Model 66-1 finish

[Model29-26.5]

I have a 66 – one on the way.
Stocks look good but need oil.
Finish is not pristine but I'm wondering what I might be able to do to get the best brushed finish I can on something might need a little TLC.
Mothers? Fine grit wet and dry?
I heard scotch brite will help.
Good deal on GB. $650.

 

[Model29-26.5]

 

[Model29-26.5]

Just a moment...

 

[stansdds]

I have a 66 – one on the way.
Stocks look good but need oil.
Finish is not pristine but I'm wondering what I might be able to do to get the best brushed finish I can on something might need a little TLC.
Mothers? Fine grit wet and dry?
I heard scotch brite will help.
Good deal on GB. $650.

Gray Scotch Brite pads can get you close to the factory finish, just go slow and gentle, making sure you move the pad in the same direction as the factory finish. Mother's, Semi-Chrome, or Flitz pastes are polishing pastes and will yield a smoother and more polished finish.

 

[luvsmiths]

Great gun-
Beautiful wood on it too!

Go lightly with Flitz to clean it. ( don't know why links. posted like that- click on the question mark or the word amazon on bottom)
[ame]https://www.amazon.com/Flitz-Multi-Purpose-Polish-Cleaner-Paste/dp/B000MUSOW4/ref=sr_1_5_pp?adgrpid=1343603774612396&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.uAfwv61iV9rj0lvo9FgM2J4VeR0YNDcX_4U6jmgs9go2axizr7EfIxRAPK9Md06WUeyvwInLCR7iJE2R-_lRy1TaU6bqto8z8ddZjpe8v-_DNfLo3KEi7fLl_jgtQ6yD2xtFR1V-zE9pL2JJY-KOsK6lcK4rY_hXmApexLc_sjuX9KtQqV6xirrcYbVFTANGWPwAq5IeIFLGDCX30Kx2FePnGCc1GfivPO0JPvQ4NeSrR3XiJmuecZGRsaId3wSO8IkyDhmVwXd15cnN7rhM6p4GxQ-9eX9ABnlMdcbI0CM._5S-8nC95SLxYJs2hKfK6yXY3L_c6S7AwjdrBhtmw1w&dib_tag=se&hvadid=83975474897965&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=44787&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-83975584045659%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=21408_13322236&keywords=flitz+polish&qid=1711224967&sr=8-5[/ame]

Then a few coats of Renaisance Wax.

[ame]https://www.amazon.com/Renaissance-XTL-8004-Wax-Polish-65ml/dp/B003AJWN62/ref=sr_1_2?crid=27KK124VOXAV8&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.J9O3VZK0fSuuJBE5Vr44laFIA0bnEgijWlAdKDvPOVzrlqMm7Q1kKa_W_CFdCNfkINIQG7_qeqa3retOnicGDOGOVTo_Pgrysp2fFH7-1Z_48QjsLkf1H_GsvqfVeDYQY0NjPPiPeZWWnOp4vu50i5Iyjqo0M2nWVFqpN3XwVUNpxAuPuYpRe8TMMo9C3ZYJhN6k8LWzx9h_7mk4skX9z_1aHMwQ9AEHmm-QCfiOtRNO2MMEtmJ6Kx1tI6uVEhGnxRhjDrkk_8ENlX9EtCw9TOvvfPGYYf07SMu6W2bQSEU.aOArQ5PcI4G6OXhEmjkcyEiTa4HZMULj1X1UB69B4i8&dib_tag=se&keywords=renaissance+wax&qid=1711225019&sprefix=renaisance+wax%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-2[/ame]
Don't go crazy with the Fritz, or you can achieve a high polish that will look like nickel.
Beautiful gun, that's going to come back like new.

Just use Renaissance wax on the stocks also.

 

[Model29-26.5]

Great!
Thanks for the advice.
I'm not sure whether to go mirror or regular factory.
I guess I'll start with factory.
I know the mirror is a fingerprint magnet.

One other question… I know the tolerances are important.
I don't want to polish or scotch brite it so much that I somehow impair the tolerances and ruin it.
I'm not looking to shoot too many magnums through it, but wouldn't want to have polished it so much that there isn't enough metal to withstand the pressure of a 357 load.
Nothing to worry about or?
Are there areas I should avoid polishing?

I'll get some of that wax.
I think I got a decent deal there.
Wood needs the linseed oil and wax.
Should come up great.

I feel a mirror finish coming at some point but if I decide to go back to original after that, how much metal is safe to rub off?

Thanks

 

[stansdds]

Unless it has deep scratches or gouges, polishing or restoring will remove little metal and there will be no reduction of structural integrity. No need to polish anywhere other than the exterior surfaces, big issues would be rounding off sharp corners, smearing the roll marks, and widening the gap or creating a shallow valley between the side plate and frame, but if done by hand, the chances of significant alterations to these edges is pretty minimal. Polishing with machines can quickly do such damage.

 

[cmdrcody]

Great!
Thanks for the advice.
I'm not sure whether to go mirror or regular factory.
I guess I'll start with factory.
I know the mirror is a fingerprint magnet.

One other question… I know the tolerances are important.
I don't want to polish or scotch brite it so much that I somehow impair the tolerances and ruin it.
I'm not looking to shoot too many magnums through it, but wouldn't want to have polished it so much that there isn't enough metal to withstand the pressure of a 357 load.
Nothing to worry about or?
Are there areas I should avoid polishing?

I'll get some of that wax.
I think I got a decent deal there.
Wood needs the linseed oil and wax.
Should come up great.

I feel a mirror finish coming at some point but if I decide to go back to original after that, how much metal is safe to rub off?

Thanks

You're kidding right?

 

[Model29-26.5]

Unless it has deep scratches or gouges, polishing or restoring will remove little metal and there will be no reduction of structural integrity. No need to polish anywhere other than the exterior surfaces, big issues would be rounding off sharp corners, smearing the roll marks, and widening the gap or creating a shallow valley between the side plate and frame, but if done by hand, the chances of significant alterations to these edges is pretty minimal. Polishing with machines can quickly do such damage.

Thanks. Seems about right. I just wanted to check being a newbie to all this.
I haven't actually seen it up close yet. Only pics.
Looks pretty decent shape.
I'd love to get it as close to factory as I can.

 

[AveragEd]

PLEASE don't polish a stainless Smith & Wesson revolver, especially an older pre-lock, pre-MIM one. I've already purchased mirror-polished stainless steel S&Ws and had the brushed finish restored. Polishing them devalues them to those who appreciate them so I was able to buy those guns for so much less than their unaltered value that even after having their finish restored, I had less in them than buying unaltered ones.

Here's a no-dash Model 67 with the stainless steel sights which were only used on that original, first version of that model that I bought for just $300 because it looked like a 1960s Cadillac bumper. But each to their own...

Ed

 

[Retired W4]

Back in the 70's when I bought my 2 1/2" 66-1 (I still have it) it was fairly common to polish that frosty finish right off. Today, after thousands of rounds it still looks pretty much like it did when I did the dastardly deed, polishing that is.