I just polished my 686 - Wow!

What kind of scotch bright? Do they make different grades? Certain type of Simichrome? How did you avoid getting lines that looked "to brushed" in one direction? I've always prefered the factory brushed look though it could use some touching up once in a while. This looks like an awesome way to do it.


Originally posted by JHE888:
I did this one with Scotchbrite and Simichrome.
66a8hd.jpg

66c4bn.jpg
 
Love that polished stainless steel!! This Model 66-4 was a career LEO gun..IE: rough!! I started with 400 grit wet/dry, up through 800, 1000, 1500, and ended with mothers mag polish on old cutup shop rags.. (Still need to work on the cylinder some, got in a hurry toward the end, dont ya know..)

My66_left.jpg
 
Maybe someone here can tell me what if anything I did wrong in polishing an X frame sometime back?

I used Simichrome which I've always understood is a good polish. The gun came out nice and shiny but afterward it was a PITA to keep looking nice.

When I'd clean it after a range trip it always looked smeared. Took a good bit of work to keep it looking nice.

No longer have that one, one that replaced it just received a very light polish to remove tiny production scratches and is easy to keep looking nice. Comments?

By the way, lots of handsome guns in this thread. Don
 
Originally posted by DonD:
Maybe someone here can tell me what if anything I did wrong in polishing an X frame sometime back?

I used Simichrome which I've always understood is a good polish. The gun came out nice and shiny but afterward it was a PITA to keep looking nice.

When I'd clean it after a range trip it always looked smeared. Took a good bit of work to keep it looking nice.

No longer have that one, one that replaced it just received a very light polish to remove tiny production scratches and is easy to keep looking nice. Comments?

By the way, lots of handsome guns in this thread. Don


Try using Flitz or Renaissance wax after polishing. Some people say car wax is also good.
 
I started by polishing my 4046 then i moved on to my 686 and now i'm thinking of buying a friends c/s model 60 just so i can do it to that one to.I started with 800 gr sandpaper then 1,000 gr then i used my dremmel tool with mothers mag wheel polish.
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My latest acquisition was previously polished by a professional metal smith. It's a 686-1, and I've done a little action work to it; 13# trigger return spring, and reduced power mainspring, plus some crocus polishing to inner surfaces. Also replaced the rear sight blade with a new W/O .146".
gunprn.jpg
 
I purchased this .357 Magnum 4" model 13-3 (1983 vintage) in nickel at a gun show last year for $325 OTD. It came wearing Pachmyer rubbers.

The following two pix show it in the condition it was in just as I bought it:

S&W%2013-3%20as%20purchased%20left.JPG


S&W%2013-3%20as%20purchased%20right.JPG


I did a total disassembly to inspect all parts, cleaned each part, oiled each part:

S&W%2013-3%20disassembled.JPG


Then I hand polished the entire exterior of the gun with Maas metal polish followed by a hand rubbed coat of Johnson's paste wax. reassembled it with excellent condition K frame target grips.

Here is the result - I think that I may have enhanced the value of this gun quite a bit:

S&W%2013-3%20left%20d.JPG


S&W%2013-3%20right%20a.JPG


RonJon
 
RonJon I would say you could make up to a $150 on her, very good work. I think goodyears make them look cheap, I have some that I put goodyears on to shoot then go back to the wood.
 
My sheriffs office has always prohibited nickel guns. When I was hired in 1981, my very first sergeant, who was a shooter, carried a Ruger Security Six with his nickname as the serial number. It was stainless steel and he had polished it up so nicely it would almost blind you in the sunlight!

I liked the effect, so I spent a few evenings in front of the tube with my Model 60 and some Happich's Semichrome paste. Soon, it gleamed like my sergeant's Ruger. The next time I qualified with it, our grouchy old armorer/firearms instructor at first tried to tell me it was nickel and I couldn't use it. I had to point out the model number on the frame to convince him it was stainless and not plated.

For some reason, pulling the armorer's chain was a popular sport in the department. When more deputies found out polished stainless guns irritated him, it began a minor craze. Within a month, my entire shift (big deal, four of us!) had polished, stainless S&W revolvers on our Sam Browne's, three Model 66's, a Model 67 and 2 Model 60's for back-ups. I think our sergeant, who wasn't much of a talker, took pleasure that we had taken upon ourselves to follow his example, both in polishing our guns and irritating the armorer!

The 4 inch Model 66 I bought just to polish and carry is long gone.

Then there was the Model 10 I had brass plated for funerals and other 'Class A uniform' occasions, so it would match my shiney badge, nameplate, lanyard chain, brass belt buckle, snaps and cartridges in the belt loops! THAT really pissed the old armorer off!
 
Can someone please discuss which kind of scotch bright pad to use to polish a revolver? I don't want a mirror finish, more like a matte type finish if possible.
 
Scotch Bright. When you polish, you cover the object with fine micro-scratches. The finer the scratches, the shinier the pistol.

Scotch Bright is tougher than it looks. A new "coarse" pad will leave visible scratches on your revolver. Buy the finest, softest pad you can find. Better yet, look in your kitchen sink and use one that is almost worn out - they get softer with use. A worn soft pad will take off less, leave finer lines, and give you a better look revolver. More of a "satin" finish than a bright polish. But the coarse pads leave deep scratches and a poor finish. Not good. Don't ask me how I know. (But they do come out with more work.)
 
I've polish a few S&W
66
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67
Copyof67rightside.jpg

686
Copyof686rightside.jpg

64
Model64RightSide.jpg

629
Model629rightHand.jpg
 
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A little Turttle Wax on the old DW M-15 shooter.
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This one is still NIB and I have as yet to do anything to her. Been trying to decide if I should order new Barrel Shroud for tapping for scope or just tap the original. Decissions, decissions.

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For your intertainment.

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I have used Flitz on my Rugers, but have not used it on my Smith's as some of them have lettering that is laser etched and I have heard that polish can remove the etching.
 

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