jgh4445
Member
I missed the bead blast part..guess I just saw stainless and ran with it. You guys are spot on...scotchbrite isn't the way to go here for sure.
Remove idiot scratch from satin stainless 1911.
- Thread starter stchman
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Wreck-n-Crew
Member
Happens all the time. No one is perfect. People catch my stuff all the time. [emoji6]
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stchman
Member
I will post a pic of the idiot scratch. I had no idea the thread would have gone on this long.
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stchman
Member
sequins
Member
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- Oct 14, 2014
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- 1,478
That scratch was worth the $50. Every time you see it, think of the money you saved!
The position of the scratch is such that I doubt you can easily polish it. My philosophy is that scratches bother me, but on the other hand it's inevitable, so just do your best. If it bothers you enough to want to get it bead blasted I'd say get it ceracoked instead. It'll just get scratched again some day and you don't want to blast it over and over every time you ding it. A ceracoke when applied right is supposed to be pretty darn indestructible surface hardness.
The position of the scratch is such that I doubt you can easily polish it. My philosophy is that scratches bother me, but on the other hand it's inevitable, so just do your best. If it bothers you enough to want to get it bead blasted I'd say get it ceracoked instead. It'll just get scratched again some day and you don't want to blast it over and over every time you ding it. A ceracoke when applied right is supposed to be pretty darn indestructible surface hardness.
ny32182
Member
Buy a new one to put in the safe and admire the pristine finish.
Keep that one to shoot.
Keep that one to shoot.
Capybara
Member
It's a tool, not a prayer altar. I have a SS SA 1911-A1 Loaded, it has the same scratch. Doesn't bug me in the least. If your scratch is really bugging you that much, sure, go spend hundreds of dollars to get it refinished, but what a waste of money and time, life is too short. Shoot it, enjoy it. I don't get the pristine gun thing, most guns look better with some wear and tear but I am a C&R guy too.
Lost Sheep
Member
Here's a "Bright" idea.
disassemble down to the frame.
Mask/Tape over the parts you don't want to polish
Polish the heck out of the area where the scratch is, and all adjacent areas. In your case, on both sides of the gun, the flat sides and the trigger scallops. Bring it all to a high-gloss, stainless bright finish.
You will now have a two-tone finish, bead blasted on the curved parts where grip is essential (front strap and back strap) with high gloss accents on the flats.
If you wanted to, you could do the sides of the slide as well.
You will have a truly unique finish.
Send pictures when you're done.
Lost Sheep
disassemble down to the frame.
Mask/Tape over the parts you don't want to polish
Polish the heck out of the area where the scratch is, and all adjacent areas. In your case, on both sides of the gun, the flat sides and the trigger scallops. Bring it all to a high-gloss, stainless bright finish.
You will now have a two-tone finish, bead blasted on the curved parts where grip is essential (front strap and back strap) with high gloss accents on the flats.
If you wanted to, you could do the sides of the slide as well.
You will have a truly unique finish.
Send pictures when you're done.
Lost Sheep
Paddy
member
That scratch will appear on any 1911 I own despite my extra care and familiarity with the system. It's just a fact of 1911 as far as I'm concerned. Flame away I'm sure some pistol gods here would never make it scratch but if it's a safe-queen then you shouldn't be taking it apart anyhoo.
Hmmm, plastic tipped anti-idiot pin?
Hmmm, plastic tipped anti-idiot pin?
railroader
Member
Actually I currently have 3 1911s that don't have idiot scratches. One is a kimber I got in 1997 and no they aren't safe queens. I seem to find other ways to mark up my firearms though.
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stchman
Member
I have guns I shoot a lot and they aren't beat up and scratched up. Contrary to popular belief, you can use a gun and still have it look good.
judgedelta
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- Sep 12, 2013
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- 687
Different strokes for different folks..... My experience is that if you are going to carry and shoot, as opposed to target/range only, a stainless is really easy to scratch. Ionbond, on the other hand, is really tough, but not really pretty.
I fully agree with you! Too many folks want to appear cool by making too much about a little "idiot scratch". Good Lord, get over it, a scratch is just that, a scratch. If you were talking about a scratch on your $3,200 Ed Brown or some custom 1911, I might understand a little complaining, but no-one is really an idiot for accidently scratching a regular pistol while putting the slide stop pin back in.
Zaydok Allen
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- Feb 12, 2011
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- 13,274
I guess this comment puzzles me a bit. I only have one 1911, and it is "idiot scratch" free. With care on reassembly, avoiding the scratch isn't difficult in my mind. But I certainly wouldn't call someone an idiot for having that scratch. It just means a mistake happened at some point. And it only takes once.
There are certainly folks who act like they are "pistol gods" and are really condescending at times, but they are to be pitied, as their insecurities have caused them to talk down to others to inflate their own unhealthy sense of ego.
Anyway, I would put forth that the term "idiot scratch" should be done away with and causes unneeded implied belittlement. I really think the implied meaning is that some people feel like an idiot if they scratch their gun this way, since it is happening while engaging in an activity to care for the gun, not that they are an idiot for having made the error.
Just a thought but maybe we should start a trend here and start referring to this scratch as a "reassembly scratch", or maybe a "slide stop scratch". It removes the negative connotation and is more specific. Just a thought.
Consequently, I can't stand it when people refer to politically apathetic people as "sheeple" or "sheep". It isn't inaccurate, but it's unnecessarily derogatory.
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