686 - satin stainless vs. matte finish - which will look good longer?

powertube · Mar 5, 2019

Hey Guys,

I'm planning to buy my first SS-Wheelgun.

I wonder which finish will "stay nice" longer? Matte finish or normal stainless (satin finish)?

I'm using Nevr Dull for SS parts on my motorbike, so I think I can work up normal SS-Guns with it.

But how does it work for matte finish guns? Nevr Dull contains abrasive, so I can imagine that the finish would look polished after a time.

I've seen some matte finish NEW 686ers (Target Champion, International … ) at some LGS that cylinders are looking like in the attached pictures.

Reason is that after Waimex (general importer) receives the S&W, it has to be checked and stamped from a proof - house.
So it seems that those guns haven't been cleaned when they came back from the proof-house.
When those burn marks are on the cylinder for 1-2 years.. Can this be easily removed without harming the finish?

And if you're wondering about any weird language: I'm German and it's been 15 years since I've learned english in School.

murphydog · Mar 5, 2019

Welcome! The photos appear to show a gun with the matte or "bead blast" finish, which is difficult to replicate and will get "shiny" with the use of abrasives. The standard semi-polished finish is easier to clean and redo should that become necessary.

jbtrucker · Mar 5, 2019

I have used Never Dull on my 5906 with Matte finish , It doesn't do much of a polish but does clean it up. I have also found a micro fiber towel misted with Rem Oil works just as good

bigwheelzip · Mar 5, 2019

Guten tag, and welcome to the forum.

I've cleaned that type of blemish off my stainless steel guns with this cloth that contains a liquid cleanser. Been using it for four years on a matte 686 without any ill effect.

My matte 686 gets carried in a holster, and shows holster wear that is not noticeable on satin finish guns. Also, scratches are more noticeable, so I'd conclude the matte is harder to keep pristine than the satin.

scruffy · Mar 5, 2019

Flitz used sparingly with soft cotton cloth with clean both up without changing the surface. Bead blasted (matte) looks really good and uniform, but if it gets scratched the only remedy is to have it bead blasted again. Satin stainless finish comes from the factory with small directional scratches used to create the "satin" look. They can be polished out to varying degrees if desired, (all the way to a mirror finish). The shinier the stainless finish, the more susceptible to picking up noticeable scratches. Most leave the satin finish as is as it hides small scratches well and a larger scratch maybe easily repaired and always easy to maintain.

THEmodelof1989 · Mar 5, 2019

Your English is outstanding. It's embarrassing that more Americans, including myself, don't speak a second language at least conversationally. We are a strange culture in that regard.

As far as what you are asking about, the brushed stainless finish on the standard model 686 may be exactly what you are looking for, because it sounds like you want to shine it up over time. The matte finish will end up being something you rub off with motorcycle polish anyway, only it will be much harder to make the matte look uniform than standard brushed stainless. Why pay for something you plan on rubbing off?

The cylinder rings will come off easy, especially if you plan on hitting them with polish. All polish is abrasive, because it has to be. Polishing removes material; that's just the nature of the beast.

loknload · Mar 5, 2019

Over the years I have used the Birchwood Casey cloths on my SS Guns as well. So far there have been no ill effects to them and they basically look like the day I bought them.

powertube · Mar 6, 2019

thanks for your input guys.

I think I will go with the brushed finish. I also like the beadblast finish in general, but all available S&Ws in this finish have laser engravings on the bore that I don't like:

https://www.collector-firearms.de/6...-target-champion-6-zoll-lauf-kal-357-magn.jpg

https://i.redd.it/fxv11hfke6121.jpg

also the brushed stainless steel looks more classic.

THEmodelof1989 said:
Your English is outstanding. It's embarrassing that more Americans, including myself, don't speak a second language at least conversationally. We are a strange culture in that regard.

Thank you! It's part of the german / european education system. But only because english is the most important language and also the most spoken language in europe.

Maybe in 20 or 30 years, european kids have to learn the arabic language in school, but thats another issue.

Protocall_Design · Mar 6, 2019

I like the brushed finish. If you want to redo the finish at any time, you can use a fine ScotchBrite pad and rub only in the horizontal direction. This way you can erase holster wear and keep the same finish all the time.

I don't worry about it much, because my guns are working ones that see a lot of use. Once in a while I will redo the finish on one and start over.

686 - satin stainless vs. matte finish - which will look good longer?

powertube

Member

Attachments

murphydog

Moderator

jbtrucker

Member

bigwheelzip

Absent Comrade

scruffy

Member

THEmodelof1989

Member

loknload

Absent Comrade

powertube

Member

Protocall_Design

Vendor

Similar threads

Latest posts