Can You Remove Engraving

carlson1

carlson1

Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2007
Messages
103
I am looking at buying a S&W M49 that is nickel plated. The old owner engraved his social security number on the grip. I guess he was thinking he would live for ever and always own the gun.

My question is there a way to polish that engraving out? Is there anything you can do to get rid of it?

TIA
 
Unfortunately it is on the front strap. Could a gunsmith get it off. It is really a piece of history I want. It is pinned and recessed. Other that the gun is immaculate. It has the serial number on the grips matching the gun.
 
ANYTHING can be done given enough time and money. In this case the engraving would have to be overfilled with the same alloy by an expert metallurgist and machined back to original by an expert machinist. Even then collectors are going to call it restored and not original, even if the repair is undetectable.
the alternative would be to have a machinist replace the front strap with one from a donor pistol.
Either way you would end up spending more on the repair than the gun is worth. It all depends on how you value the item.
 
If it really bugs you, buy another gun. Even if you could get it removed at a reasonable cost, you will always know it had been there and will always be able to "see" it.

Back in the 70's I guess it was, "everybody" was telling us to engrave our SS number on everything. Police depts, insurance companies, etc, would loan you an electric pencil, or you could buy them for ten bucks at every place you could think of including 7-11. Protecting your personal information wasn't a big deal in those pre internet days. Heck, people put their names on mailboxes back then too. I too, was young and dumb and engraved mine on more than one gun, but I at least had enough sense to put in in some hidden place, like under the grips. Never occurred to us (me anyway) that there was already a unique serial number on the gun, TV, most everything really. Well....Duhhhhhhhhhh. Who knew?

Every time I see a used Model 19, I'll ask to pull the grips. Who knows? Maybe it will turn up some day.
 
The practice of sticking your SSN on property is a waste of time.................if you're inclined to do anything of this nature then use something that is quickly traceable............your state's drivers license # will show up on a police check..........that SSN will not.

...............& my nickled 4 screw 1959 M/19 has my name on the sideplate......via the factory.
 
carlson1 said:
I am looking at buying a S&W M49 that is nickel plated. The old owner engraved his social security number on the grip. I guess he was thinking he would live for ever and always own the gun.

My question is there a way to polish that engraving out? Is there anything you can do to get rid of it?

TIA
Click to expand...
If you want it for its collectability, the value is nil because of the engraving, and removing it will further mar the finish and decrease the value. M49's aren't rare or expensive, ANIB value is about $750-$800, and VG is about $375. The M49 is only pinned (and only until 1982), but never recessed, as only magnum and rimfire calibers have or had recessed chambers.
 
carlson1 said:
I am looking at buying a S&W M49 that is nickel plated. The old owner engraved his social security number on the grip. I guess he was thinking he would live for ever and always own the gun.

My question is there a way to polish that engraving out? Is there anything you can do to get rid of it?

TIA
Click to expand...
1. Sandpaper
2. Dremel
3. Acid bath
4. Send it to Turnbull
5. Angle grinder
6. Duct tape
7. Massive Hogue rubber grips
8. File notches over the engraving for all the bodies you have on that gun
9. Krylon the entire gun in a camo pattern
10. JB Weld

Seriously, any decent gunsmith could grind that area flat. The problem will be the nickel plate. If it were my gun, I would look into having MY NAME engraved over the previous owners engraving.
I have a customer that had that done with a S&W "Ladysmith" ......he didn't like the "Ladysmith" on the sideplate and had it engraved with scrollwork that hid the "Ladysmith". Similar to having your "I ❤️ Wanda" tattoo corrected to your new wife's name.
 
Yup, I would also say a Tyler T Grip will cover it up and look good doing it.

One of my local gun/pawnshops had a prelock S&W Model 60 3in full lug .357 they sold to an aquaintance. The shop has my number at the register for any military rifles or Smith revolvers. They didn't contact me because of the condition.........

Some knucklehead used an electric pencil and engraved over every surface of the gun. Notably "Stolen from - first and last name". Social security number etc. Over the ENTIRE gun! Trigger guard, front and back strap, barrel sides and underlug, side plate etc. It was a mess. The buddy told me he got it for around 150-175 because of the condition (I could've got it for that or less). I bet the shop gave nearly nothing for it. Was like new otherwise and super tight.

I would have lightly peened/burnished all offending areas and then bead blasted it. Done and done.
 
I have a S&W 28-2. I bought it from the original owner. After I got it, I took the grips off and there's his name, hand engraved on the bottom of the frame, covered up by even the too small Magna grip. Was I upset? A little, but when I said something to him about it, he said, "Oh jeez, I forgot I did that! I used it for security work back about 1970, and last time I had the grips off was about 5 years ago!". Since you couldn't see it with even smallish grips on it, I just let it go. If I could see it with target type grips, I would have passed on the deal. Very nice gun in every important way. Those magna grips went into the box, whoever sells it when I'm gone can mess with them.
IDuauw.jpg
 
I am reading some funny replies to this question!

Replace the front strap is novel, especially the part about the donor frame. Grinding it flat is another one. That flat surface on the curved grip frame won’t be noticeable at all.

Can it be done? Certainly. Would it be less money to find one not messed up? Also, yes. One takes money, the other takes time.

