Good place to have a gun 'Polished' Blued?

Venom1956 · March 5, 2012, 02:32 PM

Hey guys looking for a recommendation for a smith who does nice polishedbluing to a CZ SP-01 Shadow or if it can even be done to it. I'm not concerned with the value loss upon bluing it or anything like that. From what I understand the Polycoat on normal CZ's is prone to wear so as this will be a comp/holstered gun I am assuming it will wear off and would like to have the gun refinished in a glossy blue finish make it a bit more classy.

Who/where would you suggest?

Dfariswheel · March 6, 2012, 12:56 AM

These days you can have cheap bluing or you can have good bluing. You can't have both....choose ONE.

A good blue job is 95% the polishing done before it's put in the bluing tanks.
Go with a professional re-finishing company that has people who spend 8 hours a day polishing metal, not a local who does it once or twice a month and rounds off edges and dishes out holes.

Here's some of the top gun re-finishers in the country who offer bluing.
Remember, CHEAP, or GOOD.

http://www.apwcogan.com/

http://www.fordsguns.com/

http://www.gunbluing.com/

http://www.elitecustomguns.com/index1.htm

Venom1956 · March 6, 2012, 01:30 AM

Price isn't an issue obviously it hasn't worn yet. I figured it would be expensive so I wanted to find a good company and pay once and be happy.

I wish they had pictures on some of the sites would show images of the different tiers of polish... 200 to 500 bucks isn't that expensive? Which company would you recommend? of all of those?

Dfariswheel thanks for your help!

Dfariswheel · March 7, 2012, 02:44 AM

If I had to choose, it'd be APW/Cogan, Ford's, or Glenrock, in that order.
Some people might put Ford's first.

It's hard to show the level of polishing in pictures, so many re-finishers don't bother to try.
Best I can explain, is a factory level polish will look like a factory blue job.
The top of the line polish will look like the Colt Python Royal Blue which has a "wet" look it's so shiny.

Venom1956 · March 8, 2012, 11:22 AM

Thats how I was assuming the levels worked.

I might go with the super "wet" bluing just because its so pretty.

Dfariswheel · March 8, 2012, 06:50 PM

Ford's is noted for their top of the line Python quality blue jobs.

RamItOne · April 5, 2012, 10:20 PM

might be a dumb question... first off Dfariswheel good links. Now chroming the slide and or barrel, couldnt that cause a fitment issue?

Dfariswheel · April 6, 2012, 07:43 PM

Not if you go with hard chrome.
Bright chrome, also known as decorative or "bumper chrome" isn't used much on guns because it's not that good and it builds up to a thicker coat that does require special treatment to prevent fit problems.
It's applied over a copper base coat and because of this, it cracks, chips, and peels. Worse, moisture can get under the layers and cause the steel to rust. This is why you see old car bumpers with the chrome bubbling up and rust under it.

Hard chrome or industrial chrome is applied directly to the steel and actually bonds with it. Since it has no undercoat and bonds to the steel it won't crack, chip, or peel and there IS no "under" for moisture to get under.
Typically, hard chrome is around 0.002" thick or a little thicker, and this seldom interferes with fit of parts.
Hard chrome is extremely hard, harder than a Swiss file, and extremely durable.
It's still the best all around gun finish and is one of the few that's considered to be a true lifetime finish.
This is why the preferred finish for most custom gunsmiths is hard chrome.

Depending on how the steel is processed before the hard chrome is applied, the gun will have a finish ranging from a satin light gray, to a stainless steel look, to a full mirror bright look similar to bright nickel.... or bumper chrome.

Both APW/Cogan and Ford's offer hard chrome.
Here's some other companies that offer it for guns. Note that each offers different options on the final look, and on the price:

http://www.armoloyftworth.com/Armolo...plications.htm

http://www.originalmetaloy.com/

http://www.techplate.com/firearms_pl.htm

http://www.elitecustomguns.com/index1.htm

Hunter Customs · April 7, 2012, 08:51 AM

Simmons Gun Repair in Olathe Kansas use to do some exceptional polishing and bluing.
As a matter of fact they did a lot of work for some major manufactures.
Their web site is www.simmonsguns.com phone number is (913) 782-3131.
Best Regards
Bob Hunter

March 5, 2012, 02:32 PM	#1
Venom1956 Senior Member Join Date: October 4, 2008 Location: WI Posts: 3,656	Good place to have a gun 'Polished' Blued? Hey guys looking for a recommendation for a smith who does nice polishedbluing to a CZ SP-01 Shadow or if it can even be done to it. I'm not concerned with the value loss upon bluing it or anything like that. From what I understand the Polycoat on normal CZ's is prone to wear so as this will be a comp/holstered gun I am assuming it will wear off and would like to have the gun refinished in a glossy blue finish make it a bit more classy. Who/where would you suggest? __________________ E-Shock rounds are engineered to expend maximum energy into soft targets, turning the density mass into an expanding rotational cone of NyTrilium matrix particles, causing neurological collapse to the central nervous system.- Yeah I can do that. I guarantee you will know it if a bicyclist hits your house going 1000 mph. -Smaug

