Refinishing…

[Model29-26.5]

This is something I really want to try myself.
Has anyone here done this before?
I have a 27-2 that's in ok shape that I've thought about doing.
I realize that it's ALL in the prep work.
I'll probably take it blued by a local guy in TN who has all the gear, tank and salts etc.
Scottie's Gun Works.
I might even try to find a more well worn beater to do it on first and see how it goes.
I am of course aware that I'll make some mistakes but that is how we learn.
I want to get as much info as I can first though, obviously.
As a side note, and just on the off chance co-incidence, I'm up here in NY state with a mutual friend of Doug Turnbull, and it looks like we'll be doing lunch tomorrow.
I certainly won't be peppering him with questions about refinishing because that's the last thing he want to talk about, but I'll try to get just one or two basic pointers.
The smithing and maintenance, and engineering for me is half of the hobby.

 

[DWalt]

The actual tank bluing is the easy part. Assuming your guy knows his business. I assume you want to do the metal prep yourself. If you don't care about having a shiny finish, the easy way is to bead blast the metal prior to bluing. Simple and takes little skill. If you do want to perform a mirror wheel polish, and have never done it yourself, start with a junker gun. You will screw it up. Actually, bluing it without polishing might work OK if the existing finish is not so bad. You can blue over bluing.

I have mentioned this before, but my method of pre-bluing cleaning is a thorough wipe down with MEK to thoroughly degrease. I stopped boiling in a silicate cleaner which is the normal method. MEK works better.

 

[younggun22]

If you can find a beater, I would give it a shot and have often thought about doing it myself.

I'm not sure I would start off by trying it on a model 27-2 in "OK" shape


I would love to see how your project progresses though!

 

[Model29-26.5]

If you can find a beater, I would give it a shot and have often thought about doing it myself.

I'm not sure I would start off by trying it on a model 27-2 in "OK" shape


I would love to see how your project progresses though!

I will probably take photos to document and very probably make a documentary vid of sorts.
Easily done these days and no reason not to.

 

[chief38]

As in most refinishing jobs be it guns, furniture, sheetrock walls, auto bodywork, etc. it's all in the prep work. The better the gun looks raw, the better it will come out of the tank. Prep work is no place to take short-cuts.

Please take lots of before and after pic's.

 

[Model29-26.5]

If I can blue over blue, do I really need to polish all the blue off?
Looks like I just need to polish the scratches out and polish the rust off. The rust is very light and not pitted surface.
Do I need to remove the old blue with the de-bluing solution so the blue stays uniform?
These may be questions for the guy I'll take it to.
Thanks

 

[chief38]

If I can blue over blue, do I really need to polish all the blue off?
Looks like I just need to polish the scratches out and polish the rust off. The rust is very light and not pitted surface.
Do I need to remove the old blue with the de-bluing solution so the blue stays uniform?
These may be questions for the guy I'll take it to.
Thanks

Personally I would not blue over existing blue. The idea is to improve the gun's finish as best you can. When you blue over an existing finish, it will only be as good as whats underneath.

If you are going to commit to the polishing and refinishing, give it the best chance you can at a stellar finish! I'd not cut corners!

 

[stansdds]

Before refinishing a Model 27-2, keep in mind that even though it has wear, it is original and worth more as an original piece than it will be as a refinished piece. Model 27-2 and earlier versions were S&W's flagship 357's and command higher and higher prices.

 

[DWalt]

If I can blue over blue, do I really need to polish all the blue off?
Looks like I just need to polish the scratches out and polish the rust off. The rust is very light and not pitted surface.
Do I need to remove the old blue with the de-bluing solution so the blue stays uniform?
These may be questions for the guy I'll take it to.
Thanks

Yes you can, I have done many that way. But what it will look like afterward depends on if there is a lot of scratching and abrasion, dents, dings, holster wear, rust freckling or pits, etc., some spot polishing might be required. Worth a try. If you don't like the looks when it comes out of the tank, just start over.

 

[toad67]

If it doesn't turn out well, at least you'll know how to get in contact with the company CEO.....

