Unusual staining or corrosion

[Anton Chigurh]

I recently acquired one of the original 1989 Smith Mountain Revolvers. It was as issued, with Pachmayer Grippers on it. Those don’t work at all for me, so I removed them and noticed that, after having been left on the gun for probably a few decades, there were some black stains or residue of some kind under them. I tried my usual recipe of soaking them in Ballestol, CLP, even WD-40 to remove them.
No dice.
Tried gently polishing with Mother’s, and Flitz, but can’t go too aggressive since this is one of those frosted finishes that would not do well with aggressive polishing.
Anyone dealt with Pachmayer bleed-off or whatever you want to call it? Is there some way to get rid of it?

 

[moosedog]

I would try acetone or one of the cleaners like Goo Gone.

 

[Anton Chigurh]

I had an old container of GooGone and rubbed on the “spots” for a bit and they dimmed somewhat. I discovered they were actually pitting, very, very shallow, but in there was the black residue. And it’s not going anywhere quickly.
Not a big deal, but I don’t have larger grips on the revolver anymore, just some Altamont walnut Magnas, which exposes most of the side plates.
Anyway, win some loose some.

 

[505Gibbs]

Someone said a looooooooooong time ago it's stain- less not stain proof but i feel your pain!

 

[mod29]

Might try lead-away cloth, it works well in cleaning stainless steel revolvers.

 

[stansdds]

Someone said a looooooooooong time ago it's stain- less not stain proof but i feel your pain!

It's not rust proof either, just more rust resistant.

 

[chief38]

I discovered a long time ago in the early 1980's that Pachmeyer grips cause rusting. I had a 3 Pachmeyer grips on 3 different guns and there was rust under all 3 of them! I got rid of all my Pachmeyer grips and would never buy another set. They do contain a steel reinforcement piece under the rubber (unless that has been changed) that under recoil can work its way to the surface of the rubber causing the metal to rust.

Uncle Mikes grips were far superior and those do not cause rust (no metal inside and they use a different compound) - at least they never have for me. The issue with Uncle Mikes grips is that they will break down and become gooey over time.

If you have, own or use Pachmeyer grips I would suggest using them only while actually shooting the gun for that day. Then just remove them and put the original grips back on to store. If you have Pachmeyer grips on a carry gun, I'd say check underneath often.

I have not used Pachmeyer grips in decades so maybe they have been changed and improved - hopefully!

 

[Vtgw938]

Metal Rescue will remove all traces of rust and if the black stain is in or on the rust that will go as well. I have not use it on a "frosted" gun but have given all my nickel and stainless guns a long bath in it. I do know it can remove blueing and flash chrome. I would assume if it is some sort of media blast finish it would be fine but can't say for sure.

 

[Breakaway500]

Try some Blue Magic metal polish. Non abrasive and has never let me down.

 

[gwpercle]

Try cleaning the areas with ... Turtle Wax Chrome Polish and Rust Remover . First with it applied on a cloth pad ...If more agressive cleaning is needed, for those stubborn spots ... Use the TWCPARR on a pad of 0000 steel wool . If that doesn't get it ... I can't think of anything gentle that will ... Good Luck
Gary