What ruined the finish on this revolver?

B

bravo2uniform

New member
On the upside, I was searching for a beater to keep in my beater spare vehicle, and I certainly found it!

But what ruined the finish on this revolver? It is only 4 years old, doesn't look like it has ever been dropped or shot much. The internals are in good shape (no rust) and the lock up is nice and tight.

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Note the back strap corrosion, it is different from the rest of the finish damage, looks like sweat corrosion.

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What is the best way to refinish?
 
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I can't see the pics, but I'm betting someone used some really goofy cleaner on it.

Like the guys who think Simple Green is so great until they use it on a gun with an aluminum frame...

I'm thinkin that's what happened to it.
 
Since the barrel and cylinder are stainless and the frame is
aluminum I would guess it was cleaned with something that
reacted with the aluminum. Brake cleaner would be my
guess. Some bore cleaners will do it too.
 
Uneducated opinion: It kind of looks like someone painted it and the paint didn't take to it well.
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Exactly. There is something like clear coat on the surface. I'm not sure if this coating was on there when it was manufactured or added later.
 
My airweights appear to have a painted surface. Looks the same as yours, and I have damaged mine with a copper brush.

The barrel and cylinder do not have the same surface coating that the frame has.
 
The barrel and cylinder of 6xx-series Airweights are natural stainless steel; the frame is either painted or finished with a process similar to powder-coating, depending on which reference source you trust. I like to call it "faux stainless". :)
...I'm betting someone used some really goofy cleaner on it... Like the guys who think Simple Green is so great until they use it on a gun with an aluminum frame...
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I'm with the Count on this. ;) The bare aluminum visible in the backstrap picture appears to have a dark matte finish like it's been etched with a chemical. The natural aluminum on an Airweight frame under the "faux stainless" normally has a bright and shiny appearance.

Aside from Simple Green, some parts-store degreasing chemicals will also attack aluminum. A good idea when cleaning an Airweight is to avoid any cleaner with warnings against using it on aircraft. The exteriors of most modern aircraft are aluminum, and a tendency to attack this material is the usual reason for the warning.
 
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Uneducated opinion: It kind of looks like someone painted it and the paint didn't take to it well.
Click to expand...
Exactly. There is something like clear coat on the surface. I'm not sure if this coating was on there when it was manufactured or added later.
Click to expand...

That is how they come from the factory. Color and then a clear coat.
 
Color , then clear coat ? No anodize ??

Last time I read the Simple Green website they say can be used on aluminum but RINSE off after cleaning !!

A good number of revolvers from S&W have special finishes and there will be problems if they are removed .Read and follow the instructions carefully !!
 
S&W's Airweight revolvers use an aluminum frame anodized to look closer to stainless steel than bare aluminum. After to anodizing a clear coat is applied to protect the finish. It's likely this clear coat is nickel acetate (as used on the M-16/M-4 rifles). This finish is durable but can be stripped away by certain chemicals. It's my guess that's what happened here. Wrong solvent or trying to use something besides a gun solvent to clean the gun.
 
Not unusual. Smith went to a pretty pathetic "painted" finish on the airweights. I have a 269 thats just scratching off in places. One good dose of an aggressive cleaner of some sort, it can bubble right off. Smith may refinish it for free, they had alot come back for that finish.

I haven't bought a new lightweight, hopefully they got it figured out. Mechanically, I'm sure its good to go, just looks like poop.
 
I used to have polished aluminum rims on my car. I noticed after 2 years in the snow and salt my rims clear coat had cracked and bubbled, I had corrosion that look remarkably similar to your 642.
 
What to do about it?
Had a similar problem with my 642. Got tired of looking at the disgusting thing, so I sent it off to Walter Birdsong Assoc., and had them put on their "Black-T" finish. I dealt directly with Walter, but he is no longer with us. A serious loss to the firearms community.
I can't begin to tell you how satisfied I am with their work. Gun came back a uniform black, and it has held up for years with only a bit of holster wear showing.
Look 'em up, and decide for yourself.
http://www.black-t.com/
Hope this helps.
 
Looks like someone got wild with caustic bore cleaner all over that aluminum finish. Some folks just don't have the time to use two different chemicals.

I get people walking into my store with the "What happened to my wood grips?" question all the time...

"Did you put any chemicals on them?"

"no.... just wiped them down with the cleaning rag."

What else did you wipe with the rag?

"Bore foam after I cleaned the barrel."

"Well there you go... $80.00 grips for another strip of cloth... sorry."
 
Not sure what happened here, do know, as others have mentioned, that the finish on "Stainless" Airweights has been less than durable in recent years. Finally redid mine through Robar--Roguard Matte.
 
Robar claims that their NP3 plating can be applied to aluminum. That would go a long way toward restoring the original look of the handgun.
 
Mine looked exactly like that. Emailed S&W and they sent me a prepaid 2 day fedex label to send the gun in for repairs. A week later (yesterday) got a call saying that they're sending me a brand new 642 and need to send it to an FFL because it's not the same gun being returned.
Very sastified with their warranty service. I used to just carry it inside the waist band and think the sweat had something to do with the finish wearing off.
 
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