J Frame Hammer Bob??

[Whit]

A local smith bobbed the hammer on my Model 60. It has a flash chromed hammer which means that now I have bare metal exposed. What would be good to seal the metal to avoid rust issues? I’d thought about clear finger nail polish. Any suggestions or what worked from personal experience would be appreciated.

 

[MetalMan]

Not sure how the “shiny” one was done but the hammer sure took on a nice polish similar to the rest of the gun......I purchased this one from a retired LEO/armorer and this was his BUG....

My other Model 60 would appear to have the flash chromed hammer as you’ve described....not sure how to go about protecting it though....

Anxious to hear and learn from our esteemed forum members.

 

[Pisgah]

Oil. I have an ancient M&P .38 with zero finish on it -- and zero rust. It has ridden in tackle boxes, coat pockets, glove compartments, and on my belt numerous times when I have taken involuntary swims in rivers, lakes and swamps. All I've ever done to prevent rust since I bought it for $50 decades ago is wipe 'er down with an oily rag on a regular basis.

I know other folks whose stainless steel guns are crusty, rusty and pitted. Sheer laziness and neglect.

 

[ContinentalOp]

Aside from having the hammer refinished, wax could be useful as a protective measure.

 

[lefty_jake]

I might try just polishing the exposed area to a very smooth finish. A good finish can be quite corrosion resistant even with steel that rusts easily.

 

[stansdds]

I'd lean towards polishing it smooth, then carnuba wax or Renaissance Wax.

 

[dfariswheel]

When I bobbed peoples stainless handgun hammers or smoothed up triggers I always recommended having the hammer and trigger re-plated with hard chrome.

Hard chrome as done by people like Cogan is far more durable then the flash chrome factories do.
Some of the top platers offer special pricing for small parts like hammers and triggers.

Here's my personal S&W Model 66 that I smoothed up the trigger and hammer on and had re-plated. It's a close match to the stainless and much more rust and wear resistant then the factory flash plating.....

Other than that, keeping a thin coat of CLP Breakfree on it works, as does applying a coat of a wax like Johnson's Paste Wax and NOT wiping it off works. Just coat the actual area where the cut was made.
Note that car wax is NOT suitable for this purpose.

 

[cndrdk]

How old is the model 60? Some of the older stainless models had stainless hammer/trigger. About 40 years ago I removed the checkering from the hammer, smoothed face of the trigger on my 66 no dash 2.5" and polished them to a mirror finish. Still they way today as the hammer/trigger were marked with as "S" and are indeed stainless steel.

 

[Whit]

It is a circa 1977 Model 60 no dash.

 

[Jimmyjones]

I have a 5 digit (R49199) Model 60 with a bobbed hammer, bought it that way used and have been carrying it for a while. I believe it's flash chromed carbon steal, I don't know how long ago it was bobbed before I got it but it shows no signs of corrosion or rust. I carry it AIWB and it gets wet from sweat.

The bob 'scar' was polished and the only treatment it gets from me is a semi regular wipe down with an oily rag when I'm getting the lint out of the barrel and charging holes.

I don't think there's anything to be concerned about, if regular maintenance is done.

 

[rockquarry]

I bought a Model 60 new in 1980 and carried it regularly for a good while. I dropped it on pavement and a portion of the hammer spur broke off. I had it bobbed, carrying it that way for several years. No rust or corrosion ever appeared and I only occasionally wiped the gun down with an oily cloth.

About ten years ago, I had the bobbed hammer replaced with a new S&W hammer. In theory, the bobbed hammer idea sounds good and it hurts nothing, but I found the bobbed hammer was really of dubious worth in comparison with the regular one. I don't recall the regular hammer ever "snagging" anything.

 

[cndrdk]

It is a circa 1977 Model 60 no dash.

My 66 was purchased in 1976 and both hammer/trigger were stamped with an "s" for stainless. Might take hammer out and check for "s" stamp.

 

[Decker]

I bought two brand new Model 60's for my wife and I back in the early eighties.
My wife bobbed the hammer on hers be dropping it on a concrete floor.
It landed directly on the hammer and didn't put a scratch anywhere else on the revolver.
I finished the job myself by using a Dremel to round out and smooth it at the break.
My wife did a wonderful job of bobbing it; I finished it.
Still have it and like it.
I asked her if she could do mine the exact same way but she won't guarantee not to scratch somewhere else on the gun.

 

[RMFnLA]

A local smith bobbed the hammer on my Model 60. It has a flash chromed hammer which means that now I have bare metal exposed. What would be good to seal the metal to avoid rust issues? I’d thought about clear finger nail polish. Any suggestions or what worked from personal experience would be appreciated.

Clear nail polish was my first thought as well.

Just be sure to shine the area up real nice and then degrease before applying it.

 

[AZretired]

My understanding is early M60s came with SS trigger and hammer and they had problems with galling because SS doesn't getas hard as case hardening. So flash chrome was the answer. Later M60s and other SS revolvers were later switched to plain case hardening.
So your hammer is most likely SS and since the cut area doesn't rub against metal it won't gall and won't rust.

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