Ford’s Refinishing Result

jmclfrsh

jmclfrsh

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Sent a scuffed up and blued Model 57 to Ford's Refinishing to be plated in nickle. Had slight pitting on the left side of the barrel near the front sight, too.

The result is simply amazing. It looks better than it did from the factory, as the front of the cylinder is still pristine and there are no cylinder turn marks either.

It took a little over four months, but it was well worth it now!

If you are considering sending a piece to them, I heartily recommend them. They once again have done stellar work. Simply stellar.
 

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BTW, before we go there, I'm not worried one iota about resale value. This is a pinned and recessed Model 57, shipped the year I graduated high school, 1978. I feel fortunate to have it.

This baby is going nowhere, until it goes to my nephew in the future. I won't miss it, either...only because I'll be pushing up daisies!
 
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I would love to send my "birth-year" ( 1947) factory nickel M&P to Fords to have it refinished. I was all set to go, then couldn't find how to send it without spending $$$. Do you guys go through an FFL, or other method without spending $100 plus just for shipping ??
 
Just send it in to them, and they ship it back to you UPS Ground. No FFL involvement was needed in Ohio.

You are getting something repaired and nothing is changing hands. And they, as mentioned, really are artists.

Their "Master Blue Polish" looks just like the factory used to be able to produce. Those were the days.

First, go to their website, and you will see a Work Order link. Print it out, fill it out and include it with your piece.

I also printed out their pricing sheet and circled what I wanted done to be doubly sure.

Once my tracking number indicated it arrived there, I followed up with a phone call to make sure we were on the same page.

Then the hard part starts...the waiting!

Once it is ready to ship, they call you for payment and it comes back to you UPS Ground. Someone over 21 needs to sign for it is all.

Go for it! You'll be happy with the result, I'm sure.

Thank you all for the kind words. I thought many of you might like it as much as I do.
 
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scooter123 said:
If Dirty Harry carried a blued model 29 I would believe that what you have is the revolver that Amos Burke would carried, a nickle plated model 57. Because it goes just perfectly with a Rolls Royce. Well Done Sir.
Click to expand...

Wow, was that a "Burke's Law" reference? I haven't thought about that in 45+ years.
 
Had them do their Master Blue finish on a Colt OP in 32-20 a while back. Damn gun is so pretty I don't even like touching it. They know what they are doing for sure.
 
From what I can see in the photos, it looks like an awesome refinish.
Very handsome gun.

Thanks for posting the photos.
 
Fords "Master Blue" is superior to the factory finish---superior in that the preparation (polishing) is done by hand, and to a higher degree (shinier). You can see the difference in the final product across a good sized room. The color is typically a bit darker---also noticeable from afar.

I have no current knowledge of their current pricing, but if it's anything akin to previous, I don't know how they do it for so little.

Ralph Tremaine
 
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OLDSTER said:
I would love to send my "birth-year" ( 1947) factory nickel M&P to Fords to have it refinished. I was all set to go, then couldn't find how to send it without spending $$$. Do you guys go through an FFL, or other method without spending $100 plus just for shipping ??
Click to expand...

Oldster, is your problem that some shippers - like UPS or Fedex - tell you that you HAVE to ship the gun overnight air, for no other reason than it's a handgun? UPS did that with me on a Heritage single action revolver warranty repair to Florida. Cost me like $85 to send it. I was mad, because most of my gunbroker purchases come to me by 3rd day or ground and cost anywhere from $35 on down to $15, depending on where they come from. It's a racket of some sort.

Nobody can tell me why the double standard. Maybe FFL's get a lower rate. In that case, sending the gun to the refinishing facility might be more thrifty if going out through a local FFL. They shouldn't have a fee for that because there may not be any paperwork, but you might have to give them five bucks for their trouble. According to my FFL, however, anytime an FFL takes possession of a gun, paperwork is required, even if they aren't buying the gun (eg, consignment). This MIGHT mean you have to hang out in his store until the UPS guy comes. I don't know. Just speculating.
 
Photo bling.
Man........ wow wee wow wee ......... that turned out nice.
Understatement of the week.
 
Just beautiful! I have a pre-Model 29 that I have owned for 45 years that is about 75% blue. I am thinking about sending it to them for rebluing. Like you I'm going to let the drop in re-sale go to my heirs. I also have a M-57 8 3/8 and a M-58 that will be with me to the end. Thanks for the tip and for sharing your experience!
 
