KEEP THE ABRASIVES AWAY FROM THE GUN. This includes erasers, fiberglass pens etc. They will make the mark worse and damage more finish.

If you feel compelled to do anything, rub it with an oiled cloth. Then degrease, and try a cold blue. Oxpho Blue from Brownells is good, and Birchwood Casey's is good. Try them on a spot inside the grip frame to make sure they don't do something wierd, but I don't think they will. They won't "erase" the mark, but may make it less noticeable.

Or do nothing. Shoot the shit out of it. Model 27s aren't cheap, but they aren't collectors - it isn't worth $5K. And it won't be worth $5K in your lifetime. Shoot it.

I get what you're saying JB but it just seems if bluing is going to be applied, that using a mild abrasive first to smooth it would not be a bad idea? But I'm leaning to just leaving it as it is anyway.

No of course it's not worth $5,000. I paid $450 for it and I have no idea what they're going for now.... $800-$900? In another 10 years could it be worth $1,500? Who knows?
What I've done over the years with some guns (really no rhyme or reason which ones) is accumulate 2 or more of the same; one to enjoy shooting, the other to leave unfired and that's sort of what happened here. After finding a nice, older 6" 27 this "LNIB" showed up. In reality I don't shoot my revolvers very often anyway but when I do want to shoot a M27 I take out the 6" one.

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
I get what you're saying JB but it just seems if bluing is going to be applied, that using a mild abrasive first to smooth it would not be a bad idea? But I'm leaning to just leaving it as it is anyway.

No of course it's not worth $5,000. I paid $450 for it and I have no idea what they're going for now.... $800-$900? In another 10 years could it be worth $1,500? Who knows.

Uh, it’s worth $1,500 now. ANIB 3.5” M27? Probably more. IMO

Certainly not ANIB, but pretty nice condition. Whoa that seems a bit high.

I agree with previous poster colt_saa. Leave it alone. Attempts to polish or hide it will only make it look as if you tried to hide it and would look worse than the blemish. It is akin to your car getting "keyed" and trying to buff the scratch out, instead the whole panel - and maybe even the rest of the car - has to be repainted. You already got a partial refund of the purchase price.

Thanks egregore.

If there is rust present in the blemish, try the penny/oil trick. I have used it many times on older blued rifles (Marlin 336 comes to mind) with no harm to the finish.

You will need a copper alloy penny (about 95% copper composition) from prior to 1982 plated zinc garbage and oil. Put oil on the blemish and gently scratch the rusted area with the penny’s edge. The soft copper will grab the rust but isn’t hard enough to remove bluing on its own. Gently wipe off and reapply oil frequently to avoid rust particles scratching while in suspension.

I never heard of that trick, thanks gearhounds. I'll keep an eye out for a 1981 or prior penny in case I decide to mess with it.

I'd take it out and shoot it. If the blemish bothers you have it professionally refinished, I don't think there's any DYI kits that are going to hide the blemished area without looking like a patch.

I would use the finest steel wool lubricated with CLP. Using delicate pressure the steel wool will not damage the bluing but would remove rust. Use a cold blue. It wouldn’t make the finish pristine but the blemished area would be much less noticeable.

Ok, this thread is a couple of months old, but…

Steel wool will will scratch the beautiful polished blued finish. I agree with those above who advised you to leave it alone, maybe put some oil or clp on the spot with a soft q-tip or patch. I would not store it in the factory box.

It’s easy to make a small blemish worse.

Shoot that nice 27 and enjoy it.

Gearhounds has given you the least destructive advice. You need to remove the oxidation no matter what. Performed judiciously you will be surprised with the results. I’ve had a piece or two that it is almost impossible to find the spot. Slow & easy works well. Nice Smith too!