Un-polish stainless?

[xhp25]

I have a 3" 65 which was highly polished by the previous owner. I prefer the more subdued "matte" finish. Do I just take some 3M pads to it? Any advice in this regard would be appreciated. Thanks,

 

[xhp25]

I have a 3" 65 which was highly polished by the previous owner. I prefer the more subdued "matte" finish. Do I just take some 3M pads to it? Any advice in this regard would be appreciated. Thanks,

 

[sasu]

I am curious, too. How does a home "gunsmith" create a matte stainless finish?

 

[dant]

Very easy, get a couple of 3m Scotchbrite pads, one for each hand,(color/ grit, depends on what you want to end up with, doesn't really matter, as you can rub "harder" or lighter" for 'effect) remove the grips and just start to wipe the entire gun down "vigorously".....you can pick the pattern, direction , and as you go , you will "see" just what is happening and then YOU can control the direction , as well as the 'effect'..........believe me , with a bit of time and effort, it will come out quite nicely....besides, stainless is the same color all the through and you can always start over again.........

As for a "matte" finish, you can 'bead blast' it with "used" glass beads and use a "low air pressure", and it will come out "matte".... sand ( silica) is a bit more aggressive and will really 'bite" into the surface,but again, with practice, and "low" air pressure, we've seen and done some NICE jobs.........

 

[remat457]

Originally posted by dant:
As for a "matte" finish, you can 'bead blast' it with "used" glass beads and use a "low air pressure", and it will come out "matte".... sand ( silica) is a bit more aggressive and will really 'bite" into the surface,but again, with practice, and "low" air pressure, we've seen and done some NICE jobs.........

+1; had my SP101 done and it looked very nice.

 

[Old Navy]

What you guys are calling Matte is how my 610-3 came from the factory and it is described as being in satin finish according to the S&W website. At least I guess that is what the call the finish as that is the type of finish my new 610-3 had with all the tiny swirls in the finish.

I thought satin finish was a hazed finish and done by bead blasting or chemicial treatment on stainless steel and would be smooth, but have a hazzed or flat look. Not a shinny with a zillion scratch swrills in the finish.

 

[dfariswheel]

The standard S&W stainless finish is a "grained" finish, done with specialized polishing wheels.

The flat "gray", "hazy" finish is done by bead blasting. The finer and less aggressive the media and the lower the air pressure, the smoother the finish. This is often known as a "orange peel" finish.

After using the Scotchbrite pads to re-grain the finish after someone polished it, you can disassemble the gun and use a toothbrush with cleansing powder to "scrub" the finish.
The cleansing powder will give the metal a more flatter, duller finish.
Mix up water and powder to a paste.

 

[sasu]

I unpolished the aluminum handle of my Buck knife using the Micro-Mesh modeller's pads. The handle was beat up to begin with, which accounts for the heavy scratches. A factory handle for comparison.

 

[Rob Garrett]

The only way I would matte finish a polished pistol is to send to to a good smith and let him bead blast it with the right amount of PSI and the proper media material.

Rob

 

[Gearhead Jim]

My gripe with any kind of blasted finish, is that subsequent scratches can not be easily touched up unless you re-blast the gun. Most of us aren't set up to do that. I prefer the brushed stainless finish that S&W usually uses, can be touched up with the finer grades of Scotchbrite pad if needed. Slightly coarser grades can be used on the entire gun if more of a matte finish is desired.

 

[pistolero]

you will not be able to duplicate the factory finish by utilizing a home scotchbrite or other abrasive pad rubbing. i think it will result in a look that will have people wondering what in the world happened to this guy's gun. i don't think i could dislike a polished- out look enough to ruin a gun by jackleg home methods. this is an entirely different proposition than polishing to a lustre. if you want the gun to approximate the original, you HAVE to send it back to smith and wesson. why not just buy another gun rather than go to all this trouble for no better reason than thinking something is a little too shiny?

 

[longarm]

What pistolero said.

 

[BobK]

I found the "mirror finish" on my M-67 to be too reflective for shooting purposes. I just gave the gun a couple of rub downs with a lead removal cloth. It "toned down" the finish a bit to a nice glow.....still shiny and bright, but slightly muted.

Bob

 

[shawn mccarver]

Originally posted by xhp25:
I have a 3" 65 which was highly polished by the previous owner. I prefer the more subdued "matte" finish. Do I just take some 3M pads to it? Any advice in this regard would be appreciated. Thanks,

Send it back to the factory. Ask them to either restore the original satin finish or, if they say they cannot, then have them glass bead it.