11 years later and I still come back to this video to try to do this again. Thanks

Always start with the finest grit possible and slowly progress to coarser grit wet/dry sandpaper until the original deep scratches are gone then reverse the grit progression. In this way, you will not introduce new, deeper scratches to the surface that will need to be sanded out also. The depth of the original scratch may be shallower than you think.

I gotta say you took the fear factor out of performing those kind of tasks on a firearm. Keep up the great presentations and don't ever lose that sense of humor of yours.

The lighting is fine, the video looks great. Takes me back to my days working in a gunsmithing shop. Keep up the great work man.

Awesome video, this was exactly what I was looking for. A buddy picked up a used 1911 that is stainless but polished to almost a mirror finish in spots, and those spots have a few scratches in them. Like 99% of everywhere had the same tired chant, "Leave finishing to pros" blah blah, but I knew there was no reason to spend a hundred bucks on a couple of scratches in stainless. Thanks a million.

Great! So you removed some minor unnoticeable dings and added some very noticeable scratches on the right side of the gun. You're a friggin genius

Thank you so much for this video. I Spent 3 hours last night restoring a 640-1 SW. There was some major scratches on a couple corners like it was skipped on the road or something. Looks beautiful now. I used a 320 grit sandpaper sponge block because thats all wally world had but it worked. I think i got TOO fine of steel wool because it wont buff out the very minor scuffs/ surface scratches. it was rated 0000 fineness.

Fantastic video! Thanks so much for sharing. I look forward to the polishing one.

Really great video. I have a old Ruger with lots of scrathces I want to fix up and this vid is going to help me so much. Thanks for all the great info.

This is an awesome video on how to fix some scratches and dings ,thanks I will use this advice.

these are some great tips i just purchased a stainless steel revolver recently and plan on rapairing it a bit and polishing it to a nice shine so thanks alot for the tips!!!

Good information, well presented. Yep, taking too much off is easier than trying to some of it back. Thanks

Another great video PBP!

Great video. Love the tip on restoring the screws! I was just going to order new ones. Now you need to make a video on how you polish. I checked to see if you did but couldn't find any.

When I need to sand with a straight edge I use polystyrene sheets glued together and then wrapped them in sandpaper. The cool thing about using the polystyrene sheets is if you have a odd angle or shape you need to work around you can cut the polystyrene into any shape. Then you can even lay the polystyrene custom shape you made on the smooth back of the sandpaper then cut it to shape and glue them together and you have a nice little sanding tool.

good job and lesson glad i watched till the end👍🏻

Thank you for posting this video, just got my first stainless revolver GP -100 and has a bunch of marks on the top frame of the gun, will try your method to have them removed.

Thanks! Just removed some scratches from my Sig P230.

Great thank you! I bought some Mother's Mag and Aluminum polish. I just bought a used 686+ and it just needs a little buffing.

Very informative video... Thanks for posting!

Solid video going to apply some lessons to my 686-2

Is this a YankeeMarshal video? No homo-erotic jokes, no toilet humor, and no low brow humor that we have come to expect from such an A1 class act. Even with such gems as "Wet down with oil" and "I have a nice good screw again"

Very helpful, Nice Colt!

Awesome video. Thank you for sharing.

i used a little of 320 grid sand paper, and then i used regular soft scotch pad the one u use for ur household to smooth it out my sw1911 stainless came out beuitifull

Look at that professional short stroker at work !

Excellent video. Thank You

Thank you. Some good tips I wouldn't have thought of.

I know this is old but it's a helpful video thanks yankee, I'm looking at a stainless Dan Wesson pm-9 that has an idiot scratch and was researching before I bought it

Good tips! relevant to more than firearms!

Thanks man that helped out alot! you have a good one

A craftsman at work.

Sorry about the scratches, but well done on the cylinder pitting. When I saw the 320 grit paper, my SP101 stood up and said "Sir, you keep that away from me, and I don't ever complain." I think the coarsest paper I have for gun work is 1000, for internal polishing.

Wood is good, it's not too hard. Sounds like a personal problem. Great video I love your style and your new intro motage!

Good stuff. I have a 605 that needs this.

Really good tips! Thanks

Today I came home with a fairly expensive used stainless steel firearm that may have been polished to a mirror finish by it's previous owner. Because of the gun's value, I'm trying to decide on whether to try and bring it back to it's original satin finish. I've been aware of the "wetordry" 400-grit technique but adding oil was something new to me and makes a lot sense. I'd like to see your technique on blending in the sanding with the "grain" of the gun's finish.

1st video i watched of yours subscribing

Great video!

Nice job !!!

Good video, thanks, learned a lot

Thanks for the tips.....

So the so called "gunsmith" that I took my S&W 640-1 to to have the timing fixed which he did also in the process managed to damage the perimeter feather edge of the access side plate, creating a raised lip in several spots. So, I am in the process of removing/restoring that interface with 1000, 1500, and 2000 grit wet or dry sandpaper from the auto parts store. I've done this before when I mounted a new lower frame on a Ruger SB. The rough casting was about .030" oversize so lots of sanding on a piece of marble bought from Lowe's. You can do this if you have patience and understand the grit sizes are used to remove the previous sanding scratches. Finish with Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish on a Dremel felt tip. Good as new!

You're the Bob Ross of gun refinishing. lol. Good video though in all seriousness.

