I have a 30+ year old stainless steel S&W Model 66 revolver that is in good working condition but has taken some cosmetic abuse over the years with dings and scratches in the metal. I would like to attempt to restore it without going overboard or doing irreversible damage. I have seen that taking 300 grit wet/dry sand paper to the oil treated metal by hand is a good way to remove the scratches that won’t simply buff out with a good polish. Have any NES members attempted doing this? My main concern is doing more damage to the metal, which would put it into a condition worse than the various scratches I started with. Any thoughts or experienced advise is appreciated.
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S&W Model 66 SS Revolver deep scratch removal
- Thread starter BPD88
- Start date
Messing with the finish can ruin its historic value. If that's not a concern, then you can use wet-dry paper to remove scratches and then buff it out. I would start with 600 grit or higher first. I have done this on my SS revolver to remove light scratches, then polished it afterwards. You will likely need to do the whole gun to obtain a uniform finish.
I have a SS kitchen range and it had some deep scratches that were removed by using a coarse sandpaper and progressively moving to a finer grit and finally 3M scouring pads (w/different grits). I was skeptical at first, but it worked. The final finish is not an exact match to the factory surface but close. I found several Youtube videos that outlined the process.
I have a SS kitchen range and it had some deep scratches that were removed by using a coarse sandpaper and progressively moving to a finer grit and finally 3M scouring pads (w/different grits). I was skeptical at first, but it worked. The final finish is not an exact match to the factory surface but close. I found several Youtube videos that outlined the process.
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It depends on what dash number it is and what barrel length (pinned barrel?) you have. If you have a real rare early version you might just want to do a light cleanup on it so as not to damage it's value.
Post whatever info you have on http://smith-wessonforum.com/forum.php for more advise to help you in your decision.
Post whatever info you have on http://smith-wessonforum.com/forum.php for more advise to help you in your decision.
Thanks MA_Shooter for the advise. I will grab some 600 gr. as well. I don't think this is a rare model, but I will do a little research before I start to make sure. All I know about it is that it was LE issued in the 70's before the switch over to semi-auto.
Pilgrim, this is a no-dash Model 66, pinned 4 inch barrel. It is not the first run, since those have all SS front and rear sights. Mine has blued rear, and SS with orange/red insert front sight, Should I just leave it alone, with a light buff in your opinion?
Since it's pinned, that makes it more valuable than most, although not as much as the SS sights version. I'd just give it a light buff and not get too aggressive with it. There are many out there that would like a pinned 66 (me included) no dash and sanding it down would greatly reduce it's appeal.
Even 600 is pretty course to start. You need to be real careful not to make it worse. I would use something like 800 or 1000 with some water or oil. Clean and check progress regularly. Finish with 2000 then polishing rouge.
