Bead blasting

[Regnar]

What benefit if any does this do?

 

[jwink]

It all depends on the application. Outside of barrel? No shine for animals to see, that's why mine is done. Other parts? to possibly prepare for plating or bluing. For some people it may be as simple as they prefer the look.

 

[Richard Coody]

No shine for animals to see, that's why my hunting rifles are done.

 

[msinc]

Well, as already stated, it depends. The one not mentioned and also the one most common reason it is done is cost. Media blasting is a good, very fast cost effective {cheap} way to finish a gun because it has the ability to quickly hide tooling marks. One example of this cost could be the 870 Remington shotgun...a current Wingmaster which is polish blued and with walnut stocks retails for over $1000.00. I think, last time I checked it was very near $1100.00. The "cost effective" version, the 870 Express is a blasted and blued gun with laminated birch stocks and it can be had in Wal-Mart for typically between $259.00 and $300 depending on sales and factory rebates. Both guns are the same identical design, the difference is the finish.

 

[jdh47]

A bead blasted gun will not likely hide many tool marks. It also depends on how coarse the media is. Bead blasting is good to prep for Cerakote or similar finish.

Joe

 

[Cigarcop]

A bead blasted gun will not likely hide many tool marks. It also depends on how coarse the media is. Bead blasting is good to prep for Cerakote or similar finish.

Joe

Beadblasting is NOT a good prep for Cerakote period.

 

[Steve morgan]

What benefit if any does this do?

Bead blasting increases surface area that means faster. Heat dissapation

 

[snert]

I suppose there are valid reasons, but to me it is the difference between flat paint, pearl finish, semi-gloss and gloss. Each has its use, and admirers. Me? I prefer shiny polished SS, or deep Colt blue, but then I am old-school and like walnut too.

 

[DickE]

Bead blasting does hide a lot of finish imperfections.

 

[Regnar]

Bead blasting increases surface area that means faster. Heat dissapation

This is what I was wondering about.

 

[swd]

I've done A LOT of bead blasting on guns. Guys seem to confuse abrasive blast like silicon carbide with the finer finish of glass bead. Surface finish is VERY important it does not hide much at all!! Maybe slightly more than if you wanted a good surface to blue. It's not remotely a quicky way to hide poor surface prep. The finer the bead the better the prep better be. For instance the bead blast on S&W revolvers had better have surface prep as good as if it were a blued gun. About the only thing you can easily get away with is your grain lines don't have to be perfect as on a blued surface and can go in different directions.

 

[JRS]

It's nothing more than a personal preference. Perhaps to closely match the finish on the action. Animals don't care whether your gun is highly polished, as dull as primer, or camouflaged.

 

[4xforfun]

Bead blasting increases surface area that means faster. Heat dissapation

^^^^THIS^^^^
At least that is what Clay Spencer told me when he built one of my guns.

Tod

 

[Regnar]

It's nothing more than a personal preference. Perhaps to closely match the finish on the action. Animals don't care whether your gun is highly polished, as dull as primer, or camouflaged.

Considering the forum, do you think I was concerned about camouflaged?

 

[gotcha]

It's nothing more than a personal preference. Perhaps to closely match the finish on the action. Animals don't care whether your gun is highly polished, as dull as primer, or camouflaged.

Considering the forum, do you think I was concerned about camouflaged?

C'mon JRS ! Using a highly polished bbl. in a hunting application you are essentially creating a signal mirror ........... BUSTED!!!!

 

[dickn52]

A bead blasted gun will not likely hide many tool marks. It also depends on how coarse the media is. Bead blasting is good to prep for Cerakote or similar finish.

Joe

Had some slight surface rust/pitting on a Martini. It shot but looked bad. Bead blasted and cerakoted and it looks new but not shiny.

 

[msinc]

I've done A LOT of bead blasting on guns. Guys seem to confuse abrasive blast like silicon carbide with the finer finish of glass bead. Surface finish is VERY important it does not hide much at all!! Maybe slightly more than if you wanted a good surface to blue. It's not remotely a quicky way to hide poor surface prep. The finer the bead the better the prep better be. For instance the bead blast on S&W revolvers had better have surface prep as good as if it were a blued gun. About the only thing you can easily get away with is your grain lines don't have to be perfect as on a blued surface and can go in different directions.

I agree, and I have clarified in my post about the 870's...I believe, based on how much of it left in the guns that I have had to clean out over the years, that Remington uses some sort of medium grit carbide blast media.
Back when I was in machine school we were taught that the correct term was "dry honing"...and it is done with different grit size and/or material. So I guess the term bead blasting would be done with glass. I was taught that glass beads are the least destructive to the part, because the glass breaks down before the metal being blasted. We used glass beads to clean parts when I worked as an automotive machinist and I have used them on gun parts as well. It depends on the finish you want...fine soft matte finish is glass beads, rough, tool mark hiding dull finish is either silica sand or carbide. So rough it "sparkles" finish is coarse heavy sharp edged carbide. Shot peening was a different story, but it will certainly hide tool marks too.

 

[JRS]

C'mon JRS ! Using a highly polished bbl. in a hunting application you are essentially creating a signal mirror ........... BUSTED!!!!

C'mon man Animal's see glint and glare on a daily basis. It doesn't bother them. Movement, smell and sound gets their attention

 

[gotcha]

Animal's see glint and glare on a daily basis. It doesn't bother them

LOL, Evidently you rely on hunting "experts" 'cause that isn't what the Deer tell me. ........ My apologies to the OP for dragging this thread off track.

 

[JRS]

LOL, Evidently you rely on hunting "experts" 'cause that isn't what the Deer tell me. ........ My apologies to the OP for dragging this thread off track.