Matte or Brushed Finish: How To?

[catmath 1911]

Hello All.

what is the best way to get a matte, or brushed finish on a stainless 1911, without bead blasting the gun. I am looking to get a more scratch resistant finish than the poished sides on my Springfield Loaded 1911-A1. As I do not have access to a bead blasting cabinet, I am looking for methods to do this at home by hand.

Thanks in Advance,

catmath 1911

 

[John Bettendorf]

Stainless Finish

Matt finish is Glass beaded the coarser the glass bead
and higher air pressure the more texture.

Some manufactures use oxide of different grades to get
a heavy matt finish.


To Brush stainless you can use any grade of abrasive
you like the look of.

Most factory finishes that you see are 320 or finer.

 

[CDPshooter]

Brushed Finish

It is quite easy to brush finish the polished sides of a slide.

Use a very flat base to insure the part stays flat. I use a piece of glass. Tape your sheet of sandpaper to the glass. After completely stripping the slide(you don't want any grit left behind) just place it on the paper and slide it back and forth in the direction you want the brush strokes. For perfect brush strokes running the length of the slide use a piece of 1" x 2" board as a guide to slide against( make sure it is straight) .I start with a 220 grit and end with what ever grit I decide looks good. 400 grit is usually where I end up. Don't fear messing anything up. This method is so simple you just can't mess up.

Good luck

Mike