BEAD BLAST ?
- Thread starter dougbull
- Start date
CastleBravo
New member
The question is, bead blasted WHAT? What color is it?
Bead blasting is just a metal prep that, well, whacks it with beads to give it a satin/matte look. You can put a finish on top of that (bluing, plating) or leave it alone if the gun is made of stainless steel.
Either way it really makes no difference in how you treat the gun. It just makes it less shiny, basically.
Bead blasting is just a metal prep that, well, whacks it with beads to give it a satin/matte look. You can put a finish on top of that (bluing, plating) or leave it alone if the gun is made of stainless steel.
Either way it really makes no difference in how you treat the gun. It just makes it less shiny, basically.
I have a S&W 5903 with a bead blast stainless finish and I have maintained it just like any other gun. The one thing I have noticed is like a lot of stainless guns it kind of gets “dingy” looking after a few years. With my other stainless guns I use a little Flitz to quickly bring back a clean appearance. However, I am unsure if I should do this to the bead blasted finish.
I wouldn't. Only way I know to restore a bead blasted stainless weapon is to bead blast it again. I don't think think the small bead blasting cabinets are that expensive though, if you wanted to do it yourself. Here's one from Harbor Freight. I have no idea how good the gun is that comes with it, but I'm very tempted to buy it myself.
I mean, spend $150 or so on a cabinet, another $30 or $40 on blast media, assuming you already have a compressor, you're only out less than $200 and can refinish all your stainless guns yourself. How much does one bead blasting job at a smith cost? The only thing that keeps me from doing it is I am kicking around the idea of NP3 and other aftermarket finishes.
Jason
This gun originally had "polished" flats, that were pretty beat up when I got it. My buddy has a blast cabinet we use for parkerizing, so it made it easy to clean up.
Looks like this now...
If you do plan on doing it yourself, make sure youre comfortable with tearing the gun down to its smallest parts and reassembling it. Also, get a metal coffee can with a cover (put a slit in it for the nozzle) for those small parts, or youre not likely to see them again.
Looks like this now...
If you do plan on doing it yourself, make sure youre comfortable with tearing the gun down to its smallest parts and reassembling it. Also, get a metal coffee can with a cover (put a slit in it for the nozzle) for those small parts, or youre not likely to see them again.
jglsprings
New member
Question to AK103K
So, how well does the bead blast finish hold up? Is this example (beautiful example btw) a carried gun?
Also, have you ever touched up the bead blast? I was talking with a fellow who did his own bead blasting and said after a year or two he would touch up the worn spots. Inquiring minds want to know!
P.S.
Is it true that bead blasting pretty much leaves the engraving and logo alone?
So, how well does the bead blast finish hold up? Is this example (beautiful example btw) a carried gun?
Also, have you ever touched up the bead blast? I was talking with a fellow who did his own bead blasting and said after a year or two he would touch up the worn spots. Inquiring minds want to know!
P.S.
Is it true that bead blasting pretty much leaves the engraving and logo alone?
SS is one of the worst "finishes" for showing wear. Its soft and easily scratched. The bead blasted finish seems to show it less than the polished finish though for some reason, but it still shows.
Bead blasting can be pretty abrasive, depending on what you use and how you use it. If done right, it usually doesnt bother the logos and lettering. Use the wrong stuff, and/or dwell on one spot to long, and you are likely to have different results. Same goes for repetitive use. If youre always "touching up", its going to start to show.
While I have a couple of SS guns, Im not a big fan of them, and dont really use them to much. I have touched up a couple of guns for friends though. Touched up really isnt correct though, as the guns were torn down and done again. Like anything else, it all depends on how you use them and how they are carried as to what happens to them. Usually its "polished" areas where the holster wears/rubs, and the occasional scratch.
Bead blasting can be pretty abrasive, depending on what you use and how you use it. If done right, it usually doesnt bother the logos and lettering. Use the wrong stuff, and/or dwell on one spot to long, and you are likely to have different results. Same goes for repetitive use. If youre always "touching up", its going to start to show.
While I have a couple of SS guns, Im not a big fan of them, and dont really use them to much. I have touched up a couple of guns for friends though. Touched up really isnt correct though, as the guns were torn down and done again. Like anything else, it all depends on how you use them and how they are carried as to what happens to them. Usually its "polished" areas where the holster wears/rubs, and the occasional scratch.
Yep. No doubt about it, unfinished stainless will show every little scratch, and every little speck of abrasive dust that gets into your holster will make a pit on any polished flats. It will not look new long if you carry it every day. A person has to weigh how much they care about cosmetics vs. the other stuff though. That particular gun that is in the pictures I posted is one I bought, knowing that it would look all scratched to hell shortly, for the sake of having a rust resistant EDC. I knew I needed something that would be okay sitting in a sweat saturated holster on occasion, and I'm okay with the scratches and the small pits from dirt that it gets from being used. I bought it knowing it was a tool that would be used and would end up looking that way eventually. I think making that conscious decision when purchasing a stainless gun helps. What you are buying is really corrosion resistance. If corrosion won't be a potential problem for a weapon, I probably would skip the stainless as well, for the shortcomings that you mention.
Jason