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 10-14-2009, 01:07 AM | #1 | Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 3 |  Is the gunsmith full of it???
I have a S&W Sigma .40 . i am fairly new to handguns and i was wondering since the slide on my sigma is stainless steel , even though it is a matte finish , could it be sanded and polished out to a nice shine. So i called 2 local gun stores and fords custom gun refinishing in FL got a few different answers. The first place i called the gunsmith wasnt in but the guy i talked to said he has never seen one done but he wouldnt see why you couldnt. The second guy talked to said that it could be done he told me to call back and talk to the gunsmith a little later to see if it was something they could do there or not. So abouth an hour later i called back and he basically told me he couldnt understand why i would want to do that and he said that it cant be done. He went on to say that if anyone said that they could do it they would be full of it and if i did have it done it would mess up the gun. So i then asked him if having it plated would be a better option . He again said it would " change the dynamics of the gun and mess it up". He even went as far as to say the he could understand me want to do it if i was a " different color " . After making that remark I said thank you for your time and goodbye. I then called fords custom gun refinishing and talked to them and they said they could do it and it would run about $100. So my question is the gunsmith i talked to full of it? When I talked to him he kind of seem like a jacka** but who knows. I just wanted to ask what you guys thought and if anyones knows 100% if it can be done or not. Thanks | 
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| 10-14-2009, 02:13 AM | #2 | Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 5,459 |
It CAN be polished. But getting all the surfaces to match will take work. | |
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| 10-14-2009, 02:45 AM | #3 | Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 3 |
do you think just having it either nickel plated or hard chromed would be a better option? | |
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| 10-14-2009, 03:54 AM | #4 | Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 5,459 |
Quote:
Originally Posted by bftiedt
do you think just having it either nickel plated or hard chromed would be a better option?
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Plating can eventually peel/chip. Stainless can be re-polished. | |
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| 10-14-2009, 04:47 AM | #5 | Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 124 |
Yes it can be done. I have seen it done on the glocks and a few others and its pretty nice touch | |
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| 10-14-2009, 05:15 AM | #6 | Moderator Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Third bunker on the right, Central Virginia Posts: 8,376 Liked 5 Times on 5 Posts
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Polished- sure. Getting it even is the hard part.
Plating? Chrome will look yellow. Trust me- it WILL look yellow. Nickel plate has a thickness. That ADITIONAL thickness must be taken into account, or parts bind. Plating CAN chip/ peel- just look at most most nickel plates from the early 1900s.
And to borrow an old joke from Pogo- "Why a nickel plate?"
" 'Cause they just as good as the 50 cent kind." __________________
What we have heah is.... failure to communicate. | |
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| 10-14-2009, 11:53 AM | #7 | Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 7,158 |
Sorry, but I have to ask. Why would you want to sink more money into a Sigma? I expect the gunsmiths were just try to save you some money. While they're a cheap reliable gun, it's not something I'd invest any more money into as you'll never get it back out if you sell.
You can polish it up yourself as the slide is stainless but it's tough to make it look like a factory job... | |
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| 10-14-2009, 06:15 PM | #8 | Moderator Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Austin, Texas, by God!! Posts: 6,061 |
A Sigma F or C model do NOT have stainless steel slides. The finish is VERY tough and will be hard to polish off. If you want a shiny Sigma, get a V or VE model and buff the stainless slide.
If the finish is buggered up (that would take some serious neglect) get it bead blasted and either hard chromed or electroless nickled. Either will give a satin finish that is pretty tough. __________________
In life, strive to take the high road....It offers a better field of fire.
"Robo is right" Fuzzball | |
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| 10-17-2009, 05:45 AM | #9 | Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 28 |
polishing a stainless gun can be done I did a ruger redhawk matte.the way i did it is the same way you polish a knife blade(i make knives every so often as a hobby).go down to the local hardware store and pick up a variety pack of JEWELERS ROUGE and soft buffing wheel for your bench grinder.the rouge is color coded for diferent grades green is made for stainless , start with it if it doesnt seem to work then go to the next courser grade work it slowly with light preasure till you start to get a gloss then go to the white rouge to polish it.It takes time and patience ,you may try to practice/expierment on something else first.Remember light preasure till you get the hang of it ,once you put scratches in the metal its hard to get them out and sometimes even light scratches will show.Whatever you do i wouldnt put sandpaper on it. __________________
if you dont shoot you dont hit,if you do shoot you might hit ..................... Once a soldier always a soldier A trp 1/7 cav
Last edited by wst tx hunter; 10-17-2009 at 05:49 AM. | |
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| 10-17-2009, 02:47 PM | #10 | Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Lebanon, Ky Posts: 3,624 Likes Given: 1
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I'm of the same mind as NGIB-sure it CAN be polished but WHY do it on a Sigma? The Sigma line are cheap pistols that are reliable but not usually known to be customized. That's contradictory in keeping the budget pistol's investment low. You'll never get your investment back out of it if you ever decide to sell or trade up later. Even if you don't think you'll ever sell/trade it now don't mean you won't later. | |
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