Several of the professional gun re-finisher services are famous for the quality of their bluing and can come very close to the old S&W polished blue finish.
Ford's and Glenrock are at the top of the business along with APW/Cogan.
Ford's especially is noted for being able to do a close copy of Colt's famous Royal Blue as used on the Python.
A gun cannot be refinished to a bright blue using only chemical removal. Chemicals leave the surface finely etched from the acids used in the chemicals, and the metal has to be polished to remove the roughness, otherwise you get a dull, flat blue.
Polishing is PART of a re-finish job, and has to be done for a bright finish job.
Where the real professionals come into their own is in the type of polishing equipment they use. The jack leggers use soft, flexible muslin buffs that round off sharp edges, dish out holes, and leave ripples in the flats.
Top people use large diameter HARD polishing wheels that allow an expert to maintain perfect surfaces without doing any damage.
On top of that, the pros spend 8 hours a day polishing metal, so they develop and maintain the skills to do top quality polishing.
As example, Colt used to use large diameter wooden wheels covered with walrus hide.
Ford's Custom Gun Refinishing - Ford's Desert Eagle Sights
Glenrock Blue
ACCURATE PLATING AND WEAPONRY | APWCOGAN