March 6, 2012, 01:30 AM	#3
Venom1956 Senior Member Join Date: October 4, 2008 Location: WI Posts: 3,656	Price isn't an issue obviously it hasn't worn yet. I figured it would be expensive so I wanted to find a good company and pay once and be happy. I wish they had pictures on some of the sites would show images of the different tiers of polish... 200 to 500 bucks isn't that expensive? Which company would you recommend? of all of those? Dfariswheel thanks for your help! __________________ E-Shock rounds are engineered to expend maximum energy into soft targets, turning the density mass into an expanding rotational cone of NyTrilium matrix particles, causing neurological collapse to the central nervous system.- Yeah I can do that. I guarantee you will know it if a bicyclist hits your house going 1000 mph. -Smaug Last edited by Venom1956; March 6, 2012 at 11:35 AM.

March 8, 2012, 11:22 AM	#5
Venom1956 Senior Member Join Date: October 4, 2008 Location: WI Posts: 3,656	Thats how I was assuming the levels worked. I might go with the super "wet" bluing just because its so pretty. __________________ E-Shock rounds are engineered to expend maximum energy into soft targets, turning the density mass into an expanding rotational cone of NyTrilium matrix particles, causing neurological collapse to the central nervous system.- Yeah I can do that. I guarantee you will know it if a bicyclist hits your house going 1000 mph. -Smaug

March 6, 2012, 12:56 AM	#2
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	These days you can have cheap bluing or you can have good bluing. You can't have both....choose ONE. A good blue job is 95% the polishing done before it's put in the bluing tanks. Go with a professional re-finishing company that has people who spend 8 hours a day polishing metal, not a local who does it once or twice a month and rounds off edges and dishes out holes. Here's some of the top gun re-finishers in the country who offer bluing. Remember, CHEAP, or GOOD. http://www.apwcogan.com/ http://www.fordsguns.com/ http://www.gunbluing.com/ http://www.elitecustomguns.com/index1.htm

March 7, 2012, 02:44 AM	#4
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	If I had to choose, it'd be APW/Cogan, Ford's, or Glenrock, in that order. Some people might put Ford's first. It's hard to show the level of polishing in pictures, so many re-finishers don't bother to try. Best I can explain, is a factory level polish will look like a factory blue job. The top of the line polish will look like the Colt Python Royal Blue which has a "wet" look it's so shiny.

March 8, 2012, 06:50 PM	#6
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	Ford's is noted for their top of the line Python quality blue jobs.

April 5, 2012, 10:20 PM	#7
RamItOne Senior Member Join Date: May 24, 2011 Posts: 990	might be a dumb question... first off Dfariswheel good links. Now chroming the slide and or barrel, couldnt that cause a fitment issue?

April 6, 2012, 07:43 PM	#8
Dfariswheel Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Posts: 7,478	Not if you go with hard chrome. Bright chrome, also known as decorative or "bumper chrome" isn't used much on guns because it's not that good and it builds up to a thicker coat that does require special treatment to prevent fit problems. It's applied over a copper base coat and because of this, it cracks, chips, and peels. Worse, moisture can get under the layers and cause the steel to rust. This is why you see old car bumpers with the chrome bubbling up and rust under it. Hard chrome or industrial chrome is applied directly to the steel and actually bonds with it. Since it has no undercoat and bonds to the steel it won't crack, chip, or peel and there IS no "under" for moisture to get under. Typically, hard chrome is around 0.002" thick or a little thicker, and this seldom interferes with fit of parts. Hard chrome is extremely hard, harder than a Swiss file, and extremely durable. It's still the best all around gun finish and is one of the few that's considered to be a true lifetime finish. This is why the preferred finish for most custom gunsmiths is hard chrome. Depending on how the steel is processed before the hard chrome is applied, the gun will have a finish ranging from a satin light gray, to a stainless steel look, to a full mirror bright look similar to bright nickel.... or bumper chrome. Both APW/Cogan and Ford's offer hard chrome. Here's some other companies that offer it for guns. Note that each offers different options on the final look, and on the price: http://www.armoloyftworth.com/Armolo...plications.htm http://www.originalmetaloy.com/ http://www.techplate.com/firearms_pl.htm http://www.elitecustomguns.com/index1.htm

April 7, 2012, 08:51 AM	#9
Hunter Customs Senior Member Join Date: March 26, 2005 Location: Osborn, Missouri Posts: 2,697	Simmons Gun Repair in Olathe Kansas use to do some exceptional polishing and bluing. As a matter of fact they did a lot of work for some major manufactures. Their web site is www.simmonsguns.com phone number is (913) 782-3131. Best Regards Bob Hunter