Security-Six Polishing?

[Anonymous]

I have recently bought a 1969 Security-Six in a rather dull finished Stainless Steel and l would like to polish it until it has almost a mirror like finish.
My queries are...
1 Is it possible to polish it up like this
2 If so, what type of polish should l use
£ Do l need to also buy any 'Dremel' type tools, or can this be done
simply by hand ?

Thank you for your thoughts

 

[hittman]

By hand. Mothers Mag Polish works for me.

Or ~ Ruger may be able to restore that factory "brushed" look if you give them a call.

 

[pisgah]

The main thig you'll need is an abundance of elbow grease, combined with any good micro-abrasive polish (Mother's Mag, Flitz, etc.) Stay away from a Dremel -- guaranteed to give you eneven results.

 

[rugerguy]

good info above, all it takes is time & effort and do it by hand tyr and stay away from "powered hand tools) and leave the power buffing to those with experience and skill ( touch) you can and will ruin it.................

 

[DB30]

Dr.,
If you would like to have a finish close to original, you can use a new 3M Scoth Brite Heavy Duty scouring pad. Work by hand and follow the original contours and direction then repeat with a worn in Scotch Brite and finish with a Cape Cod Polishing Cloth. JMO, but the results are pretty nice.
Good Luck.
DB

 

[hittman]

burgandy or white ScotchBrite pads seem to work best for me.

 

[kstoneking]

1. Yes, the stainless finish can definitely be polished to a high sheen.

2. I personally use Flitz Metal Polish with great results.

3. You can do absolutely everything you need to do by hand.


Good luck, I hope you achieve the results you want.

Kenny

 

[Lost Sheep]

See Post #24 for a REALLY high shine SP and post 43 for a Security Six

http://rugerforum.net/projects/8010-polishing-sp101.html

If you like the look, the rest of the thread talks about how.

 

[Anonymous]

May l first of all say a very big thank you to all who sent me advice on this topic...........WOW! what a friendly Forum!

Now though l am faced with another small problem..............do l try to get my old fingers rubbing away with the polishes you suggested..........or do l start looking in the 'For Sale' section for one already done....................
Gosh decisions like this are better made after a glass of Scotch Whisky!!!

Methinks l should start dropping hints to HWMBO about this and see if she takes the hint.

Safe shooting and thanks once again

 

[Lost Sheep]

post 11 on this thread on the firingline.com, by brewman gives a good description of how polishing to a mirror finish is supposed to work.

The only thing he leaves out is that you must maintain regularity in the curves and the flats must be FLAT. Any irregularity will be PAINFULLY obvious with distortion of the reflections in the finish. Think of a "fun-house" mirror. You don't want that look on your gun.

That unevenness is probably the greatest danger when using a hand-held powered tool, like the Dremel.

I would suggest you get whatever you decide to use as polish and tools and then get a piece of scrap steel about 1" by 4" or larger and see how you do with it (all the way to completion) before you tackle your gun. If you get a thin piece, 3"x5", you can use it as a camp mirror, so you work will not be wasted.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=409271&highlight=polishing

As a toolmaker and having worked for many years in the plastic molding industry I have polished countless dies to a high grade finish.

There is a vitally important step you are missing in the art of polishing.

Polishing is all about making scratches, making them all the same size and then just making them smaller and smaller until you can not see them.

First and most important rule is whenever you change grit size eg 400 to 600 change polish direction meaning polish across the grain of the last grit size. 90 degrees across the previous is optimal but 25 at least will still work if careful.

What this does is show up every tiny little 400 scratch that is left and it will stand out very clearly, you continue to use the current 600 grit until every scratch from the previous 400 is gone then you know every scratch on the surface is a 600 grit scratch. Go down to 800 change direction and polish out every little 600 scratch, got to 1000 change direction and polish out every 800 scratch. Do this until you finish with 1200 grit scratches any finer is not required and a waste of time unless you are making a mold for glasses lenses or something like that which must be perfect.

Buff it to a mirror like finish by getting some of the polishing soap / wax that you use on buffing wheels cut a small piece off and melt it gently in a steel can mix kerosene into it to form a paste, soak this paste into a small piece of felt and then use a wooden dowel on the felt to be like a polishing stone this will give the surface a final buff and shine it.

You will be amazed how good a polish you will get.

Remember don’t go to a finer grit till EVERY scratch is gone from the previous grit and CHANGE DIRECTION or you will never know when you have removed all the previous scratches. Oh and don’t concentrate on any one area too much or you will get a sink that will stick out like dog balls when finally buffed

Good polishing is time consuming but when done well quite satisfying.

Cheers.

Here are a couple of more interesting/educational links:
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=412413&highlight=polishing

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=439500&highlight=polishing

 

[w5lx]

Mother's Mag Polish
Soft rag
15-20 minutes:

 

[A1tommygun]

1969?

+1 By hand. Mothers Mag Polish

 

[yogiboobooranger]

I am a Mother's user as well. The best time to polish is while watching a good cowboy movie..have done many of a gun this way and my work usually helped in the sales of said guns. Not hard to do and the results are very gratifying.

