Anybody else like to keep their stainless Smitty polished?

[RIDE-RED 350r]

I hear what you are saying TDC. If i had a collector gun and its value would be diminished by polishing, I wouldnt do it. In my case, my 686-6 is a shooter. I bought it brand new a few months ago and love it, no intention of ever selling it. With me its more of my personal preference in looks. But I absolutely understand what you are saying about a collectors piece.

 

[Iowa Boy]

I just bought a couple of stainless guns and they do look good pollished but I think I will leave mine factory.

 

[RedBerens]

I bought this old 686 no dash a few years ago. It had been a service revolver for the Colorado University Police, and was pretty rough. A few hours of polishing and a nice set of targets I found gave me this;

 

[amazingflapjack]

Flitz!

I have one that has been professionaly done, and some that I just do myself. Some 629 no dashes look like they have been factory polished, but that's the difference between then and now. Flitz isn't abrasive according to the container, and it is really easy to use. I use it as a part of my cleaning proces on revolvers, especially the cylinders. Stainless will grow cheese if not polished now and again, it does contain aluminum that readily oxidizes. I just bought a 610-2 that looked "OK" until I started to clean it. The man I bought it from said he hadn't fired it in 4 years, and that wasn't all he hadn't done with it. My usually cleaning just got it to where I coud start to see how dirty it really was, a first for me. I guess the third time around things started to clean up. I ended up really puting the elbow grease to the whole gun. The bore was nasty, but the cylinder bores were worse. I ended up going in there with a dremel and some mild polishing compound after scrubbing with what ever I had. She's clean now, and not a blemish on it. There's just something about stainless steel. Flapjack

 

[rollin_hot]

624

 

[SWP357]

Rollin, is that from a buffing wheel or by hand?
Nice!

 

[GF]

Rollin, is that from a buffing wheel or by hand?
Nice!

I'd like to know a little more on how you did that too. I might redo the Mod 64 on page 2 of this thread to "super shiney!" like your revolver.

Very nice.

GF

 

[rollin_hot]

Rollin, is that from a buffing wheel or by hand?
Nice!

I bought it that way. If i had to guess I would say it was wheeled. Check out Allen-frame's thread on a 625 he wheeled. It looks great. He also explains how he did it.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...beauty-revised-3-31-11-polished-finished.html

 

[one eye joe]

I polish mine every now and then...I like seeing how much cleaner and brighter they can become with just a t-shirt and some Mothers. That's one of the things I find so appealing about SS Smiths; is that their "finish" is renewable, you can almost always get it back to something close to factory...whereas with blued guns, you're kinda stuck with the wear you've earned; which I can see as appealing too. I guess it's just one of those "different strokes" deals.

I'm with you 11Bravo.

 

[RightWinger]

I prefer the factory brushed finish or even bead blasting, however if you carry the gun much bead blasting doesn't hold up well either. I'm not big on nickel so I reckon thats why I don't want a ultra shiny gun, but I do admire the skill it takes to do such a fine job of polishing these guns I have seen on here.

 

[rollin_hot]

Grips