Should I polish the Nitron finish off of my SIG P239?

[Koukalaka]

The title basically says it all. I have a SIG P239, manufactured in 1997. It's probably my favorite firearm, and it shoots quite well. But the nitron finish (at least on the slide) seems to show every little scuff from the past 15 years. The pistol itself is in excellent shape, and I don't think it's actually been fired much. I'm just feeling a temptation to polish the nitron finish right off of there and turn the gun into a two-tone.

Has anyone attempted this? I'm not certain, first of all, whether it's possible to do this without professional tools. I have successfully polished plain stainless before, and Mothers Mag polish worked great on a Security Six and a S&W 686, with minimal time. I used a felt wheel on my Dremel to lightly polish the tougher areas, and that worked well.

I just wouldn't want to start doing this, only to realize that the nitron isn't coming off and is just looking worse.

BTW, I'm OK with the stainless slide becoming shiny rather than matte. I realize it would probably take a blast cabinet to get a matte finish.

 

[singlestacksig]

the factory Sig finish does not hold up to use for long.. I sent my 239 back to Sig twice, before giving up and having Robar NP3 put on the Slide..

 

[singlestacksig]

pic

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/picture.php?albumid=511&pictureid=20134

 

[Toolepqk]

You could duracoat the slide. I did my frame and rifle, they came out great. I've seen many slides that have been duracoated and looked great.

 

[barrelmaker_2002]

I think having it bead or sand blasted matte would look really cool. You might call around a to a few body shops and see what it would cost. They may not do that work in house, but could recommend someone.

You could polish it, though the effort might be more than you are used too and your time may be better spent. I have a friend who polished the sides of a Kimber slide with the KimPro finish by hand and it took several hours. You would expect the same for a whole slide.

That being said, you can find larger (than dremel) abrasive polish bits that fit in a drill. That would cut down the time a lot. Or a specialty disc for a bench grinder if you have one.

Anyway, good luck!

 

[Koukalaka]

the factory Sig finish does not hold up to use for long.. I sent my 239 back to Sig twice, before giving up and having Robar NP3 put on the Slide..

That looks nice. I also have seen some photos of beautiful professionally polished slides. I'm just wondering how far I can get on my own...I may just focus on finishing the 686 for now. Since the P239 is my carry pistol, I guess it's ok to have the finish showing signs of being carried. But one of these days I may be tempted to take a polishing wheel to it and give it a try...

 

[Bang-bang]

Ahhhh Man you could just chrome it, maybe gold plating?

 

[Koukalaka]

Ahhhh Man you could just chrome it, maybe gold plating?

Yeah, but then I'd have to get those gold tooth caps to match...

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

Titanium rainbow! Titanium rainbow!

 

[Koukalaka]

I purchased a bench grinder and polishing wheels today. I'm going to hold off on doing anything to the P239 for now, but I think I'll try to mirror-polish the barrel of my stainless Beretta Tomcat. Starting small (and with a relatively inexpensive gun) seems reasonable. I'm thinking that I'll try 1500-grit metal sandpaper on the barrel, then use the polishing wheel and jeweler's compound, then finish with Mothers Mag. We shall see....

 

[Koukalaka]

So...I polished the Bobcat today, and I'm pleased with the results--but I'm thinking that if it took this much work to polish the little Bobcat, I'm probably going to leave the P239 alone!

I started with 1500-grit sandpaper, which didn't do much. Next, I used Porter + Cable #4 polishing compound with a firm buffing wheel, then #5 compound with a soft wheel. After this, I hand polished with Mothers Mag polish, then finished with a tiny felt wheel on my Dremel, again with Mothers Mag.

http://www.koukalaka.com/BobcatTop.jpg[/IMG

These aren't the greatest photos in the world, but in person it looks quite nice. It really feels like an upgrade from the matte finish.

With professional tools and experience, it's possible to really achieve a mirror-like finish:

[IMG]http://customizedcreationz.com/images/600_Polished_Glock_26.jpg

The guy at CustomizedCreationz.com has done some REALLY impressive stuff. A bit much for an EDC weapon, perhaps, but I'd love to have that done to a pistol sometime.

So...I think the P239 will wear its Nitron for now, carry marks and all. I don't have the time to do this to a larger pistol like that! Maybe I'll just polish the barrel....