Anyone Polished their Stainless Revolver?

[Nalapombu]

Thanks all.
BEAUTIFUL stuff!!

Keep ‘em coming.


I have been toying with the idea because I have a 65 police trade in that also has typical handling/holster marks on it.

I have Colt XSE commander in stainless that I got a wild hair up my hind end several years ago and got out the rags and FLITZ and went to it. It looked really nice when I was done. No, it wasn’t the BRITE STAINLESS that Colt used to put out on some of their stuff, but it was eye catching. I left it that way for a couple years. The thing that bugged me was that every fingerprint, brush against your skin or contact with anything that had any kind of fluid surface would stick out like a neon sign. I ended up sending it to a ‘smith to bead blast it back to nearly stock looks.

 

[rockquarry]

My hand polished 9mm Ruger and CZ75:

Do you shoot those regularly?

 

[Well Armed]

What process are you all doing to hand polish?

 

[JohnRippert]

Closest I have done is taking a couple different grits of Scotchbrite to my surplus M64 to "freshen" it up a mite.

 

[llowry61]

Here is a 629-1 that I did a few years ago. It had some replaced parts and I shimmed it to correct a small amount of end shake.

It is surprising how shiny you can get them. I used Mothers Mag polish and small strips of cotton that were cut from old undershirts I save to use for cleaning. I did take out the cylinder and yoke etc. when I worked on it, but gain I just sat in front of the TV and polished away.

I sold it awhile back because I am not really into guns that are not 100% original.

 

[3rdgeargrndrr]

I mirror polished a GP100 once. Didnt like it and sold it to a friend. Wont do it again.

 

[wood714]

Here's an Oklahoma Highway Patrol issued M 65-3 that came to me in heavily carried condition. The scratches bothered me, so I spent a lot of time polishing them out with Mother's Mag. Then the high shine got to bothering me, so I roughed it up a bit with the green pads and am highly satisfied with the results. It's both a looker and possesses a very fine trigger in SA & DA. Outstanding accuracy. Not sure about the origin of the combat grips acquired otherwise, but they are effective in all ways.

I polished my 65-5 Lady Smith because I wanted to remove the Lady Smith logo, it came out pleasingly well.

I also polished my 3" 64 that I'd love to un-polish to look like my 3" 65.

What green pads did you use? Can you see scratches in the finish.

I want the bottom 64 to look like the top 65.

 

[22hipower]

I wouldn't polish one but I did buy a polished 617-1. The older gentleman I bought it from insisted he had bought it new and that it was factory polished, S&W "bright stainless." A finish that never existed as far as I know, but I bought it anyway.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

https://flic.kr/p/2pfiowZ https://www.flickr.com/photos/194934231@N03/

 

[Retired W4]

That was a fairly common practice in the 1970's. I gave my 2.5" 66-1 the treatment right after I bought it in '78. Stainless was still pretty new and guys wanted them to look more like traditional nickel.

 

[RalphMP9FS]

Do you shoot those regularly?

Once or twice a year.

 

[03hemi]

I agree with 75Vette, don't touch the original finish unless it's shot or in bad shape.
I've been collecting for several years too and only decided to refinish this 1066 because the finish was trashed when I bought it.
Certainly looks alot better, but I'd never get "collectors" value for it now, if for some strange reason I wanted to sell it.

 

[Ingramite]

I think anyone who hasn't done one but is curious should just get it out of their system. It's not like you can't send it back to S&W and get it blasted back to normal.

Two reasons why I succumbed to the temptation to buff were a poor finish with blemishes and too much time on my hands.

At the end of the day though, I never felt like the juice was worth the squeeze.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I love nickeled Smiths.........So ya I've polished a couple to look like nickel.

 

[rwsmith]

AARGH!!!

You guys that polished your guns, they are GORGEOUS. But I just don't do shiny guns.

 

[6GUNSONLY]

I guess put me in the "I don't like shiny guns" camp. I haven't ever intentionally polished a SS revolver and don't see it happening unless I procured one that was really beat up, in which case I'd still strive for a softer, less reflective finish. The one truly "shiny" gun I ever owned was a 4" nickeled Python, and I kinda wish I had that one back. I'd be willing to let it be the token shiny gun in my safe.

 

[Miracle Man]

I'm just not a big fan of the super shiny look. But to each his own. If I had a compromised gun that needed some TLC I might consider it I suppose ?

 

[sophie]

I have always liked shiny things to a certain extent. I have several nickel guns and use Ren-Wax on them once in a while.
It has been mentioned above more than once by 75Vette, H Richard, and arjay who shined up Model 60’s.
Here is one of my Model 60’s that I polished with Mother’s Mag Polish with an old sock also and some Ren-Wax several years ago.
Shown also is another one of my Model 60’s with the factory stainless finish.
Now I ask you, which do you like best?

 

[pasound]

Mine looks like #2, but I really like #1. Mine looks shiny in this pic, but it's the bright light to get the photo. The finish is duller than the pics.

 

[CH4]

I polished one, bought one already polished and wished they all had the factory finish. Same with bead blasting. In the end, I wish they all had the factory finish. Probably the most durable and easiest to fix blems