This may not be the most right place to post, but I was wondering if anyone had any insight on using an air eraser to touch up the dust cover on a beaten 659.

I bought the pistol several months ago, have ground/polished off the electro penciling that came on the frame, but would like to take it one step further and get back to a matte finish on the curves.

The correct answer is obviously bead blasting. Unfortunately, where I live, a 60 gallon tank and 5-10HP compressor simply aren't in the cards. There would literally be nowhere for me to put them. The next most correct answer is paying someone to blast the frame for me. While I've considered that, I'd really like for this project to be all mine in the sense that I'm completing the work from start to finish.

With all that being said, I recently saw videos of "air erasers", or mini blasters being used to refinish small pieces of metal. Is this something that could work on stainless steel? I realize it would take 5x longer, but given how small the curves on a frame are, I'm not too concerned about that. My main worry would be that it doesn't give the same finish a real sand-blaster setup would. A 3 gallon pancake compressor/tank setup is something I can fit in my place, and an air eraser seems like a decent solution - especially as I'm sure I could find other uses for it after this particular project.

If anyone has any experience with air erasers, and can comment on their ability to refinish steel with 120-220 aluminum oxide, it would be greatly appreciated!

I use a compressor, conventional blast cabinet and silica, or similar media. I have not used alum. oxide

I see no reason that the "eraser" you describe wouldn't work fine on small objects and surfaces. The amount of air used (pressure), and the type of media obviously control how the finish looks when you are finished. Examine your work periodically and carefully under bright light to be sure the surface is completely covered and blended correctly....it's very easy to miss a spot, particularly with this type of unit, where the nozzle is so tiny.

Be sure to wear eye protection and a filter mask when you use this device.....the particulate and removed metal will be floating around in the air, and you don't want this stuff in your eyes or lungs.

Here's a link to a video using the air eraser, as they call it.......

and a valuable link on the forum reference testing of different media by one of the members.......
Glass Bead Media Testing on 5906 Frame

Remember to rinse the part or parts thoroughly after refinishing, and re-lube.....you don't want the media down in the working parts of the revolver or pistol.

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

Yep, use magnification (at least for those of us with older eyes) and consider using a camera! Doing the Scotch-Brite touchup, I found a number of spots when photographing that I just didn't see otherwise. I use +2.5 reading glasses for closeup magnification and that helps a lot, but camera still "sees" things I don't.

I'm glad you brought up this topic. I, too, am interested in what can be done with one of those new HF air erasers (or similar) if used on stainless steel handgun parts. I am especially curious about what abrasive media can be used in those air erasers... and, more importantly, what media should be used if trying to bring a stainless steel 3rd Gen frame or slide back to a stock "as-new" appearance. The instruction manual for the HF air eraser isn't very helpful in regard to choice of media.

I believe the most coarse media you can use is 220 aluminum oxide. Anything lower, and it won't fit through the nozzle reliably (I believe the nozzle is .5mm?). I called up Paasche last week, and they really didn't seem to know much about their product. I asked whether it would be able to etch stainless steel... and they didn't know. Their guidance was "It's pretty cheap, so even if it doesn't work for your intended purpose, you'll probably be able to find something else to use it on".

I think I'm going to go ahead and try this out here. My plan is to work on a 645 and 659 that were abused by their former owners. Realistically, I assume it's going to take me 30+ minutes to do the curves on a single slide (flats are polished and rebrushed with scotchbrite pad). I also have concerns about the long term durability of the air eraser. My alternative plan was to get a real bead-blasting gun, but find the smallest tip for it in order to accommodate a lower CFM air compressor.

Well, I did buy the HF air eraser yesterday along with this HF media for starters: 5 lbs. Ground Glass 40/70 Grit Abrasive Media. So far, I haven't tried it on anything.

I've gone through the famous skjos thread on the topic six times so far and I'm still not 100% sure about what I am looking at in some of the photos and what conclusions and recommendations regarding media, if any, will apply to this HF air eraser.

Obviously, I'm going to go slow. VERY slow. Slow even for me. Mucho experimentation ahead, but on scrap metal first. Meanwhile, I'll start to keep my eye out for a totally "used and abused" all-stainless steel 3rd Gen without laser markings to be the first TTSH restoration candidate.

