Polishing 686 Plus Revolver
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oldiesradio1560
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I polished my former 640-3 with Mothers Mag Polish. I worked great but go easy on the rubbing. I found out that the cloth will turn black which I saw in other posts means that you are taking the finish off the stainless. So easy does it.
Alk8944
US Veteran
ALL polishes are abrasive!!!!! Why can't anyone understand this? If they weren't they wouldn't polish anything. Some are mild, some quite aggressive, but they are all abrasive to some degree.
I've polished several very ugly stainless finishes, because they weren't something I wanted to continue to look at and they needed some fixing. And I bought the revolvers at a great price because of the poor finish
But, I would not use those polishes to clean the good looking satin or brushed finish that is so hard or impossible to bring back. What will happen is the original satin finish will disappear and a glossy shine will replace it. Then you have lost the original finish ...if you wanted to keep it.
I just use normal cleaning solvent to clean the original finish.
If you start to use Mothers, Flitz etc. that starts the process of a glossy shine and a loss of the original finish.
That black you get on the cloth is the oxidation that takes place with the chemicals and abrasives in the polish. I have some real beautiful, original, satin finished, revolvers that will never get polish on them because of what I just said!
If you want, I can post some of my polished ones. Once you start polishing, your committed to a long process to get it to look right. Otherwise STOP!
ALK894 is right on the mark
But, I would not use those polishes to clean the good looking satin or brushed finish that is so hard or impossible to bring back. What will happen is the original satin finish will disappear and a glossy shine will replace it. Then you have lost the original finish ...if you wanted to keep it.
I just use normal cleaning solvent to clean the original finish.
If you start to use Mothers, Flitz etc. that starts the process of a glossy shine and a loss of the original finish.
That black you get on the cloth is the oxidation that takes place with the chemicals and abrasives in the polish. I have some real beautiful, original, satin finished, revolvers that will never get polish on them because of what I just said!
If you want, I can post some of my polished ones. Once you start polishing, your committed to a long process to get it to look right. Otherwise STOP!
ALK894 is right on the mark
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What finish is on Stainless...
Aside from the satin texture, which is stainless steel, what finish is on a 640?
Is the OP trying to remove the satin finish to leave a shiny surface or 'polish' without removing material?
Aside from the satin texture, which is stainless steel, what finish is on a 640?
Is the OP trying to remove the satin finish to leave a shiny surface or 'polish' without removing material?
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Mehutch
Member
Mothers gave me shine!
one eye joe
US Veteran
OLDSTER
Member
Either Mothers or Flitz. I use old cotton socks with great results. Much easier and better results if ya remove the cylinder to polish gun 
loeman
Member
Mothers and Flitz are both great products. But I want to repeat what has already been said. PROCEED WITH CAUTION! You might get more polish than you intended. I use them both more as a cleaner than a polish and usually using only my index finger to apply.
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Polish away - not dangerous. NOTE: If you go for & achieve a mirror like finish you will then notice every minor scratch & nick that just appears with normal use & cleaning. You might b e polishing often.......
If you have the skills and know-how I believe it's best to fully disassemble prior to polishing just so you can assure no Flitz or Mother's gets inside where you don't want it. When disassembling the Cylinder, REMEMBER to insert empties before removing the ER!
If you have the skills and know-how I believe it's best to fully disassemble prior to polishing just so you can assure no Flitz or Mother's gets inside where you don't want it. When disassembling the Cylinder, REMEMBER to insert empties before removing the ER!
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buckyjames1
US Veteran
AGREE
- Polish away until the desired finish is achieved. I prefer a bead blast on the frame and a high polished trigger/hammer combo for contrast. I have done this on my 686+, 617. M60-10.
- no real need for 'Caution", when the cloth turns black,,,that indicates the surface area is more aggressively being polished. If your cloth never turned black that would simply mean...you are not removing micro surface area metal...which is what polishing IS.
- and yes..when you get to a High Mirror like polish degree...you will notice many scratches, scuffs, and possible flaws in metal workmanship that were not visible before.
- The only thing to watch out for is a uniform/even polishing, so think of it as a progression.
- Polish away until the desired finish is achieved. I prefer a bead blast on the frame and a high polished trigger/hammer combo for contrast. I have done this on my 686+, 617. M60-10.
- no real need for 'Caution", when the cloth turns black,,,that indicates the surface area is more aggressively being polished. If your cloth never turned black that would simply mean...you are not removing micro surface area metal...which is what polishing IS.
- and yes..when you get to a High Mirror like polish degree...you will notice many scratches, scuffs, and possible flaws in metal workmanship that were not visible before.
- The only thing to watch out for is a uniform/even polishing, so think of it as a progression.
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xuout1
Member
I will use mothers on stainless guns that need it. Just remember to polish in the same direction as the original finish and you gun will still look like factory condition just a bit brighter and cleaner.
AveragEd
Member
Also remember that for every person who likes a stainless steel revolver that looks like a car bumper from the '70s there are just as many who consider that gun's value highly diminished (if you haven't already assumed so, I fall into the latter category). Several years ago, I obtained a 686-3 that the previous owner had kinda-sorta polished so I had S&W restore its brushed stainless finish. I forget what that cost but I do recall that I thought it was quite reasonable and the gun now looks exactly like new.
Altering anything - guns included - usually lowers the item's value and often destroys its collector appeal so be aware of those consequences before you start polishing.