Kevin
 
CajunBass said:
Back in the 70's I guess it was, "everybody" was telling us to engrave our SS number on everything. Police depts, insurance companies, etc, would loan you an electric pencil,
Click to expand...

Right, I remember a group of guns that came into a store here, probably an estate on wholesale or consignment, that had the owner's SSN on everything. It wasn't obnoxious by the standards of the time, I recall his trap gun had it on the side of the rib in small characters, touch up blued.

usaral63 said:
The practice of sticking your SSN on property is a waste of time.................if you're inclined to do anything of this nature then use something that is quickly traceable............your state's drivers license # will show up on a police check..........that SSN will not.
Click to expand...

Right again, my Mother worked at Social Security and said they were prohibited from using SSNs for general identification. Payment of payroll tax and collection of benefits only.


dogtown tom said:
Seriously, any decent gunsmith could grind that area flat. The problem will be the nickel plate.
Click to expand...

Right again. You wouldn't have to fill it in or cut and weld the whole front strap, a good man could make that scratching just go away. But I doubt you could touch up the nickel plate, it would have to be stripped and refinished. S&W used to do that for a reasonable charge, their literature showed "refinish" and "change of finish" prices. Now it would be tremendously expensive "restoration" work.

Change the grips or give it a pass.
 
I like the T-grip idea.

A year ago, I was asked to catalog the firearms at a Montana museum. A donor had electro penciled his SSN in large sloppy numbers on several guns including a Spencer carbine, an early Winchester 1894, and a fairly rare Evans rifle.
 
bannockburn said:
Another vote for a Tyler T-Grip.

I lightly polished the aluminum grip adapter with a little bit of Flitz to make it shiny looking. Goes together nicely with stainless steel or with nickel plating, along with the original grips.
poKELn4.jpg

aj3o7Ek.jpg
Click to expand...
Nice Gerber Mark I. I have a Mark II, and a Command I, which is same size as the Mark I but has a partially serrated blade.
 
usaral63 said:
The practice of sticking your SSN on property is a waste of time.................if you're inclined to do anything of this nature then use something that is quickly traceable............your state's drivers license # will show up on a police check..........that SSN will not.

...............& my nickled 4 screw 1959 M/19 has my name on the sideplate......via the factory.
Click to expand...
Are you sure? If I rob a bank and drop a piece of paper with my social security number, police will be completely baffled and can't find me?

Jim Watson said:
Right again, my Mother worked at Social Security and said they were prohibited from using SSNs for general identification. Payment of payroll tax and collection of benefits only.
Click to expand...

I heard the same thing, yet they ask for it on a 4473, so there must be some record of social security number in NICS. Every time I have applied for a loan or opened a bank account, I've had to provide my social security number.

I wouldn't engrave anything on a gun. It has a serial number, so I could report it stolen, and my understanding is the serial number could be entered into NCIC. And engraving a number on it probably reduces the value, which defeats the purpose.

I probably wouldn't engrave a social security number or DL# on anything anymore. It was a great idea in the 80s, but back then you couldn't apply for a credit card over the internet.
 
wayneinFL said:
I heard the same thing, yet they ask for it on a 4473, so there must be some record of social security number in NICS. Every time I have applied for a loan or opened a bank account, I've had to provide my social security number.
Click to expand...

That was then and this is now.
I don't know if they amended the law or just ignore it, but they want to know who you are and what you are doing.

Lazarus Long said that when a society starts requiring positive personal identification, it is time to move on. Of course he had the option of moving to a different planet, we don't.
 
My SS card says right on it "for social security and tax purposes - not for identification".

Then again, it was issued in the 50's. The replacement my wife got a few years back looks totally different and doesn't have that on it.
 
carlson1 said:
Unfortunately it is on the front strap. Could a gunsmith get it off. It is really a piece of history I want. It is pinned and recessed. Other that the gun is immaculate. It has the serial number on the grips matching the gun.
Click to expand...

What was used to engrave the #'s a dremel type tool ?. " IF " the offensive engraving isn't too deep , a decent gunsmith could easily file the metal , then buff to match guns finish and re blue or nickel plate again ,which ever you desire .
 
carlson1 said:
Ordered a black one. Wasn’t sure about the ivory. I didn’t see a stainless or nickel listed.
Click to expand...
Yeah, he only makes them in Black and ivory colors. A few years ago he said he tried making mock metal colors in polymers and he couldn’t make them look like metal so he gave up. He and I had emailed a bit when I sent an email asking questions.
I think you’ll be pleased with it. I have one on a model 36 and a model 10. Both in black.

1695430548817.png
1695430607480.jpeg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

V
  • Locked
Polish....Brush....Nickel?
Replies
1
Views
375
25cschaefer
2
G
  • Locked
engraved model 27
Replies
11
Views
455
9mmepiphany
9mmepiphany
P
  • Locked
A 1911, Engraving, Nickel Plating and You.
Replies
4
Views
2K
tominct
T
A
  • Locked
Need help with ID and value
Replies
5
Views
416
Driftwood Johnson
Driftwood Johnson
M
  • Locked
Engraved Guns = Addicting
2
Replies
25
Views
8K
Dr.Rob
Dr.Rob
Back
Top