The Blues

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I have a model 10-5 with a small spot that bugs me.
At the corner of the frame on the right side down by the "Springfield Mass." is a little ding where the blue is gone. Somebody told me I could fix it with some emory cloth, a little blue, and some buffing.
Does that sound like something I should try or would it be better if I just leave it alone and live with it?
 

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I think it could be fixed, the question is could it be fixed to your satisfaction. A complete re-blue is rarely if ever worth the cost. If you are dead set on having collectible quality I would trade it off as model 10's are the most commonly found S&W revolver. I think most of us would shoot it and enjoy it. We all have some warts. i
 
Leave it be! I have done some cold blue that came out well though. Used a method I found on internet that uses different instructions than the bottle suggests. Bottom line is being in the middle of a large area, you may do more harm than good. These are only my opinions. Bob
 
Welcome to the S&W Forums!

Polishing and cold blueing a spot like that will not make it disappear. To get a matching finish, the entire revolver would need to be reblued and given the cost of having it restored with as close to original finish as possible, it's just not monetarily a good idea. I'd leave it alone, maybe hit it with some cold blue from time to time, and enjoy it for what it is, a good condition shooter grade revolver.
 
Yep, alright then. I never did any cold blueing before so I'm going to leave the wart alone. I'm sure it wouldn't make it disappear with me doing it. Thanks everybody.
 
I have a model 10-5 with a small spot that bugs me.
At the corner of the frame on the right side down by the "Springfield Mass." is a little ding where the blue is gone. Somebody told me I could fix it with some emory cloth, a little blue, and some buffing.
Does that sound like something I should try or would it be better if I just leave it alone and live with it?
I would leave it alone. My current carry is a 10-7 with about half the bluing worn off, with dings and scratches ! I’ll just add more which I think gives it character.
 
I have a beautiful old Walther PP with a bad spot on the slide. After making it worse several times I finally got the good sense to leave it alone. That’s my advice. Honest wear looks much better than a spot of cold blue in the middle of factory finish.
 
I will go against the grain here. I certainly wouldn't touch it with emery paper, or any other abrasive. However, touch-up bluing shouldn't hurt anything. I've done it dozens of times, with good results. Just remember that the spot will still be visible...at least to you. But, it doesn't have to stand out like a sore thumb. Just keep in mind that all you are trying to do is darken the steel. Dark steel won't show up nearly as much as the silver steel you are seeing there.

Clean that area thoroughly with acetone. Any oil (even fingerprint) will cause problems. Heat the area with a hair-dryer. Wet a Q-tip with the cold-bluing solution and rub it into the area. Try to keep it away from the finished areas (that's why I suggest a Q-tip instead of a cloth). It won't really hurt the existing bluing, but it will probably dull it just a little. You should notice almost immediately that the bare steel will turn black. Keep rubbing solution on it, keeping it wet. After three or four applications, wipe the solution off with a cloth dampened with water. Let it dry and gently polish the area with 0000 steel wool. You should see a marked improvement in the appearance. If you want it darker, repeat the process. Once you are happy with it resist the temptation to apply oil just yet. Let it sit at least overnight. Next day, rub some good-quality oil onto the gun and the spot should be much less noticeable.
 

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