[Mr Big]

I have a custom2 with the matte blued finish. After lots of use its starting to wear.

Question is: I have seen blue'd 1911s with a polished look on the sides of the frame and slides. How would one get this more polished look on a blued gun?

 

[stillwater]

yer finish

It would be good to cruise the gunsmithing threads to look at a number of bluing possibilities.

To get a really nice finish, a smith needs to remove your finish (after it is completely disassembled) and then the parts must be sanded and polished until it looks like glass. Then the bluing process begins, whichever you select. There is a company called Cylinder&Slide that does a nice job of bluing and they have a handy price list on their site. You should check into all you can find. There are many types, shades and "depth" of blue available and prices vary greatly depending on how "nice" you want it.

 

[col132]

For a heavy use gun, the chrome or polymer finishes might be worth a look also.

 

[Bluecard]

There are some really awesome finishes being applied out there. If I am correct, the shiny bluing you're talking about is not very durable, almost like a black chrome. I have personally had pistols refinished by Virgil Tripp, owner of Tripp Research (both hardchrome and Cobra Coat), Robar (NP3) and Metalloy (hardchrome). Tripp's Cobra Coat looked beautiful on my TLE II and on a buddy's Beretta 92. The price is right too. Happy Hunting!

 

[Str8_Shot]

Mr Big

Before you send your pistol off to be refinished, you need to do a detailed disassembly. The reason is Kimber has a habit of making their basic pistols out of stainless steel and then blackening them. So once you have your pistol disassembled look at the underside of the slide, and on the frame under the mainspring housing to see if there is an "S" stamped into it.

If the "S" is there then the slide or frame is stainless and it cannot be blued. Though, if the "S" is not there it does not mean that the part is not stainless, sicne there have been reports of people calling Kimber and being told there frames and slides were stainless even though the part was not stamped. So you should call Kimber to be Bluecard mentioned.

 

[Mr Big]

There is a small round dot prob 1/8 inch diameter on the inside of the slide. I've seen this before on kimbers but have no idea what it means.

 

[Guinea]

Mr Big



If the "S" is there then the slide or frame is stainless and it cannot be blued. Though, if the "S" is not there it does not mean that the part is not stainless, sicne there have been reports of people calling Kimber and being told there frames and slides were stainless even though the part was not stamped. So you should call Kimber to be Bluecard mentioned.

Stainless CAN be blued just as well as carbon steel. Just look at the Kimber Eclipse series. Those are stainless guns with polished flats and a blued finish. I am sorry, but whom ever informed you that stainless steel could not be blued was extremely mistaken. Case in point (even though it is not a Kimber) H&K USP pistols are also stainless (slides and barrels) with matte blued finishes. Even alloy frames can have blued finishes applied. Call any gunsmith to confirm this before you reply with a (possible) smug remark....thanks.