Sp101 finish

[nonosrcng]

Soninpicked up an sp101 off a fellow member here. It has a few light scuffs in the finish. I took some polish and a microfiber cloth to it and the scuff is pretty much gone but, now I have a polished to almost mirror finish in that spot. How do I go about getting the machine finish look back, or doni finish polishing the whole thing?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[ojisan]

Try 600 then maybe 400 grit sandpaper very lightly in a circular motion.
Steel wool might work too.
Stay very light on the pressure, you don't want to make deep scratches.

Otherwise, keep polishing.

[MosinVirus]

What does the original finish look like?

[JTROKS]

Original should be wire brushed finished.

[nonosrcng]

What does the original finish look like?

The original finish I like a brushed stainless, I know it's hard to see in this photo but it's obviously not polished.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[nonosrcng]

Try 600 then maybe 400 grit sandpaper very lightly in a circular motion.
Steel wool might work too.
Stay very light on the pressure, you don't want to make deep scratches.

Otherwise, keep polishing.

Are you sure about the circular motion?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

[heidad01]

Are you sure about the circular motion?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Good question. Why circular motion?

Use some 0000 "STAINLESS" steel wool. Go with the grain where you are rubbing. Basically, you are putting very fine scratches on the finish.

You can also use GRAY 3M pads (Scotchbrite). Go lightly as steel wool and the gray pads are abrasive. You do not want to ruin any lines or edges on the gun.

Do not use polishing compound to remove scratches on a brushed stainless finish. You get a mirrored shiny spot that does not match. Like OP did. Use steel wool or 3M pads. Go with the grain and lightly.

Do not use regular steel wool. It leaves small steal particles in your stainless gun and will cause rusting.

[foothillman]

Good question. Why circular motion?

Use some 0000 "STAINLESS" steel wool. Go with the grain where you are rubbing. Basically, you are putting very fine scratches on the finish.

You can also use GRAY 3M pads (Scotchbrite). Go lightly as steel wool and the gray pads are abrasive. You do not want to ruin any lines or edges on the gun.

Do not use polishing compound to remove scratches on a brushed stainless finish. You get a mirrored shiny spot that does not match. Like OP did. Use steel wool or 3M pads. Go with the grain and lightly.

Do not use regular steel wool. It leaves small steal particles in your stainless gun and will cause rusting.

I had to remove a scratch from a brushed SS frame and used both the "Purple" "Green" 3M pads. I removed the grips and practice on area that was hidden first. Had to shift back and forth to get same look.

Have both stainless and nickle finish on my revolvers.

Wax on Wax off is NOT how I would do it. Do as heidad01 advises.

[ojisan]

My early SP101 had a rough finish that was not a all straight lines wire wheel type.
Going in one direction only just made lines in one direction only.
That's why I suggested a circular motion, very light to rough up the surface.

I actually just got done with polishing my SP.
I made a mistake in the process of polishing the cylinder, which was very rough with front to back grain.
I was going to use some 600 grit sandpaper to smooth the surface a bit.
Since I was going for a smooth surface, I went for a circular motion so I did not create more lines going in one direction.
I accidentally grabbed a piece of 400 grit and did the circular motion.
It made an effect very similar to the original finish.
This was the reason for my suggestion.

My apologies for trying to help the OP.
I didn't realize that metal polishing methods were of such importance to you all.
Frankly, the OP has little chance of making the blemish go away.
It's already messed up, the likelihood of matching the original look is near zero.
The OP has nothing to loose by trying different methods.

Thanks for the face palms, you guys are so much fun to hang out with.

[ojisan]

Yup, too much circular motion.

[foothillman]

^^^^ understand why and thank you for explanation.
The only time I use sand paper is "wet" with oil and only after the others do not work.

As you stated it will not look factory new, but to blend the finish.

Normal wear marks are fine in my book. It is only the large eye catching ones are worth the effort. Letting others use your firearm has risks.

[MosinVirus]

I can't label myself as a finisher, but I do a couple of different things to get different results.

For a brushed finish I sand in one direction.
For a satin finish I go over the surface with a fine crimped stainless steel wire (.003" wire diameter) carding brush (same thing as wire wheel). It does wonders especially over sand blasted surfaces.

[jdg30]

My early SP101 had a rough finish that was not a all straight lines wire wheel type.
Going in one direction only just made lines in one direction only.
That's why I suggested a circular motion, very light to rough up the surface.

I actually just got done with polishing my SP.
I made a mistake in the process of polishing the cylinder, which was very rough with front to back grain.
I was going to use some 600 grit sandpaper to smooth the surface a bit.
Since I was going for a smooth surface, I went for a circular motion so I did not create more lines going in one direction.
I accidentally grabbed a piece of 400 grit and did the circular motion.
It made an effect very similar to the original finish.
This was the reason for my suggestion.

My apologies for trying to help the OP.
I didn't realize that metal polishing methods were of such importance to you all.
Frankly, the OP has little chance of making the blemish go away.
It's already messed up, the likelihood of matching the original look is near zero.
The OP has nothing to loose by trying different methods.

Thanks for the face palms, you guys are so much fun to hang out with.

Your methods are perfect, don't let people discourage you by their opinions. I sanded off the legal labels from my SP101 and also a GP100. I used different sanding/refinishing methods with different materials and the end result turned out great on both. The stainless steel on the Rugers is forgiving and can be refinished if it gets messed up. If one doesn't like circular sanding, it can be changed do directional swipes, or vice versa.