Good job on the gun ! :-)

Great video.

Thanks. Great vid. I'm getting ready to restore a shotgun and a rifle. This will help me a lot. Donnie D

Thank You for the info!

Looking forward to the polishing vid.

YM, this is great advice; thank you. I'd do one more thing. I'd rest the gun against the table or clamp in in a vise with padded jaws, while I sanded, to minimize its movement.

Good Video. I enjoyed it. I've done this type of work on many occations in my shop. Some of you may want to try "Scotch Brite Pads". They come in a variety of grits and from my experience, it's much harder to make mistakes.

yeah me too, but its going to be a new learning experience for me so i hope it works out for me

I have seen a few of your videos, you make videos with a real content, not only videos for posting videos. nice.

Love working with my hands building and toying with this kinda stuff, this video makes me want to buy a used stainless revolver

You can retexture the frame with a garnet blast. If you mean the slide just have it ceracoated.

man cant wait til colt brings out its new cobra . hope you do a review ym

satin brushed stainless finish Just the standard finish. Thanks for the reply!

@arealgasm Just remove the screw and sand the top to get off the damaged slot adage and round the top off. Then use a small file or a piece of folded over sandpaper to file the slot out smooth...or you can just order new screws.

damn that was a great video. thanks

You're welcome...

Is it weird that this video got me a little excited?

John Doe... I have a feeling you're correct.

Great video what are your thoughts on buying brushed stainless revolver vs bead blasted for durability?

I just got a Ruger Wrangler today. I looked it over when I was picking it up. But then when I got home I noticed a scratch on the hammer on one side. Know shouldn't bother me but kinda does. Have to try this.

Have you tried using a thin, very thin screw file as a flat to use with the sand paper. Great job

In some cases I do that, but in others I want that tactile feedback from holding the gun during.

Great video! But have a Smith & Wesson 32 revolver and the color of it is kind of faded what should i do to restore the color?

I'm thinking "Bondo" or maybe bathroom caulk would be a good quick fix for a crack in a Jennings slide. Although the cost of the Bondo might exceed the actual value of the gun.... (It's a JOKE before I get a hundred messages telling me why this is a bad idea...). Enjoyed your video as always YM, your hands on how-to videos are very infotaining...

a gouged screw head should be manipulated with a finely polished hammer to keep as much material in the head as possible before buffing. get some hollow ground screwdrivers or bits to prevent "slippage" in flat head screws.

Thanks...my goal was to not show off, but to show how easy it is if I can do it.

Hi Yankee Marshal. Quick question... Will this work on a scratch on the flat part behind the cylinder right next to the grip. I am restoring a ruger police service 6 from like 1977, so you know it is scratched everywhere and it drives me nuts!

Sand paper is a wonderful thing.

The Colt Magnum Carry looks suspiciously like the new Cobra that came out in 2017.

Surprisingly, I have been told that many times before.

Got a Taurus 85 stainless, it has a couple burrs inside the cylinder where the ejector meets the cylinder, it causes the casings to be in a bind to where you have to force the bullets in while loading. What do you recommend for removing those burrs?

@razio54 synthetic steel wool.

Great Video...Is there anyway to remove a ding on the outside of a muzzle crown? Thanks for any response.

Great video can you do one for a glock pistol I got some serious holster rub if anything can be done,but I doubt it

You will need to buff them out then bead blast the surface. If you try to just remove them you will end up with areas that do not match.

They can be removed, but it is a lot of work.

@TheLawson1986 I would probably not remove it unless you are not worried about collectors value. If I did remove it I would just soak the gun in one of many rust removal substances to remove the rust. If it was something I was keeping and never selling (like a family heirloom) I would do just what I did here and then have Colt refinish it.

Do you have pics of the damage?

Hey Yankee! Any advice on how I can fix a very thin scratch on black gloss enamel on a thin piece of steel?

Will this work on satin stainless stell

How does the 320 grit compare to emery cloth? Some of the older PPC shooters that I learned to shoot with also showed me some tips on cleaning up S&W triggers with a similar process using a small wood block, gun oil, and emery cloth.

It is really easy to do once you stop being afraid to try.

If it is laser etching, yes.

Is it ok to use the same technique on the surface part of the steel by the grip? And if so, what’s the best way to buff the scratch out?

i just use the skip it across the concrete method. It works just fine

Thanks that help

Is it normal for me to "sport wood" when polishing my Colt Gold Cup?

I have a Ruger Redhawk with a large scuffed area on the cylinder that looks as if someone dropped it on a concrete or paved surface. Any recommendations on this area? Also some people suggest 800-1200 grit Scotch-Brite pads, any reason why you choose not to use those?

It does...I am actually quite a slob in some aspects of my life.

You almost said "Rubbing it in the crack..." good save... I'm surprised that wasn't caption-worthy...

Oiled down synthetic steel wool.

@Yankee marshal how can you fix small scratches on a brushed stainless Finnish?

I'm curious. After removing that scratch on the left side of your front sight blade, does the gun now shoot to the left with a normal sight picture?

Go to an auction site like ebay or gunbroker and check there. If they don't have it, just keep an eye on it. I'm sure it will turn up before long.

Satin Stainless steel finish.. Would you have any advice???

Can i use that for black/blued revolver too? Effective on alluminum alloys?