyhow I soaked mine in CLP overnight and scrubbed the grip frame with bronze wool. It took some elbow grease to get it off.

Added: It now wears a set of stag grips, and every six or so months I remove the grips and give the grip frame a small squirt of silicon spray. The rust has not returned.

So would kroil and fine bronze wool work well on blued finishes as well, or is blued carbon steel a whole different animal?

Yes - depending on how deep the rust is. Go slow and use a light touch and you will not damage the blue. Gotta get the rust stopped.

__________________
Some collect art; I shoot it!

On super fine surface rust I've actually had good luck with a pencil eraser. Lightly go over it and wipe off with a rag with oil. Has worked for me and the old gunsmith that told me about it. He has since gone to better places. Worth a try. As with all other suggestions about anything, always try in a small unnoticeable areas if you can first.

If you don't have bronze wool, you can rub the rust off with oil and the edge of a copper penny (minted in 1982 or earlier). Don't use a zinc penny.

__________________
~ S&W aficionado in training ~

Thanks for the great tips.

My Lady Smith had the exact same (passivation) rust issue.
Mine was actually pitted.
I spent hours polishing it.
Never liked it shiny however.
Finally sent it back to S&W for a satin refinish.
Came back perfect, they even restored the Lady Smith logo.

__________________
-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

Do not use bronze or steel wool on that type of finish. You will ruin it. Use a light oil or kerosene and rub with your finger only, wiping off your finger and gun frequently to keep any loosened particles from scratching the finish.