Hello all, I have a problem with getting light scratch marks on my stainless steel gun. It seems like the more i try to polish my gun the more scratches i put on it, any suggesion on removing light surface scratches and keeping it scratch free? Thanks all.

Welcome to the forum.

I've seen a number of guns (stainless and otherwise) where the previous owners attempts at improvements worsened the condition and seriously hurt the value. Sometimes doing nothing is the best thing to do.

Most collectors prefer factory original finish and will tell you to keep it clean, oil or wax it and leave it alone. Others mention that the stainless has been thru pickle passivation - a chemical process where the surface is neutralized and made more corrosion resistant with an acid bath, and you shouldn‘t disrupt that surface. You should NEVER use steel wool on a stainless gun - it embeds iron that iron can rust pretty quickly and cause pitting (brass wool and brushes are fine for cleaning). Stainless steel is not rust proof, it’s only rust resistant.

If you feel you must do something to the surface and don’t want to spring for a factory refinish, the standard brushed finish can be “dressed” with the appropriate ScotchBrite pads (white or gray), going with the grain. You may end up doing the whole gun to get a good match. Bead blast guns need to be re-blasted by someone with the right equipment who knows what they‘re doing. Mothers Mag Polish and a soft cloth will produce a very shiny nickel like appearance if you have a high polish gun or you want to make one that way.

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"I also cook."

Mother's Billet Polish will make it look like new!

Some words of wisdom spoken above.

Thanks gang, I guess I should just be happy that its reliable and shoots every time I pull trigger then the looks. A nice looking gun is a nice working gun. Thanks all

One issue you will find when trying to polish a Stainless S&W with a brushed finish is that the polishing will "highlight" the deeper scratches caused by that brushed finish.

The only way to get a truly "liquid" polish is to first wet sand the gun with 800 grit, then 1500 grit, and finally 2000 grit sandpapers. Then you will find that it will take on a superb finish fairly quickly with a good quality polishing compound applied by hand.

However, you'll also find that he barrel rib and cylinder cuts on some guns are pretty uneven, which means another cycle of sanding to get it even. In those areas it's best to use a block of soft pine and a backing for hte sanding strip so that you cut the high areas down and blend them in.

Finally, if your going for an extreme finish the final polishing must be done with all strokes in the same direction. No matter what polish you use, it will leave micro scratches that will catch the light from dertain directions. By making sure these micro scratches are all in alignment you can minimize those microscratches becoming visible because the gun has to be held "'just right" in order to see them.

PS, one of my jobs at work is building headers for custom show cars made from 304 stainless. For a "Riddler" quality polish, the polishing alone costs 800 dollars and involves about 50 hours of work.

I have used 'Flitz' with a very soft cloth with good results. You need to be careful with a Smith if it has the lazer markings. as you will rub them off.

I use a Lead Away Gun Cloth on my stainless S&W's. It cleans, polishes, and protects all at the same time. Here is a link for it:

http://secure.armorholdings.com/klee...roduct174.html

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"I'm just a dog chasing cars."

...personally I prefer a few 'working marks' in my stainless guns....they remind me of the wrinkles of my grandparents from a life of toil & heartbreak....and regardless of looks they STILL they function perfectly...

Those few 'perfect finish' guns I've had are more worry that I keep them looking that way, rather than just enjoy using them in the field.

Life has given all of us a few dings & scratches. I can't expect less from my handguns. While I strive to maintain a certain level of appropriate finish, as in custom car shows, those last few points for a 100 point rig takes far more effort & sweat.

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Dum vivimus Vivamas