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View Full Version : polishing satin ss finish??

InnerVision
February 3, 2007, 07:47 PM
Forgive me if this is a very stupid question...but...can the dull satin finish be "polished" to shiney? Can this be done easily? I'm not talking about sending it to the custom gun refinishing companies and getting it totally stripped, but just a "simple" polishing job. How is this done?
vero1
February 3, 2007, 08:57 PM
With patience you can polish your stainless gun to an almost nickle appearance. Lots of different ideas on how best to do it. Basically you are just polishing fine scratches like on a car. Start with a mild abrasive and keep going to finer grits. Some people like to use sandpaper,some prefer scotchbrite pads, if not to heavily textured you can use a metal polish like Flitz and a soft cloth. Just be patient and go slowly.
CWL
February 3, 2007, 09:11 PM
Can this be done easily?

Absolutely not.

While it may be easier to polish large flat surfaces such as on the slide, curves, rounded and sunken areas will be difficult to reach let alone polish. In addition to the danger of ruining the satin finish, you can also end up rounding-off squared portions of the gun.

You may want to practice on something else first before you take sandpaper/buffing wheel to your gun.
1 old 0311
February 4, 2007, 08:11 AM
YES! I have done many weapons, barrels, and bolt carriers. Get a can of Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish from Autozone. Field strip it, sit in front of the tv and polish away. A J frame size weapon will take 2-3 hours. You don't need a dremel, or belt polisher. Just some clean rags, and a little time.
SaxonPig
February 4, 2007, 02:53 PM
Not sure where CWL is coming from. Many folks polish their stainless guns (in fact often the factory will do it as an option on a new gun) without any problem at all. I have polished a pair of stainless S&Ws using a soft polishing wheel on the bench grinder. A Model 64 revolver and an M659 auto. Here are the before and after pics of the 64.

http://www.fototime.com/E20C0E71FA005AC/standard.jpg


http://www.fototime.com/1C758B07D0C2E58/standard.jpg


The auto was polished even a bit more, making it look like nickel. The revolver looks like shiny stainless.