Anyone have their revolver reblued at the S&W factory lately?

A couple of years ago, I bought a new Taurus Model 82 38 spl that came with an ugly matte black finish that is not very durable. I have had all of the visible parts refinished in a glossy black Cerakote. The gunsmith also grooved the front sight ramp and filled it with red cerakote.

While it is not as pretty and glossy as an original blued Smith& Wesson, I am very satisfied with the result and now have a very durable finish to boot.

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I bought a 586 that needed a lot of care. I reworked the action and sent it to S&W for a refinish. When it came back, I could not believe how nice it looked. They did a fantastic job. It was done several years ago.
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I think they call this the brushed blue? Anyway, I wanted it nickled which they don't do anymore, and the CR told me their current high polish will not match the exquisite late-60's polish, so I picked the brushed. Looks OK.
This M10 BTW came out of Puerto Rico. Came to me with a set of aftermarket grips that wouldn't tighten. I swapped them for the J Scotts and T-grip. Had the typical late '70's bizarre combination of excellent action and a B/C gap you could slide a butter knife blade thru. They set the barrel back and fixed that, also.
 

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Fords in Clearwater Florida did this (not a Smith) back in 2014.

Cimarron was using Fords for both Polish Blue & Nickle when I bought this NIB
Rock Island. This photo was taken in April '25'
 

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Ballistol
I have a bit of trouble seeing why Hoppes would cause color change to the current blue process. At any rate, Ballistol apparently also includes ammonium oleate which was cited above as being the culprit in the color change. So I do not see how it would be any safer than Hoppes IF ammonia causes the color change.
Anyway, I did a little test this spring and was, frankly, really disappointed in the performance of Ballistol at preventing rust.
See attached.
(The "EVR" solvents are just that, solvents only. They are amyl acetate-based nitro solvents of my own concoction. Not for rust/corrosion protection, obviously. I'm working on a combination solvent/corrosion inhibiter).
 

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from their own home page

IS BALLISTOL SAFE ON NICKEL/CHROME/GOLD LEAF?
Yes! Ballistol is safe on all metals when used as directed. There is the potential with any creeping oil to “lift” metals plated by electrolysis, but our product is simply not capable of deteriorating these metals. We recommend when using Ballistol on electro-plated metals (gold leaf, nickel, chrome, etc.) to wipe off any excess Ballistol after cleaning. Ballistol should not be used on these surfaces if they are scratched or damaged.


I have no dog in the fight.
 
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