I hate to see this start happening.

[jrandyh]

You can call me old, old school or whatever and I wear that second one with pride. I was really excited to start seeing young people buying and becoming attentive to revolvers lately. Yeah it adds to the demand and causes prices to rise but that's all good. I was elated when they joined the FB groups and brought some youth to them. What I didn't like was the attitude, boorish behavior and that it's all about me with no respect for the experience and knowledge of the older guys. One just posted the first you tube video I had seen in the group evaluating a gun. An 8 shot PC model. Like most of them the video was more about the maker than the gun of which he really had little knowledge. He rambled on and on about the gun and the several hundred 357 rounds he had just shot. I kept wanting to drag the little circle owner to move it along. When he was finally through the only thing I learned was the gun held 8 rounds and the grips were poorly designed as his hand hurt after shooting hundreds of 357 rounds. Well duh you just fired several hundred rounds of 357 MAGNUM not 9 mm. Most of the comments were from other young guys telling him how they wished they had one and great video. One person did say something about it being a post lock and I don't know how you express deer in head lights in text but I felt it coming through when he asked what's the lock. Even after trying to explain pre lock and post lock his reply was I still don't get it. Sheesh.
Let's move on. The next thing I am starting to see is vintage S&W's with color filled roll marks. Puhleeze. Keep it on your Glocks. Yeah it's their guns but some of that stuff doesn't come off well and then they want to sell the gun. The other thing that's carrying over is polishing the whole gun or cylinder. If it's a new gun or one in poor condition I don't care what you do with it. But to take a 686 or 66 no dash and do it that's just a travesty. I saw a young lady post a like NIB unfired 66-2 she had just bought and was really proud of. One of these jokers told her to get some Flitz and Mothers Mag if she really wanted it to shine. There was another young fellow who had a 66 no dash he was trying to sell and was having problems. The price was right. I suggested it might have something to do with the gun looks like it had been gone over with Flitz. The guy from the previous deal with the girl cussed me out and said that would make it sell quicker. He could sell that gun 100 times a day. Another day went by and I approached the fellow in PM and suggested he take a picture in the original grips and box which he had. I told him to also include a pic of the label. Redo the post mentioning the gun was a no dash, was pinned and recessed and had TT and TH. he sold the gun within an hour and was very thankful. Maybe I am just getting old and need to be more tolerant of these things but I hate to see nice guns that are disappearing everyday being ruined. I have one more SS gun I would like and I am scared to buy it as there is nothing local. I am seeing SS guns being polished with Flitz and mothers mag and some are being buffed. These guns are presented in 97% and above. I don't want that stuff on any gun I buy.
JR

 

[CajunBass]

Oh. You must mean like these?





Color filled roll marks and polished with Flitz and waxed with Meguiar's.

Sorry, they're not stainless steel, but I never cared for that newfangled stuff.

 

[jrandyh]

Yeah that tacky stuff : )

 

[Arik]

The whole polishing, staining, waxing, filling, buffing of guns is beyond me. Doesn't matter what it is. Everything from muskets to plasma cannons.

 

[L Pete]

The waxing places a protective barrier on the blued revolvers. In areas of high humidity, it really helps preventing rust and corrosion. When I was a LEO back in ancient times, this was a very common practice as an officer would be entering and exiting a cooler environments (air conditioned) many times during a shift. Each time the gun would haze up with condensation (water). If no protection of the guns surface or maintenance of the gun is done, rust would quickly appear. The highlighting of the roll marks occurs when the excess wax in not removed, and just left in place. A wooden toothpick can be used to remove this buildup causing no harm or removing the wax coating within the roll marks. It just plain works.

That is really a nice looking Model 58 in the pic........

 

[Arik]

The waxing places a protective barrier on the blued revolvers. In areas of high humidity, it really helps preventing rust and corrosion. When I was a LEO back in ancient times, this was a very common practice as an officer would be entering and exiting a cooler environments (air conditioned) many times during a shift. Each time the gun would haze up with condensation (water). If no protection of the guns surface or maintenance of the gun is done, rust would quickly appear. The highlighting of the roll marks occurs when the excess wax in not removed, and just left in place. A wooden toothpick can be used to remove this buildup causing no harm or removing the wax coating within the roll marks. It just plain works.