 

[Model29-26.5]

If it doesn't turn out well, at least you'll know how to get in contact with the company CEO.....

lol! That guy will be just a bean counter accountant who probably knows nothing about The workings of a model 27 Or possibly any other firearm.
It is highly possible that the only time he ever shot a Firearm was for a SW publicity shot?
Perhaps I'm way off base here, but that's how it seems these days with corporations.
This is not the days Of Sam Walton Starting up in Arkansas In a little shop.

 

[Exmilcop]

I've refinished two antique pistols over the past couple of years. It was a royal PITA!!!!! Getting into the little nooks and crannies took some patience and specialty tools but the results were worth it. The finish abrasives took care as well. I didn't have MEK but acetone did a good job of degreasing and of course I had to take special handling care when I did the bluing. I used cold blue (I know, I know, but it's what I had) and I found the trick was to heat the metal in the oven and the bluing compound in warm water. The finish took 5 coats of blue to get where I was happy with it. The last one I prepped in in the hands of a gunsmith who's waiting for some more bluing jobs before he'll heat up the tank. Doing the prep work myself saved me about $500.

 

[DWalt]

I've refinished two antique pistols over the past couple of years. It was a royal PITA!!!!! Getting into the little nooks and crannies took some patience and specialty tools but the results were worth it. The finish abrasives took care as well. I didn't have MEK but acetone did a good job of degreasing and of course I had to take special handling care..

Acetone is also a good degreaser, but is somewhat more volatile than MEK and is a greater fire hazard. Both are ketones and are chemically similar. Of the two, MEK is preferable. Best to work outside with either. If you use it correctly, cold blue can produce a decent and fairly durable blued finish. I like the Brownell Oxypho Blue. Some years ago I bought a heavily holster worn Model 15 (ex-cop gun) dirt cheap and gave it the Oxypho treatment. It still looks good after considerable use.

 

[DWalt]

Before refinishing a Model 27-2, keep in mind that even though it has wear, it is original and worth more as an original piece than it will be as a refinished piece. Model 27-2 and earlier versions were S&W's flagship 357's and command higher and higher prices.

One reason that if you choose to proceed, I would recommend doing as little metal prep work as possible prior to hot bluing. Once you start blurring letter stampings and rounding off square corners by polishing, the refinishing becomes much more obvious.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

The smithing and maintenance, and engineering for me is half of the hobby.

Half the hobby is reloading your own ammunition.

You can take a mail order course on Gunsmithing if you are serious. You should be familiar with the term "bubba", do not be a "bubba".

Before working on a 27 you should find a J or K frame. JMHO

 

[GypsmJim]

Years ago I bought a package of six 1851 Navy Black powder revolver "kits". Two were consecutive serial numbers, so I kept them for myself, one for my Dad, and 3 for coworkers, who went in with me for the deal.

Wood finishing was easy, as was polishing and fitting the brass. With some real elbow grease we both hand polished the steel to a mirror finish. When I contacted a local gun bluer I was aghast at the price he wanted to do our 3, so I decided to do some investigating.

I ended up buying the bluing salts, plus a SS bowl. Dad had a gas stove in the basement so we had a good place to do the work. We did all the parts one at a time, first by boiling in water to de-grease, followed by hot bluing. I had good directions. (this was before the internet.)

They came out awesome and we have shot all 3 on various times and they have held up well.

A couple of years later, one guy at work was fed up with all the work and he gave me one of them back. They were hardly worked on. I resurrected the old pot and salts and did it again. Complete disaster. I then learned that the salts had a shelf life and obviously they were too old.

All in all a fun experience and my son now has Dad's prized possessions. But.....I guess I wouldn't do it again.

 

[DWalt]

Hard to believe te salts have a shelf life as they contain no organic inngrredients, usually sodium or potassium nitrate and sodium hydroxide.Not difficult to find the ingredients if you want to make your own. We used to buy the mixed bluing salts from Brownell's, very likely they stil sell it, but the minimum quantity they sell is probably much more than needed for a small steel tank sufficient for a single handgun. You could do it on a gas BBQ grill.