[at-home-daddy]

Due to a series of rash decisions on my part too embarrassingly idiotic to recount here, I have put a series of light scratches on the frame of my S&W PC945. I presume the frame to be bead-blasted (stainless). These are light scratches, not gouges, and luckily are mostly (keyword: mostly) hidden by the slide-stop lever.

Is there any way to remove or, at the very least, lessen the appearance of these unslightly scratches (which appear shiny against the matte blasted finish) short of sending it in for a quick bead-blast of that area? Would something like Fitz Auto Polish or something of that sort work? Is there any particular product that's designed to address problems similar to this? Any thoughts, ideas, suggestions: products, methods or otherwise? Clearly, I think buffing them with an abrasive would just make it worse and lead to a larger shiny patch.

Heck, at this point, I'm content with the fact that I likely can't make the scratches go away completely (short of a new bead-blast job), but isn't there *something*, anything, that would at least diminish/dull their appearance somewhat?

 

[seabass]

I have been able to use high grit sandpaper successfully to remove scratches on the sides of my slide but it is has shiny flats. Not sure about bead blast though.

 

[RadCat]

Key word is "bead" not "sand".

The key word here is bead-blast, versus sand-blast.

There are various sized grits used for this purpose, and a huge difference in finished results between sand and bead. Sand blasting will give you a rough texture regardless of the grit size used, while bead blasting will give you a "peened" satin/matte finish more resistant to casual/minor scratching.

Once "marked/scratched" there is no inmediate fast cure, when the scratch falls in a "matted" area.

Best professional results would be achieved if you strip the gun completely, and then procced to burnish it down with 320 grit sandpaper and then 500 grit. This (hand) sanding/burnishing will remove any existing marks and scratches and prep the surface for a beautifull bead blasting that will be durable and long lasting.

Often times as manufactured, a firearm will contain a multitude of machining marks that are hidden by a generous portion of medium sized "sand blasting" which will yield a finish that in itself is abrasive and feels like very fine grit sandpaper. This finish usually "mars" easily. But in a production line, expediency is the rule, and the results.

So long as you will need to re-finish the firearm, choose the "better" technique to do it.

If you get any small scratches in satin/brushed or shiny areas, just remove them with small grit, 400 grit or smaller, and use the same material to blend in the finish, or after succesive smaller grits, polish to taste.

The results will be better than those initially provided by the factory. Enjoy.

 

[Art]

I found that red Scotch Brite pads gives a brushed finish on stainless.

The finer grits of abrasive paper gives a more polished finish that is susceptible to minor scratches showing.

Flitz would give a very highly polished finish.

 

[RadCat]

I found that red Scotch Brite pads gives a brushed finish on stainless.

The finer grits of abrasive paper gives a more polished finish that is susceptible to minor scratches showing.

Flitz would give a very highly polished finish.

Red Scotch Brite (actually "maroone/brown") as obtainable in most auto-body supply stores is excellent for blending in minor blemishes. It is the equivalent to a #320 grit, and contours very well to minor dents where the sand-paper won't. You just have to be carefull in areas wehere there is a fine line dividing the matte from the brushed satin. But it will not restore a matte area, as it will burnish it instead. You will still need a "blasting" job for that.

 

[danang]

Scratches

Haven't done it yet, but filed it away in my brain for when I screw up. A suggestion was to take some sandpaper...maybe 150 to 220 grit, or finer if you want to start small, place over the damaged area and lightly tap with a small brass punch or something similar. Will reproduce the matted beaded surface quite well.

 

[ShipWreck]

Someone else posted the same message on the sig forum - not sure if it was U. That person posted a pic of their gun, and the type of bead blasting didn't look like it would work too well w/ the scotchbright pad.

I too suggested that, however. I have used it many times. Even fixed a small spot on the Walther polymer frame. I was very surprised....

 

[prplhrtx3]

danang,
you are correct, that method will work on the matte areas of Stainless Colt pistols. I have removed light scuffs and burnished areas by using 120 grit aluminum oxide and tapping the damaged area. Comes out really good, I didn't recommend it to the original poster because at-home-daddy has a S&W and I don't think they have the raw blasted finish you see on the Colts. .02

 

[at-home-daddy]

That was my post @ SigForum as well (could there even possibly be two individuals idiotic enough to screw up their PC pistols?)...thought I'd try it here, too, since it's a 1911-based frame and is also one of the few gunsmithing forums I visit (or know about). The suggestion about tapping the sandpaper is intriguing, but I think the last poster probably had it right...the S&W has what from all appearances looks to be a rather delicate bead-blast "finish" on the stainless frame and is not "raw" as perhaps a SIG ST model or Colt might be. I suspect it'd just look like a series of shiny dots if I tried that.

I've decided to leave well enough alone and cut my losses, and let it remain there as a reminder to never do such an idiotic thing again.