Man, they did a beautiful job on your model 57. And you are making me have a hard decision to make too.

I have a model 27-2 I bought a few years ago as a shooter and it has a non-factory nickel job done on it. And the nickel plating is flaking at the end of the barrel, so I've been thinking hard on sending it out to get refinished back in nickel. I've been thinking of sending it back to S&W for the job, but looking at that job Ford's did on yours, they look to be a viable choice too. I might go the S&W route and see how their nickel finish compares to the Ford's finish you got done.
 
Shark Bait said:
I'm wondering if they could bring "Frankenstein's Mistress" back from the dead.
Click to expand...

Yes. That said, the cost rises above that for refinishing. They brought a friend's pre-war Magnum back from VERY DEAD (structural damage) to simply gorgeous. That likely cost in excess of $1,000 (and took a looooooooong time), and I think the refinish charge at that time was considerably less than half that. I know they told him they hoped he wouldn't send another one like that.

Ralph Tremaine
 
jmclfrsh said:
BTW, before we go there, I'm not worried one iota about resale value. This is a pinned and recessed Model 57, shipped the year I graduated high school, 1978. I feel fortunate to have it.

This baby is going nowhere, until it goes to my nephew in the future. I won't miss it, either...only because I'll be pushing up daisies!
Click to expand...

That's the right attitude to have when you're doing something like this. You're looking at the future of the gun, itself, in a non-monetary way...plus you've had the work done with a specific purpose in mind.

I'm sure the gun will be a source of pride and memories for generations to come.
 
rct269 said:
Fords "Master Blue" is superior to the factory finish---superior in that the preparation (polishing) is done by hand, and to a higher degree (shinier). You can see the difference in the final product across a good sized room. The color is typically a bit darker---also noticeable from afar.

Ralph Tremaine
Click to expand...

In the car show game, this is known as "overrestored."
So what do you ask Ford's for if you just want it to look like new?
They have "deluxe," "Ford," and "master" blue, so is "Ford" blue comparable to S&W blue?
Looks like the only choices for plating are brush or matte or way shiny like the OP's.

Colt has the same problem. Ask them for a Royal Blue and you get something a lot shinier than my 1970s Python was when new.
 
That is a beautiful 57 to say the least. I understand your not be concerned with resale value. My 2 Pythons are the same. Both also made in 1978 the year I graduated high school. My Pythons stay with me and will be passed to my brother when I check out.
 
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THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION!!

Jim Watson said:
In the car show game, this is known as "overrestored."
So what do you ask Ford's for if you just want it to look like new?
They have "deluxe," "Ford," and "master" blue, so is "Ford" blue comparable to S&W blue?
Looks like the only choices for plating are brush or matte or way shiny like the OP's.

Colt has the same problem. Ask them for a Royal Blue and you get something a lot shinier than my 1970s Python was when new.
Click to expand...

You may already have the answer---never mind you don't know what you know. If the terms "deluxe", "Ford", and "master" all came from them, then you're ahead of me already. I haven't paid any attention to Fords for years---having had no need. (Their term "master" is the only one I know/recall.) "Shinier" comes from the degree of polish---the grit used. If this terminology comes from them, then they know not only what those grits are, e.g. 400, 600, 800---whatever; but more importantly, also what they translate to in terms of more shiny/less shiny.

In years past when I've been asked essentially this same question---"How do I get something that looks more like factory and less like a piece of jewelry?", I've simply told them to tell Fords to stop polishing sooner. Now, when "sooner" is is a question for Fords. They'll know what degree of grit/polish is going to match/come closest to matching S&W's finish---and accordingly, when to stop polishing. Or possibly in this case, which choice you should make------"deluxe", "Ford", or "Master".

Ralph Tremaine

I've only had two guns refinished in my lifetime. Both were what I call S&W's matte blue when they left Springfield---and I wanted "Bright Blue". I could have had "Bright Blue" at the outset, but that was a special order----and I was told it would take six months. I didn't want to wait. I bought what was in front of me, and shipped it back for refinishing. I had "Bright Blue" in a couple of weeks.
 
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As already stated in numerous previous posts, that is stunning! I'm a big fan of the 41 Mag, but not so much of nickel, but oh my, is that nice. As I'm in the final stages of getting ready to ship one out for a reblue and looking for recommendations, I appreciate your sharing this quality work! Thanks again and best of luck with it! Bill in MA
 
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