Took a sandblaster to my P380 today...

[OvalNut]

I'm glad you blasted it to remove the damage, and I prefer a more finished finish though.


Tim

[MBSL500]

It looks like you used aluminum oxide rather than glass bead.
In my humble opinion, if you blast it again, try fine or medium glass bead at 30-40 PSI from about 6-8 inches.
Shoot the slde at a 45 degree angle relative to the nozzle.
Make sure you keep the slide the same distance from the blast nozzle from front to rear of slide.
It will give it a beautiful satin finish...better than new.

My PM9 after bead blasting using the method above.
Note: The slide isn't glossy like shown over the slide release.

[dsk]

It was 80-grit glass beads, but I shot it from just a couple inches away at 95psi. If get bored with the look or have a bunch of idle time again some weekend I'll try blasting it again from further out and lower pressure like you suggested. More practice will make perfect, and I've also got spare stainless parts to practice on.

BTW here is the RH side:

[b4uqzme]

I sorta like the matte gray look. But it does have me wondering what it would look like if you did a brushed finish on the sides. Please post if you ever do something like that. It would be easy to do with just a straight edge and some sandpaper.

[dsk]

Will do. The nice thing about being able to do things like this yourself is that if you don't like the results you can always do it over again.

[MBSL500]

Will do. The nice thing about being able to do things like this yourself is that if you don't like the results you can always do it over again.

You probably want to avoid using sandpaper. Bad idea.
If you want a brushed finish, use either 3M Grey Scotchbrite, or buy a
few "Satin Buffs" from a jewelery supply company
To use either you'll need to first polish the slide to almost a mirror finish.
Check out any Seecamp.
He used 3M Grey (fine) on a buffing wheel to achieve his finish.