It was pretty easy to do. First off, the gun must be completely taken down to the point no moving parts are left on the frame or slide. If you are not comfortable stripping one down completely then bead blasting cannot be done for the glass beads will get behind every spring or moving part and will cause severe damage. These glass beads are tiny and they will get in every crevice and are very hard to get out. The gun needs to be completely de-greased before you start. I use glass bead media shot through a siphon gun made for sandblasting. The two size glass beads to use are the "fine" media US sieve 100-170 and "medium" media US sieve 70 - 140. The higher the sieve number the smaller the media. The media looks like very fine sugar. Go to Grainger.com and search for glass bead media and siphon gun and you will see the products that I use. The "fine" sized media is great for a gun that is already in good shape and you are trying to refinish some shiny spots from holster wear, dings, etc. It does the least to the existing finish on the gun that you do not want to alter. The "medium" sized media matches the existing finish that we have come to know over the last 25 years from S&W on the 3rd gen stainless guns. I will use this size media when it is necessary to first lightly sand down the surface of the gun in order to flatten out dings and heavy scratches. The medium beads are necessary for the "heavy" work. A blasting cabinet is not necessary if you do this outside, preferably upwind so the media blows away from you. Perfectly sealed eye protection is a must if you do this without a cabinet. I just hold the slide or frame in one hand and make a few passes with the siphon gun held about 2 inches from the surface of the gun. Once you get going it takes about 30 seconds to do one frame or slide. No gloves are necessary. I use a common portable pancake compressor set at 70 PSI. Don't worry about needing a large volume compressor since you can go at it slow in order for the compressor to recharge to sustain the pressure. After I am done I rinse the gun under running water to flush out the glass beads. Let it dry and you are ready for reassembly. Don't chance it without eye protection!!!
