Hunting Washington Forum

Equipment & Gear => Guns and Ammo => Topic started by: blmathis12 on December 09, 2014, 07:21:25 AM

Title: Re-bead blasting stainless?
Post by: blmathis12 on December 09, 2014, 07:21:25 AM: Have questions on bead blasting a stainless weatherby I picked up! The barrel has wear marks that are polished to almost mirror finish and light scratches id like to remove has anyone re-bead blasted a gun and any tips on size/grit of material glass/sand and what kinda pressure they set the blaster for I've been researching and watching some videos looking for anyone's input
Title: Re: Re-bead blasting stainless?
Post by: jeepster on December 10, 2014, 12:43:21 AM: Skip the sand, skip the glass. All of that will f stuff up.

This link is from my friends Volkswagen shop... I think it should do wonders on guns too

http://www.aircooledtech.com/tools-on-the-cheap/soda_blaster/ (http://www.aircooledtech.com/tools-on-the-cheap/soda_blaster/)

If that doesn't work, try using crushed walnut shells or something organic before going to an agrigate
Title: Re: Re-bead blasting stainless?
Post by: Yondering on December 10, 2014, 04:10:03 PM: Quote from: jeepster on December 10, 2014, 12:43:21 AM
Skip the sand, skip the glass. All of that will f stuff up.

This link is from my friends Volkswagen shop... I think it should do wonders on guns too

http://www.aircooledtech.com/tools-on-the-cheap/soda_blaster/ (http://www.aircooledtech.com/tools-on-the-cheap/soda_blaster/)

If that doesn't work, try using crushed walnut shells or something organic before going to an agrigate

Ah... no. Soda, walnut shells, etc are mainly for cleaning and removing paint, rust, etc.

Glass bead gives the matte/satin finish commonly found on stainless guns. Just protect the areas you don't want blasted (like the bore, etc) and plan to blast the whole barrel and receiver, since it can be difficult to exactly match the existing finish.

Don't use aluminum oxide or other "sand" media, unless you want a coarse finish that will be coated with something else.
Title: Re: Re-bead blasting stainless?
Post by: kingmountain on December 10, 2014, 06:47:58 PM: I bead blasted my stainless Ruger m77,turned out like new. Just make sure you use new glass beads, for best results.
Title: Re: Re-bead blasting stainless?
Post by: blmathis12 on December 10, 2014, 06:52:18 PM: What grit glass media did you use?
Title: Re: Re-bead blasting stainless?
Post by: kingmountain on December 10, 2014, 09:04:25 PM: Medium http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200136774_200136774 (http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200136774_200136774)
Title: Re: Re-bead blasting stainless?
Post by: jeepster on December 10, 2014, 10:37:19 PM: Quote from: Yondering on December 10, 2014, 04:10:03 PM
Quote from: jeepster on December 10, 2014, 12:43:21 AM
Skip the sand, skip the glass. All of that will f stuff up.

This link is from my friends Volkswagen shop... I think it should do wonders on guns too

http://www.aircooledtech.com/tools-on-the-cheap/soda_blaster/ (http://www.aircooledtech.com/tools-on-the-cheap/soda_blaster/)

If that doesn't work, try using crushed walnut shells or something organic before going to an agrigate

Ah... no. Soda, walnut shells, etc are mainly for cleaning and removing paint, rust, etc.

Glass bead gives the matte/satin finish commonly found on stainless guns. Just protect the areas you don't want blasted (like the bore, etc) and plan to blast the whole barrel and receiver, since it can be difficult to exactly match the existing finish.

Don't use aluminum oxide or other "sand" media, unless you want a coarse finish that will be coated with something else.

Well I'll be a monkeys uncle... I'm surprised they even let me still post on this site
Title: Re: Re-bead blasting stainless?
Post by: RadSav on December 10, 2014, 11:01:21 PM: My Kimber is looking a little beat up too. I think I will be sending it off for a more neutral colored Cerakote.
Title: Re: Re-bead blasting stainless?
Post by: j_h_nimrod on December 10, 2014, 11:30:18 PM: I have not tried it but was talking to a coatings technician and certified tinkerer and he mentioned using a plastic bead media for metal finishes. He thought it would keep abrasive media from embedding, make for a cleaner finish, and was better for dust and spatter. Anyone used/tried this?

My Weatherby Vanguard 2 was getting a few scratches and I was Looking for an alternative to the brighter stainless finish. I looked into darkening stainless and tried using Birchwood Casey blue &rust remover. I am pretty happy with the results, it is a little mottled, but a nice dark gray finish is what I ended up with. The barrel and action is almost as dark as the stock now. It looks very close to the Ruger dark gray finish.
Title: Re: Re-bead blasting stainless?
Post by: kingmountain on December 11, 2014, 07:05:01 AM: For stainless. I haven't used it, but have used the Rugged Blue. Easy to apply and great results,and made in Washington. www.shootersolutions.com/ssgunblue.html (http://www.shootersolutions.com/ssgunblue.html)
Title: Re: Re-bead blasting stainless?
Post by: HighlandLofts on December 19, 2014, 08:59:51 AM: Any pictures of the finished product? I like the satin finish on stainless.
Title: Re: Re-bead blasting stainless?
Post by: blmathis12 on December 19, 2014, 09:15:27 PM: I finished my bead blasting on the weatherby came out perfect looks new from the factory! I used a 140-230 grit glass bead. I tell you what it's a pain to clean up the glass bead gets into every little piece