HELP!!! I think I blasted the finish off my cylinder face!

[Pinned&Recessed]

Hey guys, I was out shooting today and when I got home and cleaned my revolver, there appeared to be no finish left on the front face of the cylinder. The gun in question is a S&W Highway Patrolman. I bought it used and the finish up until now I would rate at a solid 95%+. I was shooting a variety of ammo, about 150 standard pressure .38s with 40 rounds of medium .357 and 6 rounds of hot .357.

My cleaning procedures are: some solvent remover, some patches and elbow grease. Nothing really abrasive.

I've cleaned like this for ages and this is the first time there has been a problem. Some of the .38 I was shooting was S&B, which I've never shot in revolvers, but have had no problems with in my rifles or autopistols. 50 rounds of 158gr. FMJ and 50 rounds 148gr. wadcutters. I also shot 25 rounds of Blazer 158gr. LRN. I shot the lead after the FMJ, as I hear jacketed after lead is a no-no.

The cylinder face and the forcing cone appeared shiny silver instead of their normal black. They've never looked this raw before. Did I blast it off or did I scrub it off? I'm never difficult/harsh when I clean, but I am thorough.

How can I fix it? This gun is a working gun, not a safe queen, but I still want her to look sexy. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Old Fuff]

There may be a thin wash of lead on the cylinder face that makes it look like the blue is gone. This is something I never worried about, but if it bothers you wipe the cylinder face with a little Acetone (work outdoors) and then cold-blue it. Repeat as necessary for the life of the gun.

 

[Jim K]

I don't think you blasted the finish OFF, I think you put the shiny finish ON. I think it is simply lead, blown into the barrel-cylinder gap. You might try a copper/lead remover (Hoppes) with a bronze brush or one of the brass or soft steel brushes that look a bit like a toothbrush.

Jim

 

[Pinned&Recessed]

Thanks for the quick responses guys!

You may be right. I've always shot jacketed rounds due to easier cleaning and this is the first time I've shot a decent amount of lead. Those wadcutters were accurate though, so I think I'll do it again.

Gonna try some lead remover and see what happens.

 

[Mike Irwin]

DO NOT, under any circumstances, use Lead-Away cloths or anything similar.

They will rip the bluing right off the gun, along with the lead.

 

[444]

Just scrape the area with your fingernail and see if it comes off. Obviously if it does, you know it is lead.
On blued guns I don't get very aggressive in cleaning the front of the cylinder. In stainless guns I sometimes take a piece of fine steel wool and clean all the junk off of it.

 

[P95Carry]

''Lead-aways'' are great for STAINLESS ... true . don't use em on blued.

I'd say ... live with it!!! After some time and if needed, diligent cleaning can and will remove this layer but ..... learn to accept it in short term .. it is IMO way more an esthetics problem than otherwise!

 

[C.R.Sam]

I think of it as a protective coating.
Any abrasive on that is not healthy for finish.

Sam

 

[Standing Wolf]

My cleaning procedures are: some solvent remover, some patches and elbow grease. Nothing really abrasive.

If that's the case, the blue is intact. I use a bronze-bristled brush, lots of Hoppe's No. 9, and elbow grease. I generally let the cylinder soak in a jar of Hoppe's No. 9 while I'm cleaning the rest of the gun, then do the cylinder last. The bronze-bristled brush sometimes leaves copper on the cylinder face, but a Nylon-bristled brush and more elbow grease usually take it off in a few minutes.

 

[AJ Dual]

Just what is the deal with those lead-a-way cloths? Are they just infused with a mild abrasive paste, or is there actually some kind of chemical reaction going on with the lead?

What's going on here? If it were merely an abrasive I'd think that more elbow grease would be required.

P.S. I do find pink pencil eraser a good way to take the dark rings off my S&W stainless 686 cylinder face as well. But I don't know if it's bluing safe or not.

 

[Jim K]

Even a pencil eraser is abrasive and will remove bluing.

Soaking a cylinder in Hoppes is OK for SS or blued steel, but don't do it with nickel or you risk having the nickel come off.

Jim

 

[Mike Irwin]

Andrew,

I believe it's both.

The L-A cloths seem to use something like diatimacious (sp?) earth, a naturally occurring mild abrasive.

JB Bore Paste used the same stuff, IIRC.

 

[38Mike]

Do not use JB Bore Paste to clean the front of your cylinder. It WILL remove bluing.....trust me

 

[GooseGestapo]

Whats the big deal with a little lead wash on the face of the cylinder ?
I've shot revolvers, mostly blue for 30+years, over 2 million rounds in the last 15 shooting PPC.
On my revolvers; blue, stainless, and the nickle one I had, I just spray with a little WD-40, or G-96 and then wipe down with a soft cloth. Every 500-1,000 rds, use a copper/bronze brush to brush down the face of the cylinder and face of the forcing cone and surronding areas. A little trace of lead on the cylinder means nothing unless you're trying to pawn off a gun as having never having been fired, or been fired little.

More guns, especially revolvers and CF rifles are ruined by excessive/improper cleaning than being "shot out".

Just don't leave any lubricant residue in cylinders/chambers as most solvents/lubes can "creep" and penetrate the primer pockets and deactivate the powder and/or priming compounds on ammo left in them for long periods of time.

Like another poster stated, don't leave any copper solvent in contact with nickle plated guns as they can cause the nickle to lift/separate from the steel.

For Nickle/Stainless steel guns a mild abrasive may be used (such as flitz, dura-glit, or semi-chrome polish). But go easy on the Nickle plated guns as you'll eventually polish through the Nickle to the steel. On the S/S and Nk guns, this residue usually appears black.

Don't construe this to mean leaving a LOT of 'gunk' or carbon/lead residue on face of cylinder as this can lead to cylinder binding and hard trigger pulls to point of locking up the cylinder.
Unfortunately with most L.E. agencies and military abandoning the revolver, much of the 'order of arms' for revolvers is being lost to posterity.