Polishing a stainless revolver
- Thread starter swage
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I use Blue Magic. Works like a charm.
Walter Rego
Member
Keep in mind that if you polish a stainless gun to a bright finish, the gun will then have zero remaining factory finish.
As in ZERO REMAINING FACTORY FINISH.
You gun, your choice. If it will never be sold it won't matter. Otherwise to many buyers it will be a gun with zero remaining factory finish.
As in ZERO REMAINING FACTORY FINISH.
You gun, your choice. If it will never be sold it won't matter. Otherwise to many buyers it will be a gun with zero remaining factory finish.
I have one polished stainless gun, and it is like a mirror. It is a Colt Officers acp. Mine was brushed stainless when I bought it. However, I lived in CT at the time, and since Colt offered bright stainless as a standard finish, I walked it through the door of the Colt Custom Shop, and had them do it along with internal tuning.
This way I did not devalue the gun.
A year ago, there was a forum member selling half a dozen polished stainless guns. He did the work. They looked nice, but as I recall, people were not breaking down the door to buy them.
I really would like to see what is driving you nuts
This way I did not devalue the gun.
A year ago, there was a forum member selling half a dozen polished stainless guns. He did the work. They looked nice, but as I recall, people were not breaking down the door to buy them.
I really would like to see what is driving you nuts
It's a small pry mark. The gun is at the smith right now getting what I suspect was a shorten rebound spring replaced and a tune up. The trigger return was not to my liking. It's only cosmetic and a small blemish but it's driving me nuts. I live west of Cleveland, OH and I recall seeing a renowned smith on this site that is within a 30 minute drive that did some custom work on revolvers posted on this site. I'm curious if he could fix the blemish and return the finish to factory.
I got a great deal on a S&W model 610.
The owner had used a Dremel Tool with the cotton pad to "polish" the entire gun.
The swirls were never ending, it took hours to get it looking right. Every night for about 10 days, Mother's Mag Polish and I worked a bit more on that 610. Got it looking like a mirror. For $600 I can live with the high luster finish.
The owner had used a Dremel Tool with the cotton pad to "polish" the entire gun.
The swirls were never ending, it took hours to get it looking right. Every night for about 10 days, Mother's Mag Polish and I worked a bit more on that 610. Got it looking like a mirror. For $600 I can live with the high luster finish.
scruffy
Member
The factory finish on my 686+ 3-5-7. I thought it looked like chit. I polished it myself using Mother's and Flitz.
I have a Model 60, quite a few years old, (1976), that had been cleaned so many times the finish was starting to get shiny so one day a few years ago I took some Mothers Mag Polish and gently polished it out to even up the finish. I kind of liked it.
Fishinfool
Member
The debate over polished vs factory finish kind of reminds me of the similar debate between classic car owners.
On one side, you have the guys who want everything original and correct, just like it came from the factory, right down to the last nut and bolt. Anything less is a reduction in "points" and value. Low original miles count, and they are seldom driven Nothing wrong with that, and I can appreciate it.
Then there are the guys who narrow axles, do custom interiors, drop modern engines and transmissions in old cars, ect, and usually take them out and have fun with them. Nothing wrong with that either, and they take equell pride in their cars.
I kind of lean towards the latter crowd...
Larry
On one side, you have the guys who want everything original and correct, just like it came from the factory, right down to the last nut and bolt. Anything less is a reduction in "points" and value. Low original miles count, and they are seldom driven Nothing wrong with that, and I can appreciate it.
Then there are the guys who narrow axles, do custom interiors, drop modern engines and transmissions in old cars, ect, and usually take them out and have fun with them. Nothing wrong with that either, and they take equell pride in their cars.
I kind of lean towards the latter crowd...
Larry
I have had this M66 for 48 years, i actually use it, the rear sight blade has been replaced with a black w/o rear, it has an action job. I use my handguns.
They are not just sitting in a safe gathering dust. I am not a collector and if I can improve it for my purposes than I do. They were made to shoot. If you do you have just lowered the resale value of that handgun.
I think after 48 years I could probably sell it for more than I bought for.
sigp220.45
US Veteran
JWintergreen
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Another vote for the anti-polish crowd. For me, brushed stainless is a great combination of looks and practicality. I am also not a fan of bead blasted stainless. As others have pointed out, it will also have an impact on the value of your revolver. I would take the advice of other forum members that have removed scratches and maintained the brushed look.
AJR337
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I always liked nickel j frames so I polished my 640...I started with 800 grit, then went to 1500, and finally finished with a lot of 2000... then polished with Flitz / Mother's and buffed it out (on low speed) with my dremel and several cotton polishing wheels. I left the cylinder flutes satin to match the flat nickle plated trigger and rounded off the front edges of the cylinder. To me, polished stainless is better than nickel since you can easily polish it again if/when it gets scratched.
BigBill
Absent Comrade
I use simi chrome polish first then fritz to finish it. Save the used spent polish to go over the blued guns.
DS-10-SPEED
Member
My opinion is if it's not a rare collector piece, it's just a gun, do what makes you happy.
I bought a used 617 with a slight scratch on the side plate, I got it cheap but the scratch bothered me too. I decided to sand out the scratch and ended up polishing the whole gun because it was easier to do than trying to match up the "factory buff" scratches. I used 1500 grit paper then Mother's Mag polish. I had to be careful around the "S&W" logo so not to damage it. I also decided to experiment with my new CNC machine with a diamond drag bit to add a personal touch. It's now my favorite revolver to show off and everybody likes how it turned out.
The only thing I noticed about a polished finish is that oil and hand prints need to be buffed off frequently to keep it shiny. On the up side, powder residue is a lot easier to clean off.
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I'm another who falls on the side of "I like shiny". Polished my 686-6 Plus by hand with microfiber cloths and Purple-brand metal polish. It's not a mirror finish, but somewhere in between mirror and the milky factory finish. I can see the purists wincing now, but I even polished the MIM trigger and hammer since they're not really heat treated anyway. I never sell anything, so to me the value was enhanced rather than diminished.
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DS-10-SPEED
Member
I always liked nickel j frames so I polished my 640...I started with 800 grit, then went to 1500, and finally finished with a lot of 2000... then polished with Flitz / Mother's and buffed it out (on low speed) with my dremel and several cotton polishing wheels. I left the cylinder flutes satin to match the flat nickle plated trigger and rounded off the front edges of the cylinder. To me, polished stainless is better than nickel since you can easily polish it again if/when it gets scratched.
I always wanted to get a 640, yours looks awesome, best polish job I've seen. I have a 642 but I don't like the weak finish on the aluminum frame, you can't do anything to fix scratches on it. My mistake was to carry the 642 in a plastic paddle holster, it ruined the finish in one day.
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sstark036
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Agree with you,done bout 5I like the looks of a polished SS revolver. I've polished several with Mothers Mag and old cotton socks. Go for it.
Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk
I have one gun I polished. I am not a fan of changing the factory finish, but I am also a collector of sorts and have a lot of guns I don't shoot. It is a 629-1 and had been lightly polished when I bought it. It needed a new ejector rod and some shims for end shake, which meant I got it pretty cheap. I like the look of it, but I would not do it under other circumstances. Just my thoughts. Good luck - BTW there is no right answer, just what you choose to do. Pics of either the pry mark or polished gun before and after would be fun to look at as well.