 

[Dances with Jaguars]

I am a Mother's user as well.

I'm another one that likes Mother's Mag Polish. I started out using a soft rag to polish my GP 100, but my fat finger didn't fit real well into the area under the rear sight.
I broke out the Dremel and carefully polished the area only to discover that the Dremel took the efforts I had already done from nice and shiny to dang near mirror finish! Ended up doing the entire gun! Looks great, and I only touch it up from time to time with either Mother's or Flitz.

 

[P94/GP100]

Twenty minutes or so with Mother's Mag Polish-the stuff really works(and easily, too):

Best, Jon

 

[44shootist]

I tryed the mothers and hand polish did not do the job.
a buffing machine or polishing wheel on your bench grinder with rouge will, can make it like a mirror in a minute or two, and will not harm the metal in any way, call it a power polishing rag.
Forget the hand work, think ruger polishes by hand? NO they use a buffing machine.

 

[RedlegM109A1]

The polished revolvers on this thread do look gorgeous.

I admit that I am a chicken. My GP100 has the factory "brushed" look and I would not dare mess with it in such a fashion.

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

I have recently bought a 1969 Security-Six in a rather dull finished Stainless Steel

Eh..... no you didn't!

While there were about a dozen prototypes made in 1969, commercial shipment did not begin until 1970 and then only a few hundred guns. Followed by a few thousand in 1971. Volume shipment did not begin until 1972 but even then these guns were all blue. A few stainless guns were made in 1973 but didn't start to trickle out until 1974. Quantity shipment on stainless really go moving in 1975.

So what serial number are we talking about here?

If it is 150-xxxxx then I would leave it alone as it has more value as an early stainless gun.

BTW, here is one of the earliest stainless guns, made along about 1973 then shipped twice, once in 1975 and again in 2009. Factory prototype "high polish" finish 8)

 

[Anonymous]

WEASELMEATGRAVY................thank you for your comments and in reply l would say that l have no exact idea of the age of this gun as l cannot find any Serial Number anywhere on it (perhaps been brushed out ?)
The only reason l listed it as a 1969 model was that this was the year l was told it was by the seller.
Can you please give me any ideas as to how to 'date it' other than the serial number ?
Many thanks

Barrie

 

[cellar701]

Do your grips cover up the bottom of the metal grip frame? Look down there. Target grips or the rubber replacement grips will cover that part of grip frame and you'll have to take grips off to see it.

If no serial number, I'll let others chime in on the legal advice. That would certainly take any concern about "collector value" off the table.

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

Yes, as stated above the SN is on the butt (OK since the drip frame is integral with the cylinder frame). Factory grips do not cover it, but some aftermarket grips wrap around without a "window" to see the SN through.

 

[Anonymous]

The grips on this model are the complete wrap around wooden type with 'finger cut-outs' and are secured via a screw going upwards from the bottom.
Upon removal the Serial Number is exposed and is stated to be.............
155-76190.
Can anyone therefore confirm that this is as old as l was told it was?

Many thanks

Barrie

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

Upon removal the Serial Number is exposed and is stated to be.............
155-76190.
Can anyone therefore confirm that this is as old as l was told it was?

Nope. Off by a decade.

Probably late 1979 or very early 1980. Would be the revised "high back" frame (different from the early frame in the pic I showed above - check the slope of the top of the backstrap and the amount of the hammer "hump" that shows above the frame and you will see what I mean - by and large, the frame design changed at the 151 SN prefix, though there are some blue high back guns in the 150 prefix and some stainless low back guns in the 151 prefix). With that SN, you should also have the Warning statement on the barrel, which started in 1978. Ruger numbered sequentially in the -Six DA's, 100,000 guns in each prefix 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155... up into the 162 prefix before production halted in 1988.

You can get the ship date (month/year) and model from Ruger Records department by calling 603-865-2424 and giving them the SN. Being a stainless Security Six, the model number will be GA-something. If it is (likely) a .357 mag, the next number will be a 3, then the following number will correspond to the barrel length (either 2, 4, or 6 for 2.75", 4", or 6"). The most common would be a .357 with 4" barrel, which would be a model GA-34. Same gun in blue would be a RDA-34. The gun in my pic has a 2.75" barrel so is a GA-32 (albeit with the non-standard finish).

 

[cellar701]

Our source (RENE) says ship date of 1979. Sounds like a nice revolver. Enjoy!

 

[weaselmeatgravy]

...since the drip frame is integral with...

For those who are curious about the drip frame... :lol: :shock:

I... uh... meant grip frame

 

[Anonymous]

WEASELMEATGRAVY........Yes you did have me scratching the back of my bald spot with that one LOL :?:
Thank you to all who wrote in to help me with this.....................it's just a pity that all Forums aren't as helpful as this one is

Barrie

 

[M. HALL]

WEASELMEATGRAVY........Yes you did have me scratching the back of my bald spot with that one LOL :?:
Thank you to all who wrote in to help me with this.....................it's just a pity that all Forums aren't as helpful as this one is
Barrie

TOO TRUE!

Matt