That is really a nice looking Model 58 in the pic........

The wax getting into the marks is understandable. That's not what he's talking about though. There are special crayons you can buy for the specific reason to fill in the roll marks

 

[Ga Johnny]

vintage S&W's with color filled roll marks

Me too.....I bought an M29 last year with gold colored fill, and I've tried everything I can think of and can't get it to budge.

 

[Watchdog]

vintage S&W's with color filled roll marks

Me too.....I bought an M29 last year with gold colored fill, and I've tried everything I can think of and can't get it to budge.

I had an Old Model Ruger Blackhawk with gold fill in the rollmarks. Plain ol' Hoppe's #9 made short work of it.

 

[Warren Sear]

We live in an era of flash and bling. "Look at me" is the current attitude. Tattos are a big part of that mindset. Oh, well...

 

[SW340PD]

Hate to hear this. I recently joined this
Forum, mostly becuase it seemed professional and lacked some of the nonsense I've seen in other forums. I'll stick around and try to remember to be respectful of others and learn from those who know so much more than I.

 

[MN2944]

I don't mind polished SS on certain revolvers. If you hate it, you can get back pretty close to the factory brushed look with a Scotchbrite pad. No, it's not original and I wouldn't do it to a truly rare specimen, but I don't consider a 66-2 all that special.

 

[RKmesa]

Hoping not to Offend...

My $0.02. I like to see anyone become excited about revolvers. And if they want to polish the SS guns or put crayons in the lettering I am fine with that as well. As some of you know, I mostly post on the Pre-1961 side of the forum. I have a wonderful collection of pre-war and early post war beauties that are pristine and often times complete packages in the boxes that they shipped in. Some of them have been engraved at the factory and they are beautiful. Some of them have been engraved post factory and they too are beautiful.

But some of the guns that I collect have been modified by their owners to meet their personal needs. They might have Roper Stocks, King Sights, shortened barrels, King or Micro Hammers, Paint applied to Front Sights and even back in the 50's you could purchase "crayons" to rub into the lettering (usually it was gold or white on the blued guns). I love these modified guns, some of which were modified for the "bling effect" and some for practical reasons.

The very first model 66 that I purchased was a pristine no dash with a stainless rear sight. I did not know what I had and so I sat down with a "bucket" of Mothers Mag polish and polished the heck out of it - and even now after I have become a "collector" I still like that highly polished 66 no dash and I do not care what others think about it. It was one of the 1st guns that I photographed and put on this forum - I was and still am proud of it. It was one that got me "into" S&W's and I will most likely always cherish that gun.

I have others that I have modified as well - here are my most recent ones..





They are pre-war guns that prior to my getting them all scratched up, had seen some wear and I wanted to customize them to make them "mine" and really spiff them up. They probably do not appeal to everyone and some may think it blasphemy to "do this" to those pre-war guns, but I like it and judging by the likes on this post others like it as well http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-ha...eds-my-expectations-k22-photos-post-59-a.html. Not everyone can afford to get their guns customized by engraving, so if they want to "bling it out" with a little Mothers/Flitz or with a little crayon in the lettering, I am super fine with that. For that has been going on since the first S&W rolled off the assembly line.

I also think that the new generation learns differently than some of us older guys. But I have found that respect comes as they try "stuff" out, fail and then seek for advice. That is an OK way to learn.

BUT what I really like about the up and coming generation is that they are willing to take the time to SHARE what they learn with others - be it a FB post, a YT video, an Instagram, a Pinterest Board, etc... They get the word out.

Whereas, some of the greatest guns in the greatest collections never see the light of day, because the owners are unwilling or unable to share online. This is too bad...

So... long way of saying - I think we should be careful criticizing the younger S&W enthusiasts for some of their forays into "our collecting world" and make sure this Forum continues to be the welcoming place that invites S&W fans of all generations to come "learn, grow and share."

