I went to school with a guy named Matt Finish

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bubbaturbo

New member
Not really, but I have read in different articles about glass bead matte finishes and glass bead finishing cabinets. I know what the finish looks like but exactly how do they go about doing it? What kind of glass beads are we talking about here, real glass? Does a glass bead finishing cabinet bombard the gun from all directions or it is done in the cabinet by a handheld "sprayer" with some type of compressed airgun arrangement? A lady on a home improvement type show was demonstrating stripping paint and rust off old metal lawn furniture using a small $40.00 handheld sandblaster that was powered by an air compressor. She mentioned that many things other than sand could be used and she specifically said glass beads. So now I'm thinking, could I use the same type of thing to put a dull finish on the slide and frame of my stainless Springfield 1911A1 or am I going to screw it up and end up with a striped and unevenly finished gun?
 
Ok, I knew a guy named Jim Shortz. He taught gym at the local high school! He was a real athletic supporter, too. (just kidding. I couldn't resist responding to your post, though!) :)
Rome
 
Thought about changing my name a few years back ... always thought Craven Moorhead had a good ring to it. Whatdaya think? Oh, your question about Matt Finish... uh, yes...I agree.

[This message has been edited by slymule (edited March 19, 2000).]
 
I have used both: glass beads and aluminum oxide in my dental laboratory. The stuff you want is in the 50-60 micron range (almost powder). The setup we use is quite expensive (over $1,000), but I've seen blasters advertised that are much like a hobby airbrush for about a tenth the cost. A standard type sand blaster won't work, unless you can find a nozzle for it with a very tiny pinhole. The nozzle for "beach sand" would dump a/o or glass beads out at a rate of about 1/2 pound per second. The stuff aint cheap, 10 lbs of A/O about $35.00, glass beads- 17.6 lbs for $60.00. It might take you a couple of ounces to blast a slide, and the stuff is reuseable. Also, there's a difference in what the abrasives do. When blasting gold, the A/O leaves a dull matte finish- it don't look like gold no more, a lot greyer. Glass beads doesn't abrade as much, more like a microscopic pein job, leaves the gold bright and gold colored. Glass beads feel very slippery, I believe they are tiny pellets, but have never put them under a microscope. The technique is performed with a "pencil blaster", which is kept in constant motion. If you stop, or move too slowly it will eat into the surface. Start with a low pressure and/or 8-12" distance from the surface. If the effect isn't enough, move closer and/or increase pressure, but always keep the blaster moving and complete the entire part before making pressure/distance changes or the finish will wind up non-uniform. Practice on a peice of scrap sheet metal or something. Wear a respirator mask, you don't want this crap in your lungs.

Oh yeah...Topic: There's a guy up the street, his name is Tack Hammer.

[This message has been edited by fastforty (edited March 20, 2000).]
 
In the Strafford MO High School graduating class of 1970 ('71?) there was a guy nemed Tom Gunn. Of course, everyone called him "Tommy".

Truth can be stranger than fiction.
 
I had a guy in my class named Justin Case. I also knew a guy named Ray Gunn. I'm not kidding.

[This message has been edited by glockorama (edited March 20, 2000).]
 
See user name. My middle name is Keepand.

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"When guns are outlawed;I will be an outlaw."

[This message has been edited by Will Beararms (edited March 20, 2000).]
 
Guy I went to high school with was named Chris Cross.

My brother went to HS with a guy named Warren Peace and a girl by the name Mary Christmas.
 
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