Replacement to re-blueing..finishing help

srfisher3 · January 2, 2013, 10:59 PM

I recently acquired an older S&W revolver with a pretty significant amount of pitting and rust. I'm not in the market to have the gun re-blued but I've heard horror stories about people applying chemicals to their weapons and damaging the gun permanently. Is there a cleaning material / method I can use to remove the rust and lighten the pitting without ruining the gun's blueing and finishing? Thanks!

Powderman · January 3, 2013, 01:13 AM

In a word....no.

Remember one thing--bluing IS rust, albeit controlled rusting. Rust remover WILL remove bluing.

As for pitting, that is work for a polisher for flaw removal.

Best bet--call Smith and Wesson directly, and ask how much it would cost for a bright blue finish and flaw removal.

smoakingun · January 3, 2013, 09:01 PM

the rust can be safely removed, but the pitting can be permanent if it is deep enough.
to remove the rust, a little 0000 steel wool and a bit of oil is all you need. The bluing, what is left of it, will be fine

January 2, 2013, 10:59 PM	#1
srfisher3 Member Join Date: November 3, 2012 Posts: 19	Replacement to re-blueing..finishing help I recently acquired an older S&W revolver with a pretty significant amount of pitting and rust. I'm not in the market to have the gun re-blued but I've heard horror stories about people applying chemicals to their weapons and damaging the gun permanently. Is there a cleaning material / method I can use to remove the rust and lighten the pitting without ruining the gun's blueing and finishing? Thanks!

January 3, 2013, 01:13 AM	#2
Powderman Senior Member Join Date: September 7, 2001 Location: Washington State Posts: 2,166	In a word....no. Remember one thing--bluing IS rust, albeit controlled rusting. Rust remover WILL remove bluing. As for pitting, that is work for a polisher for flaw removal. Best bet--call Smith and Wesson directly, and ask how much it would cost for a bright blue finish and flaw removal. __________________ Hiding in plain sight...

January 3, 2013, 09:01 PM	#3
smoakingun Senior Member Join Date: April 12, 2009 Location: melrose, fl Posts: 634	the rust can be safely removed, but the pitting can be permanent if it is deep enough. to remove the rust, a little 0000 steel wool and a bit of oil is all you need. The bluing, what is left of it, will be fine __________________ Hundreds of years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove... But the world may be different because I did something so bafflingly crazy that my ruins become a tourist attraction.