One more time (642 finish ?)

[TheBigFellow]

Sorry guys, I know this one has been beaten to death, but I just need some clarification.

Like an idiot, I used a lead remover cloth on my 642 around the forcing cone and low and behold, removed the finish in that area. Apparently I have OCD when it comes to guns and couldn't leave that spot alone.

Anyway, disgusted that I am that I made a big mess out of a little one, I really don't care how it looks (it's a carry gun after all), but I am a tad bit concerned about the potental weak spot I may have created in the frame.

Is the bare aluminum alloy frame fine without the finish, especially in such a crucial area right next to the forcing cone? If not, I really don't care to get it refinished, but if it leaves the frame open to corrosion obviously that is a concern. Is there anything I can put over that spot to protect it?

Thanks again guys.

 

[Decker]

Leave it. Abrading away the finish on the 642 will not weaken the structure of the pistol one bit.
And being aluminum, it's not going to rust as such. Bare aluminum is at least as good as a blued steel pistol for rust prevention.

If you care for it just like all your other pistols and clean it once in a while and wipe it down with a silicone or lightly oiled cloth a couple times a month, you'll never have a problem with the aluminum staining, let alone showing any corrosion.
As you found out, the factory coating isn't that durable anyway, and since it's a carry pistol, a little bare spot that shows isn't going to make a difference at all.

There are millions of blued steel pistols in use that have bluing worn off leaving just bare steel which IS susceptable to rust very quickly. But those same pistols almost never rust because their owners maintain them very simply be keeping them clean and lightly oiled. If those bare steel spots on those pistols aren't a problem, then your aluminum pistol is probably going to survive lifetimes of use.

 

[TheBigFellow]

Thanks Decker, that's all I needed to hear.

I contacted S&W just to get some info, but every time they give me the catch all "send it in, we need to look at it", which I really don't want to have to do, not for a small part on the inside of the frame.