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polishing a bead blasted revolver

dsmc1dsmc1 Member Posts: 112 ✭✭
edited November 2010 in Ask the Experts
Hi
a while back I asked about refinishing a S&W No. 3 American revolver, which appears to have been bead blasted.

Someone suggested cold rust blue which sounds like a great look for the revolver, but my MAIN question was: what is the best way to get it polished smooth before applying the finish?

Scotchbright wheel, filing, sandpaper, emerycloth, a polishing wheel with rouge? what is the best method to do this?

Would I be better off sending it out to a company that does this?

Or is Cold Rust Blue intended to be applied to a beadblasted surface?

Markings on top of the barrel are already faint; don't want to lose them. Was thinking a VERY fine file in that area?

Appreciate any suggestions from those of you more knowledgeable than I am.
Thanks,
Dave

Comments

  • 1917watercooled1917watercooled Member Posts: 93 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    May I suggest another path. I'm not a big fan of blueing for re-finished guns. I operated a metal refinishing shop for years. The weapons we worked on, snipers rifle, military and security weapons, stc. are "working firearms". Blueing doesn't hold up well for this kind of service. Plus, the polishing required to get a high luster works on the marking and sharp edges. We found that coatings like "Gun Koat" or Moly Coat" are very durable and look good on bead blasted surfaces. They can be had in flat, semi-gloss, and gloss so you have choices. BTW, blueing is a beautiful finish and is the finish of choice on fine pieces, but not on hard working firearms.
  • beantownshootahbeantownshootah Member Posts: 12,776 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    EDIT: (prior post deleted!) Whoops. I really didn't read that right.

    You want a cold *RUST* blue?

    Yeah, you could do it at home, but its kind of labor intensive, and if I remember right, requires some nasty acids to make the gun rust evenly and quickly. This reference is probably what you want:

    http://www.amazon.com/dp/0811703266/?tag=finishingcominc

    If you've never done this before, you might want to consider starting with something simple like a gun barrel, before you try it on something complicated with lots of nooks and crannies like a whole revolver.

    In terms of polish, you don't really need a mirror-like polish here to get good results, since the rusting is going to etch the metal anyway, and I guess that's why you are looking at this.

    Still, I'd imagine you would still get better results with some kind of underlying polish though, rather than the bead blasting.

    In terms of whether or not its worth it, you're probably not going to increase the value of the gun by doing this (or not by much), but it could still be a fun project anyway.
  • cbyerlycbyerly Member Posts: 689 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    You are wasting your time even considering returning it to a polished blue. It will never be a collectible gun again and any attempt to polish it will be clearly evident. Just have it hot blued as is and be happy with it.
  • SP45SP45 Member Posts: 1,761 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    consideration of the overall condition is important. can lit be polished to be brought back to origional condition or close to it. if not then do whatever you want. if it can be brought back then the markings may need to be redone before blueing. it just depends on what you want for a completed "look". there are a number of people who do a complete restoration to "factory origional" but at quite a price. There are people who ca make it look "good" but not necessarily origional for a much smaller price. if the gun has been previously polished you may be limited in options. good luck.
  • gesshotsgesshots Member Posts: 15,678 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Look for posts I made on "Niedner Cold Rust Blue" on this forum.
    It is very labor intensive, but well worth the results. There are also several good articles if you google the same subject.
    It's being willing. I found out early that most men, regardless of cause or need, aren't willing. They blink an eye or draw a breath before they pull the trigger. I won't. ~ J.B. Books
  • Emmett DunhamEmmett Dunham Member Posts: 1,418 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    +1 on the spray on surface it is durable and looks great. I have done four weapons and people cannot tell they are spray painted they look good. Bead blasting is the place the hand gun needs to be to get a great finish with the epoxy paint.
  • andrewsw16andrewsw16 Member Posts: 10,728 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Funny enough, I had an old Rossi revolver that had absolutely no collector value, so I stripped it of what very little blueing remained and gave it a couple coats of flat black Hi-temp spray wood stove paint. Then I baked it in the the oven for a couple of hours at a temp hot enough to harden the paint but not enough to hurt the temper. It came out looking great. The surface is pretty darned durable too, as one might expect from its original intended purpose. You never know what you are going to find when you start experimenting. [:D]
  • dsmc1dsmc1 Member Posts: 112 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Thanks for the input.

    some good options here to pursue.

    Dave
  • RCrosbyRCrosby Member Posts: 3,808 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    +1 cbyerly,
    For what it's worth!
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