BTW - thanks for letting me share

 

[k22fan]

jrandyh,

None of the gun alterations mentioned in your O.P. are new. Kits for filling roll stamps with gold or silver were fairly common during the 1970s and 1980s. The ones I'm familiar with had a gold powder suspended in a liquid that evaporated. Finger nail polish remover or acetone will remove the gold. Polishing stainless guns was not as popular 20 years ago but I did see it done. While I hate it there are lots of enthusiasts posting here. As far as I'm concerned they devalue an excellent condition or collector revolver down to shooter grade but there is no dissuading them. You can only vote with your wallet. If it's been polished, unless it is priced very low, walk on past.

 

[jrandyh]

They use fingernail polish now. I am not talking about wax as I use Ren Wax in my guns. I am talking about products such as Flitz and others that remove metal. If it's a shooter quality gun I don't care. But to polish one to remove scratches and try to pass it off as a collector grade is what bugs me. This one moron was trying to tell a girl who just bought an unfired 66-2 in the box she needed to put Flitz and Mothers Mag on her gun to make it shine. The fingernail polish messes up the guns along with the acetone they use. Then they try to sell them later. I see it all the time on plastic gun sites. They don't care. Fine you can mess up all of those you want but to ruin a vintage gun is a shame. They are getting harder to find and prices rising as it is.
JR

 

[JohnSW]

Anyone who has ever watched Antiques Roadshow knows that, if you plan on selling an object as a collectible, you shouldn't mess with the original finish.

That said, I think shiny revolvers look pretty.

 

[Frank237]

I kept a small can of Johnsons paste wax in my locker when I was a Cop in NJ.

After cleaning my 4" model 19, I'd give it a waxing. Saved a guy from rust in the rainy season, which was basically all year long.

I will agree with the OP....I hate to see SS guns polished. Yeah, it's your property, etc. Still hate to see it.

 

[H Richard]

Acetone will usually remove any of the various "filling" material, and has no affect on the bluing. I have to admit I do have one polished out S&W, a Mod 60 I purchased many years ago,used, and a little rough. It has been shot and cleaned so many times it was starting to look shiny, so one day I took some Mothers and a t-shirt and finished up the job. It looks very nice, not quite like nickle, but shiny. It does seem to smooth up the draw from the holster some. I have other handguns and rifles that have been modified for particular purposes, but I have never taken a new gun and changed it. I guess that's why I never consider myself a "Collector", but an accumulator.

 

[JohnSW]

It's not just young people. On youtube, theyankeemarshal has a video with the title "How to polish a stainless firearm to a high shine".

 

[Laketime]

Let's face it,the only reason young people are showing any type of interest in revolvers,is because one is seen weekly on The Walking Dead.This might be the only reason to explore outside of the tacticool ,plastic, zombified semi autos they normally prefer.I don't mind what they do to their own revolvers,as long as they are not ruining them only to flip them quick.Hate to see the market flooded by zombified vintages revolvers.

 

[wetdog]

Bonanza Gold

Here is one of the kits from 1972-73, and yes I used it on a 27-2 and a Colt Gold Cup National Match Mark IV Series 70. It is fading away on both guns and I'm not going to do a touch up.

 

[reddog81]

I guarantee it's not people in their 20's and 30's causing the price of Pythons to jump to $3,000…

Each generation has their way of customizing - Roper stocks, Fitz trigger cut out, trigger shoes, jeweling on the hammer, etc. I'm part of the millennial generation and I think all of those old school modifications are just as ridiculous.

As far as youtube videos review that do not provide any useful information I find that terribly annoying also, and I'm not sure why half the videos out there exist.

 

[Laketime]

Time to rant a little. I am so tired of watching a series of gun videos,only to find some 8 yr olds hand made paper gun mixed in with the real gun videos. Rant over.

 

[raylan007]

vintage S&W's with color filled roll marks

Me too.....I bought an M29 last year with gold colored fill, and I've tried everything I can think of and can't get it to budge.

