Satin finish a SS Caspian 1911?

[454gene]

I have a SS capian 1911 that I want to give a satin/brushed finish to. What is the best method to accomplish this?
TIA
Gene

[DougGuy]

Glass bead looks great.

[454gene]

I"ve done one in glass bead and yes it does look good,but I was looking at the finish on a ruger sp 101 that I did a trigger job on for a friend and thought my next gun needed that kind of finish.
The polisher at work suggested 320 wet/dry paper with a little lube would work.

[pjames32]

I'd go finer than 320 if sanding. I've used 600/1200/1500 wet sanding on the flats after a light bead blast. Use a sanding block!

[ratboy]

what about green scotchbrite pad. its what the DeLorean cars come with for touch up.

[Blackwater]

There are any number of ways to refin a SS gun, and a friend of mine has probably used at least half of them at various times with varying guns. One of his favorites is plain old steel wool. 0000 gives the shiniest finish, with 000 being probably more what I'm imagining you're looking for. The Scotch Brite pads are another good option if you want a duller finish. Be sure to use them directionally. This is really important to get the best looking finish. You can use to octagon pattern (4 directions: up & down, side to side, and 45 degrees either way from the first two) or hexagonal (3 directions: lengthwise and 60 degrees on each side of that). It takes care to get a really nice finish, but it'll work if the workman does his part. Bead and sand blasting is much easier, and gives a yet more dull, less reflective finish that can also look good. These matters are always a judgment call, and it depends on what you're looking for which to use, but with this gradient of choices, you ought to be able to come pretty close to what you envision. Refinning a SS gun is a nice project to do when you're watching TV in the evenings. Just quit when (if?) the show gets interesting. Keep your attention on the gun and the direction you're working the wool/pad. Don't ask me how I learned that, OK?

[454gene]

started to polish the caspian frames rough spots with a sanding block wrapped in 320. it qquickly became apparent that it was going to take quite a lot of time to get this smoothed out so I bead blasted with a mix of used and fresh #13 glass bead. Great results!

[paul h]

I'd advise against using steel wool on stainless. You'll leave minute traces of carbon steel on the surface of your stainless gun, and those bits of carbon steel will start to rust.

[DCM]

Glass bead blast with all functional areas well protected.

Paul H excellent advice on the steel wool!!
I saw a nice SS pool installed for some folks that have ton$$ of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ , they made the mistake of grinding their welds with a disk they had used on steel, heh guess what the pool looked like in short order. :oops:

[MtGun44]

If you use steel wool on SS, soak it in a warm citric acid solution for half an
hour or so to remove the minute traces of steel in the surface which will
cause rust and pits. This is called 'passivating" and is necessary to protect
SS from rusting.

I use green scrubbing pads from 3M to get a fine satin scratch finish, or glass beads
to get a smoother satin uniform, non-directional finish. Glass beads are very
quick and easy to do, but not to touch up if you don't have your own glass
bead booth. 3M pads are zero tech and easy to touch up.

Bill