Ed
Altering anything - guns included - usually lowers the item's value and often destroys its collector appeal so be aware of those consequences before you start polishing.
Ed
ALL polishes are abrasive!!!!! Why can't anyone understand this? If they weren't they wouldn't polish anything. Some are mild, some quite aggressive, but they are all abrasive to some degree.
Mother'contains Aluminum Oxcide which is an abrasive. Aluminum Oxcide is used in most sand papers of varying grits. The petroleum distillates chemically remove oxidation and small imperfections or sometimes in this case "intended finishes". As does AL2 O3. Flits contains Cristabolite which is near quartz in hardness and also an abrasive. Yes, both work great as polishes.
On some of the older stainless finishes, the factory satin finish is very difficult to reproduce. I've come very close to producing that finish on a couple repairs. It's a tedious job to do it right.
I'm just cautioning anyone that wants their original satin finish, to avoid the abrasives and petroleum distillates that the polishes contain or you will get a polished finish over time or sooner, depending on how much you're planning on polishing. Even if you rub carefully, it will do as I have stated. You can't avoid applying abrasives and oxidizers without getting these results. That is what polishes of this type do.
Once you begin to polish, deeper and smaller scratches in the finish will begin to appear (as you approach a mirror finish) under the original finish which prompt you to polish further to remove them. This is trail you start.
To do a professional job, You must disassemble. I use Dremel tools to get into the small areas, polishing rouges, cotton wheels with careful steps not to overheat the metal causing orange peel etc.(yes, orange peel on stainless using power polishers) to get the correct results. You can polish by hand but good results take a lot of time. Polishing into recessed areas and against ledges are hard to achieve unless you know how to get in there.
Polishing the side plate in place is important so that you don't round the edges. These are things to think about. Tape off the frosted areas like the top strap. I use a glass bead system to restore damaged areas with perfect results. I customize areas with the frosting process and add laser engravings to sideplates and other locations.
Of the recent finishes I've see coming from Smith...they look more like a used truck gun than a new production finish...which is a shame to produce. It seems like one must look at older finished stainless to realize what they should look like.
Flitz sells a matte finish cleaner that works great on AR's and finishes you don't want to change with polishing. Use the right products for the finish you're working on.
I have several that I have done that look fantastic. But I completely disassembled and used the proper tools and products to produce a high gloss finish. I like both styles of finish. The ones I've polished need something done and I gave them a custom finish. here are a couple...
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Arquebus357
Member
I would never polish a factory brushed or media blasted gun finish. However, I would polish damaged old worn stainless gun like this police turn in Model 64. Start with wet/dry sandpaper ( say 1,000 grit then 2,000 grit) then Mothers.
Or this Vaquero.
Or this Vaquero.
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Polishing, etc.
S&W offers a high-grade polish for your stainless guns which afterward look almost like a Nickel finish. If you can take your gun apart and use a polishing wheel you can achieve that finish - but I don't recommend that unless you are very tool savvy.
It's difficult to achieve that level of finish yourself with polishes - believe me I've tried. But as someone above said, all polishes are abrasive, and as someone else said, that black stuff on the rag is metal that you're removing - that is how you polish off scratches and scuffs. You can't remove a significant amount of metal that way, so I wouldn't worry about side plates, barrels, frames parts, etc.
Personally, I use a product called "Blue Magic." You can find it on Amazon, and only a tiny amount should be used at a time. The product has somewhat of a caustic smell (they all do) as they eat away at scratches and scuffs.
Best of luck -
Rich
S&W offers a high-grade polish for your stainless guns which afterward look almost like a Nickel finish. If you can take your gun apart and use a polishing wheel you can achieve that finish - but I don't recommend that unless you are very tool savvy.
It's difficult to achieve that level of finish yourself with polishes - believe me I've tried. But as someone above said, all polishes are abrasive, and as someone else said, that black stuff on the rag is metal that you're removing - that is how you polish off scratches and scuffs. You can't remove a significant amount of metal that way, so I wouldn't worry about side plates, barrels, frames parts, etc.
Personally, I use a product called "Blue Magic." You can find it on Amazon, and only a tiny amount should be used at a time. The product has somewhat of a caustic smell (they all do) as they eat away at scratches and scuffs.
Best of luck -
Rich
All polishing uses abrasives. All polishes, including Mothers, are abrasives suspended in some kind of carrier medium. All stainless steel finishes, including brushed or satin finish from the factory, are done with abrasives. Mothers can get a revolver nice and shiny. But if you want a high end polish you are going to need the proper equipment and actual training. Put the Dremel tool away!!!! Those things should never be in the same room as any gun.
For polishing at home start off with sandpaper. Sort of. Forget about the Home Depot stuff and do it the right way. Give this a try. Spectrum Finishing Paper Assortment Start with 1000 grit on a new gun or as course as you need to on an old one. Once you have it as good as you are going to get with that, then go to a 14,000 grit diamond compound. Diamond Abrasive Compound, White Beige Take the gun apart first. But leave the barrel on the frame unless you have the right tools and know what you are doing.
For polishing at home start off with sandpaper. Sort of. Forget about the Home Depot stuff and do it the right way. Give this a try. Spectrum Finishing Paper Assortment Start with 1000 grit on a new gun or as course as you need to on an old one. Once you have it as good as you are going to get with that, then go to a 14,000 grit diamond compound. Diamond Abrasive Compound, White Beige Take the gun apart first. But leave the barrel on the frame unless you have the right tools and know what you are doing.