Perhaps it is a wax base filler and may require being heated up before you go to work, You might also then try using a plastic dental pic. When in doubt there is always acetone although I have never used it on a blued surface but it is my last go to product for removal of practically anything, If not acetone maybe wrap the effected areas with a damp cloth with mineral spirits for a half hour or so. I still think heating with a hair dryer before working might get it done.
I use Renaissance Wax because you get the protectiveness of a wax product without the glitz and it is easy to work with. They recommend there Pre-Lim product to prep the surface which is a tan color, the Reconnaissance wax is white in the tin but goes on clear, I had real issues removing the Pre-Lim's tan color from the barrel roll until I started using a hard bristle toothbrush with some of the Ren Wax applied to it and some elbow grease working the brush in all directions. I have ceased using the Pre-lin and now opt for Frog Lube Degreaser so I can work indoors. The results are just what I desire and there isn't the constant oil residue to leave fingerprints everywhere. It cuts the clean up in half. I am a beliver in Renaissance Wax and your best bet for finding it is , you guessed it AMAZON as it is imported from England. Don't let the $18 for a 3 oz. tin scare you off if you want to try it as it will do many many revolvers. I usually put on a couple of THIN coats using a gun patch to apply the wax and a cotton towel to buff it up. It doesn't get much easier. You can see what Pre-Lim I missed in the top and back strap until I down loaded these photos.

As far as controlling the younger set from ruining all those beloved Smith's with the likes of Mothers it seems you are taking on a rather insurmountable task. Let it be, you will be happier in the end.

 

[Rick_A]

As far as youtube videos review that do not provide any useful information I find that terribly annoying also, and I'm not sure why half the videos out there exist.

On the other side of the coin sometimes is just cool to see the gun in action and not listen to thirty minutes of droning over the obvious or rambling of a repetitive nature.

To each their own. I clean 'em up and throw a set of grips on.

It's pretty popular to polish stainless Ruger revolvers and bubba gunsmith the actions. Perhaps suggest the Rugers to these young lads to spare the Smiths?

 

[MN2944]

Since the S&W 19/66 were as common as Glocks in their time, perhaps we should all be buying up dozens of G19s and putting them away NIB for future collectors to buy.

 

[reddog81]

It's pretty popular to polish stainless Ruger revolvers and bubba gunsmith the actions. Perhaps suggest the Rugers to these young lads to spare the Smiths?

LOL - I bought a new gp100 and polished it up a bit... Also replaced the mainspring and hammerstrut. The trigger is much smoother now and accuracy has improved. Of course the original hammer strut has so many burrs I have no idea how it made it through QC.

 

[Tom_R]

OK - here is the thing, I have a 629-1 that had scratches on it, and I just got a 686-1 that was in good shape, but well carried.

The 629-1 really looked like a beater, again, scratches, and a set of Pachs.

I polished it multiple times with Mothers and put a good set of proper Stocks on it, Kuracs no less, and I think it is beautiful.

I am not worried about selling it, and if I ever have to bring it back to a non-polished finish, then there are ways to do that.

I also have a 629 no dash, Pinned and Recessed, that I went over very lightly one time with Flits to give a mild cleaning, and all I do is Wax that one.

Here is the 629-1 with Kuracs and shined up:







And I think it is just beautiful with the polish job I have done on it, and with those stocks.

And here is the 629 No dash that has been cleaned, waxed, but not polished.







I think they are both beautiful, and I think they both have their virtues.

If I were going to sell them, I think I'd ask at least $850 for the 629-1, and at least $1200 for the 629 No-Dash, Pinned/recessed w/ Box and Papers. And I'd get it too I think.

 

[Art Doc]

I've never done it but I have bought a couple of revolvers with the letters filled in with colorful paint and it didn't bother me. I particularly don't give a damn if somebody else does it to his own gun. As for polishing stainless guns to look shiny I have done that because I don't particularly care for the look of stainless while I think shiny is pretty. Apparently you don't like that but guess what, I didn't do it to please you.

You seem to spend a lot of time worrying about what other people do with their guns.

 

[Lee's Landing Billy]

I bought a 629 no dash 4 inch last year from a local guy who had polished it almost to a nickel look. I understand these guns are scarce because of only a 4 month manufacture period in the 4 inch version before the -. This gun shoots wonderfully and for $550 I'll take all I can find!

 

[Lobster Picnic]

I've got a scratched up M67 ND if I want to get o/c about polishing. It's coming around pretty good but still will require many hours of Mothering. The other stainless guns I leave alone.