[andy29075]

Hello all,
I've got several Taurus revolvers, all in stainless steel, with that smoky grey finish that comes from the factory on them, as contrasted to the shiny and/or mirror-type stainless finishes on my Ruger GP100, Taurus PT92, etc. My questions are: how is this grey finish created at the factory and is it possible to "touch up" scratches on it by hand? The scratches are actually bright metal-colored, against the duller gray finish surrounding it,
Thanks!
-Andy J

[andy29075]

anyone?

[jeepmor]

The stainless is either chemically composed by dunking in a bath with a certain chemsitry and/or with a voltage applied like a plating finish. Analogous to tennifer finish on Glocks.

It could be a heat treated finish, although unlikely on machined parts, maybe a low temp process.

Or, it's just some type of powdercoat or paint job.

I have that target grey finish on my benchrest model 223 ruger and love it. I've thought of the same thing and not come up with a good answer, it's probably time to give the manufacturer a call.

[bamasurp]

Is it a brushed finish rather than an applied finish? I'm curious too. I just bought a Taurus 85UL Saturday and I figured if it gets too scratched up I'd just polish it up bright. Now I wonder.

Bamasurp

[andy29075]

Yep, that's the exact reason I want to know as well... I sent a revolver back to Taurus for some timing work, and when it came back, some spots where the finish was spotty had been fixed somehow, and I was wondering if it was something I could replicate at home on my other Tauri....

[Southern Raider]

It is quite possibly a bead blast finish, although I've not closely inspected a Taurus to know for sure. I had a stainless Smith refinished as such to remove various small scratches. The revolver turned grey in the process.

[ZeSpectre]

It's a bead blast finish.

I suppose if you had a sandblaster and the skill you could repair it. I wouldn't try it myself but then again I like guns with a little character.