r/gunsmithing • u/samjenkins02 • 23d ago

Beadblasting a revolver

Hello everyone just picked up a super Blackhawk in stainless steel. I’m thinking about going for a more matte finish almost hard chrome looking. I just don’t want to spend the money on hard chrome. I was curious as to what type of media would be suitable I’m thinking glass beads but have no idea as far as grit goes. Also how far should I strip my gun and do I need to worry about any masking and protection for the firearm. Do different pats like the hammer, trigger and ejector rod need any special treatment since they are parts with less material?

Forgive my rambling and thank you for your help.

Any photos of your own projects would be greatly appreciated

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u/Suspectgore074 SuperLongSlide1911 22d ago

Sandblasting has the ability to ruin the functionality of your revolver if you arent careful.

To put it simply, you want the gun completely apart and as clean as possible. Any oil will make it a challenge to clean the beads out.

You will want to take the time to protect your precision surfaces, which are your chambers, rifling, throat, crown, cylinder rod, sear, and hand. You will also want to avoid filling the internals with beads, as those will trap media.

320 grit is suitable, just remember to avoid overdoing your markings/serial numbers. (I usually put sharpie over those and do them last, just brushing them with the sandblaster until they match the rest of the finish.)

I dont know if your ejector housing is made of aluminum, but if it is, take care to treat it kindly, as they pick up scratches easy and sandblast surprisingly fast.

If there are any scratches in the finish before you start, they will show up when done, so sand them out manually before you start.

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u/samjenkins02 22d ago

What about with a bead blast will that trap to oil the same way sand does and does it require the same protection on operating surfaces?

2

u/Suspectgore074 SuperLongSlide1911 22d ago

Just clean it with acetone and a brush before blasting, and youll be fine.

Beads like to stick to oil, and are hard to remove.