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Refinishing my S&W

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glockky

glockky

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Mar 14, 2011
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Location
Webbville, KY
I have and old 15-3 K frame smith that has lost alot of its blueing and needs some reviving. I am really thinking about tackling this project myself since I only have $125 in the gun I hate to send it to smith and wesson and spend 200 bucks on a blueing job. I have never done this before and would be open for info on what works with minimal amount of specialty tools. I was thinking of either cold blueing,cerakote,gunkote, and am open to other options. The thing thats getting me now is i do not have an oven to do the baking process in(dont thing my wife would think to highly of me using the one in the house). Anyone with some good info or tips here would be appreciated, or if you think its too much of a project for me too take on, because honestly i am ignorant to this.
 
For me personally,a S&W Model 15 deserves a good hot bluing job. Good luck with whichever you choose. The Model 15 is a great gun.
 
I would not ever (again) use a paint product (DuraCoat, Cerrakote, GunKote, etc) on a revolver. The finish just looks very wrong -- too flat, too much build. It also does not wear like bluing. It scratches, chips, and scrapes off like paint (of course) so instead of soft wear lines you get very distinct shiny marks against a dark field. Your cylinder turn line is going to look like a bright stripe. (Take a look at any of the AKs you've seen pictured here. You know that bright shiny safety lever scratch? Yeah...like that.)

Cold bluing generally doesn't look great, either. Blotchy, too light, and too thin. They are also really just coloring the metal vs. the deeper surface reaction produced in a traditional bluing job. A close glance will tell anyone that that's what you've done. But, if you follow the instructions carefully and do multiple applications, you might produce a finish that's "good enough."

If the gun is in good enough condition that it could be tuned up, retimed, and properly refinished someday, I'd just leave it alone until you set aside some cash to do that. There aren't any more original M15s coming, so I'd do what I could to put that one back into great shape.

Sending it to S&W for a factory refinish is, of course, the classic "best" answer, but there are other shops that will do very nice bluing jobs. And there are a few that will (arguably) even do it better.
 
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Glockky,

I also picked up a very bad finish 15. Somebody tried the cold blue and made it look worse. It also had some pitting. A fine shooter, just a crappy finish. I kept it in the original for a year or so. The cold stuff starting coming off when I cleaned it, so I made the final decision.

I sent it to Metalife for a hard chrome finish. This is my carry anywhere piece, loaded with Rem 158 LSWC HP.

Will I get what it could have been worth - not a chance, a fine durable carry - priceless.

JPG
 
Thats kinda what i am thinking if i keep it who cares what its worth plus it was my papaws. I think i will bit the bullet and send it back to smith and get the job done right.
 
A lot depends on what kind of future use you have in mind. Lets say you send it in to S&W and spend the $200 (or whatever) to have it reblued and it comes back looking like new.

That's fine, but if you continue to use and carry it, it won't stay looking like new for long. For that reason those blued guns I use alot generally don't get refinished, and if I was going to do a home project I'd bead-blast and Parkerize it. This is one of the few refinishing jobs that is practical to do at home, and the finish will outlast bluing. That said, it isn't particularly attractive - but O.K. for a knock-about.

But having said this, I generally don't go to the trouble. No matter what you do, any handgun that's really used will sooner or later look like what it is.

In the unlikely event I did spend for a factory refinish, I'd likey retire, or mostly retire the gun - which is the reason I have owned very few guns that were so refinished.

What about having someone else do the refinishing for less money? Keep in mind that the quality of the job depends how the gun is polished before being blued, and a sloppy polishing job can ruin the revolver. Smith & Wesson have the special buffing wheels to do the polishing right. Their refinishing jobs may be more expensive, but there's a good reason behind it.
 
I am not fond of the various paint finishes for a revolver; there are too many ways things can go wrong with closely fitted parts. Rust blue will do a good job, but the gun won't look like it was and rust blue is relatively fragile. Cold blue, of course, is worthless and a waste of time.

I don't know what S&W charges but I there are few shops that can do as well and I venture to doubt any can do better. (Some might do "better" by making the gun shinier or a different color, but none will do better at making it look like it was originally.)

As to whether it is pointless to reblue a gun that will continue to see constant wear, that is a judgment call by the owner.

Jim
 
that is a judgment call by the owner.
Click to expand...
Actually,this is true concerning all modification,refinishing or "updating" done to any firearm. Quite frankly,it's nobody elses business. I do my own hot bluing so this would be a slam dunk for me and yes I can duplicate the original finish(as long as the metal is in very good shape,no pits,etc..). In many cases it will look much better than some cheaper factory bluing.
 
I have a Model 36 sent to S&W now......

I sent it to them after getting advice here on THR as a matter of fact!

I will know in a few weeks for a fact, but the general concensus from members here was that No One does Smith & Wesson Blue like S&W, and Nothing is more deserving than an old reliable piece of history. They are also going to try to come up with a Era correct box for it?? no promise but maybe?

I had about the same in my 36 and it is about the same for the bluing job. I feel great about what I will have.

Note: The THR members stated to me that S&W does the best work on the Logo itself!

I will post pics when I get in back...before and after!

Good Luck!
 
"...No one does Smith & Wesson Blue like S&W..." Not even Smith does their old, rich, bluing any more. They haven't since before W.W. II.
As mentioned, cold bluing doesn't come out well on a whole firearm. The paste type might give you a better finish, but it's made as a touch-up only.
In any case, the quality of a bluing job depends entirely on the prep work. The polishing is all done by hand. That and the time it takes to disassemble the firearm is why it costs so much. Hot bluing requires pricey equipment and a room that has no other ferrous metals in it that you don't want a light coat of rust on too.
 
Ok. To be fair, when I said some (arguably) do it better, I was thinking of Doug Turnbull.

I think his shop could rival S&W or Colt for a bluing job beyond factory perfection.

Rather surprisingly his price list only indicates $150 to reblue a D/A revolver!
http://www.turnbullmfg.com/store.asp?pid=20180&catid=19872

I have to imagine that there would need to be additional charges for tuning up the surfaces in prep, but you'd have to ask.

Ford's wants $275 (http://www.fordsguns.com/index2-1.htm) but that's for their "master" polish level.
 
I have a model 10 that was a police turn in that shoots like a dream but is holster worn. I have considered refininshing it myself. I've seen several pistols that were DIY's that looked great. lye (drain cleaner) & stump remover (potassium nitrate or saltpeter) are the two chemicals used. The secret to a good reblue is in the surface prep. The bluing only colors the metal. It will not "cover" up any surface imperfections period, it only makes it look worse. No different than paint or chrome.
There are several sites that give info on how to do it. Here's a link to one if anyone is interested.

http://www.blindhogg.com/homemadesalts.html
 
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