Rough Finish on 1911

[BE Mike]

Is there any way to smooth the rough "GI" finish on a new 1911, like Springfield Armory, without completely destroying the finish and having to have it reblued or coated? To me the new finishes seem about as rough as sandpaper, compared to the old Colt finishes.

[IndyGunworks]

only thing that comes to mind is maybe some 0000 steel wool with a touch of oil... if that doesnt work then maybe a clear coat of duracoat... after that i think its refinish time

[Jay]

Originally Posted by BE Mike

Is there any way to smooth the rough "GI" finish on a new 1911, like Springfield Armory, without completely destroying the finish and having to have it reblued or coated? To me the new finishes seem about as rough as sandpaper, compared to the old Colt finishes.

The bead blasting currently in use is a bit coarser than they used to use. Parkerized finishes are generally more durable, because the rougher texture holds onto the oil (that we all wipe our firearms down with.. ) a bit longer. I think you'll have a tough time "smoothing" it out without having to refinish it. If you really are unhappy with it, there's a gent in Miami, or Cass County that does parkerizing. He's done several jobs for me, and does good work.

[IndyGunworks]

my parkerizing tanks will be up and running shortly as well

[Disposable Heart]

Parkerization is yet another of the "corrosive" protective surfaces. It eats into the metal and adheres to the surface. Every time I tried to smooth it (to get the aforementioned "Colt" surface), no luck.

After attempting several removal methods on various Rock Islands I have had, the only real way I got it to come "off" was bead blasting. Even then, it left a vaguely rough surface that I could not polish for a polished blue (only a matte blue). I figured that just removing the park would give me Tabula Raza for a new finish. The metal itself was very rough FROM the original park.

Maybe Cerracoat? They make a color (can't remember it's name off the bat) that looks like Park in color but far smoother (but not glossy).

[BE Mike]

I don't really expect to get the old Colt finish, but man when I wipe down the gun with a cloth, much of the cloth is left on the gun. I guess I'm pretty much stuck with it unless I want to invest a C note or more in a re-finish. That's what I thought, but I was hoping there might be some trick I hadn't heard of.

[Jay]

Originally Posted by BE Mike

I don't really expect to get the old Colt finish, but man when I wipe down the gun with a cloth, much of the cloth is left on the gun. I guess I'm pretty much stuck with it unless I want to invest a C note or more in a re-finish. That's what I thought, but I was hoping there might be some trick I hadn't heard of.

Mike, here's the link to that parkerizing site. He may have a solution for you.....


Parkerizing

[Disposable Heart]

I did recall one where I took some emory cloth (or lighter, smaller grit, dark gray Gator Paper) and lightly worked on one. I wasn't careful enough and I got lighter, splotchy sections of park on the edges, however, they were VERY smooth on the flat surfaces.

I would imagine you have FAR more patience and caring grace than I: You could pull it off with a bit of work?

[IndyGunworks]

they also probably used alum oxide grit to blast before parking... you can polish slightly before a park and get smoother results, but like you said, it would cost pretty close to a C note

[BE Mike]

Thanks for the info guys. Thanks for the link, Jay. I'll have to give this some thought before I act.