I Have a Non-Problem Question?

[RevRay]

OK, so I'd like to hear some thoughts from all you experts ... and non-experts. I have a very nice ... albeit used ... E9 (see immediate below). I also have a very nice Duo Tone MK9 which I had the slide refinished to its original condition by Birdsong. I also polished up the MK9 barrel as well (see further below). My question is this ... should I get the E9 slide refinished and should I polish up the barrel as well so it looks like the MK9. Unlike the MK9, the E9 slide & barrel & slide stop are all original black. So, the question is should I change it from its original look, or should I restore it to its original look and lustre? And if I were to make it look like the MK9, how difficult will it be to take the black off the barrel? Polishing a stainless barrel is one thing, but an all-black barrel is another thing. Would it be able to look polished, or would it only ever just look like a dull gray barrel?

http://www.kahrtalk.com/picture.php?albumid=117&pictureid=748http://www.kahrtalk.com/picture.php?albumid=117&pictureid=759

[b4uqzme]

I think the Birdsong finish on the E9 slide would be cool. Especially since you have a Birdsong MK. As for the barrel: I don't know what finish they use to make them black. Also, is it nickel plated underneath like the others? Those answers could help you decide what to do. But I know what I'd do. I'd start scrubbing that black off and take what comes. Worst case is you order a new K9 barrel.

[berettabone]

Leave it alone and get a T9 stainless......................

[chrish]

I'm with b4, matching would be cool.

[b4uqzme]

Leave it alone and get a T9 stainless......................

That won't work 'cause the good Rev likes the black slides....:cool:

[RevRay]

The only reason for hesitating on the refinishing is the long turn-around time. When I had my MK9 done last summer it took 12 weeks to get it back. I have other guns, but still that's a long time to wait. As for the barrel, I think I will start to work on that pretty soon ... I'll be curious to see what comes of that.

[Shadetree]

OK, so I'd like to hear some thoughts from all you experts ... and non-experts. I have a very nice ... albeit used ... E9 (see immediate below). I also have a very nice Duo Tone MK9 which I had refinished to its original condition by Birdsong. I also polished up the MK9 slide as well (see further below). My question is this ... should I get the E9 refinished and should I polish up the slide as well so it looks like the MK9. Unlike the MK9, the E9 slide & barrel & slide stop are all original black. So, the question is should I change it from its original look, or should I restore it to its original look and lustre? And if I were to make it look like the MK9, how difficult will it be to take the black off the barrel? Polishing a stainless barrel is one thing, but an all-black barrel is another thing. Would it be able to look polished, or would it only ever just look like a dull gray barrel?

http://www.kahrtalk.com/picture.php?albumid=117&pictureid=748http://www.kahrtalk.com/picture.php?albumid=117&pictureid=759
Does your E9 have the hard nylon or plastic grips? If so and you want to get rid of them I'll buy them or swap you a set of rubber grips off a K9. Let me know. Thanks.

[RevRay]

Does your E9 have the hard nylon or plastic grips? If so and you want to get rid of them I'll buy them or swap you a set of rubber grips off a K9. Let me know. Thanks.

The only reason I'd get rid of them would be to add CT Laser grips ... which may yet happen.

[RevRay]

... as for the barrel, I think I will start to work on that pretty soon ... I'll be curious to see what comes of that.

I started work on the barrel, but it is very slow going. I worked for about an hour on the part that's actually visible through the ejector port, and I can't say that I got it to shine very much just yet. I think there's still some residual black on it, though it does look like it might eventually look a little bit more shiny. I can probably safely say now though, that getting the black off the whole barrel is probably not going to happen. Maybe if I had the right tools, but then I don't even know what exactly those would be as this kind of work is not something I'm really familiar with. I'll probably have to be content to only shine up the visible part. I'll post a picture when it looks more presentable ... if it ever does.

[b4uqzme]

I hope we didn't send you down a bad road. Are you using sandpaper? steel wool? green scrubber? a buffer? I used a green scrubber to get the black off my guide rod. It wasn't shiny underneath but I was able to polish it up with some Mother's Mag polish and make it look good IMO.

Keep at it. You got 12 weeks while that slide is out to Birdsong...:D

[RevRay]

All I had to use was some silicone polishing paste that a friend gave me to use on my MK9 barrel ... that and my Dremel with a round sort of hard felt pad. What is the green scrubber you mentioned? P.S. I tried to take a picture but I just couldn't get a good enough shot to show you the current state of things. Basically, right now it's just a dull gray ... not horrible ... just dull.

[b4uqzme]

....those green scrubbers you use on pots and pans. It might be best to determine whether or not the barrel is nickel plated before you get too aggressive. The regular ones are but I'm not certain about the black ones. You probably don't want to burn through the plating. Otherwise, I'd tell you to start sanding with decreasing grit paper, then steel wool, then polishing compound.

FYI. That's what my guide rod looked like = dull gray. I just kept polishing until it looked really clean. Of course you only see the very tip.

There may be experts on the forum with better advice than mine.

[b4uqzme]

Fyi --- this started with a standard, black guide rod. Some manual polishing with one of those green scrubbers followed by a soft cloth using Mothers Mag polish. Same for the barrel although that was nickel plated to start (not black).

[b4uqzme]

Rev. SlowG just reminded me of a product that takes the black off in a hurry: Barkeepers Friend is a product designed to clean stainless kitchen equipment. It's aggressive without scratching. Works well with the green Scotchbrite scrubber pad. Follow that up with your polishing compound. I bought mine at Bed Bath and Beyond. Get the liquid version.