Glad to see you're moving forward with this - definitely keep us posted. I will say, I'm a little skeptical that the media you bought is going to flow through the eraser well.

What size/specs air compressor are you planning to use? Part of the reason I'm looking at air erasers instead of full size blasters is because I don't think I can fit a large compressor in my home. I'm limited to about 8 gallon max, which typically means 1.5-2hp and 2-3 CFM.

I want to see how this turns out. Good luck.

You are correct. The media I bought may or may not flow. But it's all they had in the store that even came close... no air eraser compound at all. As skjos noted, it doesn't appear that HF is going to carry the latter any longer. But fear not, I have other HF blasting equipment that can use it.

Good question. Like you, I was hoping that the air eraser would work off my small portable HF pancake compressor. But if that fails, I have a bank of three manifolded air compressors in the basement. Of course if that still isn't enough, I'm in big trouble.

A single small compressor should be enough to run it. I bought an air eraser to blast my Mossberg 500 receiver prior to cerakoting it. I also did a few parts that are exposed to the outside so it all matches. The 220 grit stuff that HF sells works well.it leaves a very fine frosted look on steel or aluminum.

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1st smiles,lies.Last,gunfire.

I have had good results with Silicon Carbide media on stainless steel.
Caution when blasting stainless:Whatever media you use, avoid ferrous content / debris in your blasting media. If you use your media on any ferrous metal, never use it on stainless again. You will indeed get the beautiful finish you are looking for, but a few weeks later you'll have a rusty stainless surface.

Thanks for the advice on Silicon Carbide.

My intent is to use aluminum oxide, 220 grit for the curves. I was also planning to test alox cut with baking soda to see if I could achieve a finish that's slightly less dark than just pure alox.

Another question: If I'm planning to set up my blasting cabinet in a bathroom shower stall lined with plastic tarps (while wearing full face safety goggles and a respirator), what's the best media to avoid inhalation risks. Obviously I'll be wearing a respirator, but I'd prefer to avoid anything that could be a risk for pets or myself afterwards. Alternatively, let me know if I'm being insane for even considering blasting indoors (even with an air eraser).

I strongly suggest you do some research on silicosis, lung cancer and other dangers of blasting with various media. A simple respirator or face mask is not sufficient protection. You will also have particulate matter in the air. After you finish blasting. No matter how you try to rig up a makeshift blasting booth you are asking for trouble.

Thanks, this is the type of guidance I'm looking for. In my cursory research, it seemed as though aluminum oxide was a safer (albeit, not completely safe) alternative to glass based media. Per Silica-Safe.org:

"Preventing the dust from becoming airborne is a good way to reduce exposures. Water can be used to suppress the dust and vacuums can be used to capture it at the source. When water or vacuums are not feasible, or if the exposures are still high even with these controls, a NIOSH approved respirator should be used; however, respirators won’t protect those working close by. Other ways to reduce or eliminate exposures include using different materials, such as aluminum oxide instead of sand for abrasive blasting, or using work practices that help minimize dust. The “Create-A-Plan” tool on this website provides examples by material and task for controlling dust."

That being said, please let me know if a respirator is not sufficient for blasting with aluminum oxide.

In the past, I have only sandblasted things outdoors while using a full sandblasting hood. I don't see myself using the air eraser indoors. Regardless of protective equipment, I'm just too lazy to clean up the resulting mess. My wife probably wouldn't let me use it indoors anyway.

Would I be safe blasting outdoors, wearing a respirator, and using a relatively well sealed blast box made from a Rubbermaid container? I'd like to us both glass beads and alox from a full size blast gun.

Additionally, would it be safe to use an air eraser indoors with a respirator and a very well sealed mini blast box with filter? I'd probably set it up in a closed shower stall.

Good questions... and the answer to both of them, unfortunately, is that I haven't got a clue. The farm implements I used to sandblast (before painting) with cheap, coarse media were awfully crude compared to the delicate, highly detailed work we plan to do now. Yes, I managed to make a mess... but it was all outside in a rough area and it just didn't matter. I loaded up the blaster, put my hood on and blasted away. Not sure if I did anything to endanger my health but I'm still alive and taking nourishment today. I don't recall any ill effects other than sweating like a dog under that hood.

I will certainly start by using the air eraser outside. Obviously, the mess won't be nearly as great. But I'll probably still use my hood just like before, at least at first.