Ask ECR

[ECR]

I have seen a few R9s done in either finish and they continue to work fine, so if you are looking to bling things up a bit, I'd say pick a finish and go for it with my blessings. 

If a guy wanted to do an elite look and sand the sides, what would you finish the bare metal with Eric?

It depends on a few factors Josh:  I usually went up to 600 wet paper, however, I would use that paper "fresh" and then let it get to "mid-life". . . . Then added more water to the mix to finalize things. If I wanted it to shine like a polished job, I would go all the way to 1200 or 1500 wet sand paper to do the job. Started off with a blackened slide using 220 wet on a machined piece of granite and worked my way up using the 220, 320, 400 then the 600.   

[JoshA]

I have seen a few R9s done in either finish and they continue to work fine, so if you are looking to bling things up a bit, I'd say pick a finish and go for it with my blessings. 

If a guy wanted to do an elite look and sand the sides, what would you finish the bare metal with Eric?

It depends on a few factors Josh:  I usually went up to 600 wet paper, however, I would use that paper "fresh" and then let it get to "mid-life". . . . Then added more water to the mix to finalize things. If I wanted it to shine like a polished job, I would go all the way to 1200 or 1500 wet sand paper to do the job. Started off with a blackened slide using 220 wet on a machined piece of granite and worked my way up using the 220, 320, 400 then the 600.   

Well if I ever end up with a spare hour or two and a bit more guts than I currently posses I may perform this look on one of my stealths. And yes I would really do it : )

Thanks for the info Eric.

[ECR]

It can look pretty scary when you start the process. Streaks and such of stainless silver and black. You need to keep going and get past the blackened area down to the s.s. to see the difference. Some slides however, had lighter engraving so after the sanding process, they were rendered useless and scrapped! At well over a hundred dollars a hit, that was not good when that happened!  lol ~ Should you decide to try it Josh, put some photos up of both sides of the slide so I can see how well the engraving is. I'll let you know whether to proceed or leave well enough alone.   

[T-Man]

A tip I discovered on slide polishing:

First, definitely use either a very flat surface like the granite block Eric recommended or a flat sanding block of some kind to keep the surface flat during sanding. Wet sanding always produces better results.

If you want a mirror shine beyond what 1500 grit will give you, go to 2000 or 3000 grit, then polish the surface using McGuiars "Mirror Glaze" fine cut cleaner, which you can usually find at AutoZone, Pep Boys, O'Reilly, etc. Simply pour a little on a cloth and rub onto the surface. Since it doesn't cut deeply into the metal, only polishes, you don't need to use a sanding block or flat surface. If you evenly sanded the surface with super fine (above 1500) grit so that you don't have any deep scratches, the Mirror Glaze will really make the finish pop to an incredible mirror polish!

I did this to 2 other pistol slides (not my R9 Stealth) with incredible results!

http://www.meguiars.com/en/professional/products/m0216-fine-cut-cleaner-16-oz/

[JoshA]

It can look pretty scary when you start the process. Streaks and such of stainless silver and black. You need to keep going and get past the blackened area down to the s.s. to see the difference. Some slides however, had lighter engraving so after the sanding process, they were rendered useless and scrapped! At well over a hundred dollars a hit, that was not good when that happened!  lol ~ Should you decide to try it Josh, put some photos up of both sides of the slide so I can see how well the engraving is. I'll let you know whether to proceed or leave well enough alone.   

Will do sir. Thanks for the help Eric.

[JoshA]

A tip I discovered on slide polishing:

First, definitely use either a very flat surface like the granite block Eric recommended or a flat sanding block of some kind to keep the surface flat during sanding. Wet sanding always produces better results.

If you want a mirror shine beyond what 1500 grit will give you, go to 2000 or 3000 grit, then polish the surface using McGuiars "Mirror Glaze" fine cut cleaner, which you can usually find at AutoZone, Pep Boys, O'Reilly, etc. Simply pour a little on a cloth and rub onto the surface. Since it doesn't cut deeply into the metal, only polishes, you don't need to use a sanding block or flat surface. If you evenly sanded the surface with super fine (above 1500) grit so that you don't have any deep scratches, the Mirror Glaze will really make the finish pop to an incredible mirror polish!

I did this to 2 other pistol slides (not my R9 Stealth) with incredible results!

http://www.meguiars.com/en/professional/products/m0216-fine-cut-cleaner-16-oz/

Is the mirror finish what you accomplished on the elites Eric?

[ECR]

No. . . . . I went for a satin "machined" look, although it was done by hand.  We would stop before it got to be too much like a polished mirror finish look.

[JoshA]

No. . . . . I went for a satin "machined" look, although it was done by hand.  We would stop before it got to be too much like a polished mirror finish look.

Great. I prefer that anyway personally.

[pjames32]

Eric
The pup looks like new! No carry wear! I picked it up today and made a quick stop at the range.
I could not find American Eagle 115gr so I "borrowed" a few off brand 115gr ball and my box of Gold Dots. Gold Dots were great. 20 rounds no problems. Off brand 115 fmj failed to extract every other round The gun is good, the operator not so much.
I'll post some pics tomorrow.
I do have a question: to become accustomed to the trigger can I dry fire this gun? I'd like to do several range sessions, but also realize this is a carry often shoot little gun.
Thx
Paul James

"Good Afternoon Paul and welcome to the forum. In reference to what ammunition to use in the R9. . . . . Karl and I usually carried Gold Dot 124 grain JHP and at the range to function test the firearm we used Federal American Eagle 115 FMJ. These are the rounds we used through the years to test fire all new R9s that came out of our shop. Keep her clean and you should not have a problem. If you have any further questions, chime in here again and I'll do my best to answer them for you.

Regards and thanks for picking up "The Original".

Eric C. Rohrbaugh"

[Douglas]

Eric

...I do have a question: to become accustomed to the trigger can I dry fire this gun? I'd like to do several range sessions, but also realize this is a carry often shoot little gun.
Thx
Paul James

The dry-fire question is a good one. It's one I've searched for here before, without much success. I'd like to see some real input.

In another vein regarding the polishing being discussed in this thread: how about S&W stainless frames?

I just picked up another .38 spl. 640. Its finish doesn't quite match what I remember from my own, twenty years ago. I think it was much more matte, or brushed, or "vapor honed."

I liked that better.

Can I take a bit of paper to this frame and dull it up to what I'd prefer?

Thanks Eric, and the rest of the fellas.

Doug

[MRC]

I do not know exactly what finish you are looking for, but these pads do well on the brushed finish that I like.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsaHryvoakY

[ECR]

To answer Paul and Doug's question in reference to dry firing a Rohrbaugh Pistol:  Don't do it! You will do damage to the firing pin. Use "Snap-Caps" or at least a fired 9mm casing with the spent primer still in place as a substitute.

Ref. your little .38 snubby Doug, with all of the nooks and crannies of a revolver like that, I believe you would have a hard time making it look factory and even textured. You may destroy the overall look of the gun, so. . . . my two cents. . . . Leave well enough alone on that one. 

[Douglas]

Thanks Eric!

[ECR]

I am so glad to help out here guys. Please forgive me if I sometimes take a few days to get back to you. I just purchased a bunch of vintage recording equipment and I'm setting up my home recording studio for my musical projects. It is scary with all of these wires, but quite fun!

Talk to you guys soon.

Regards,

Eric

[MICHPATRIOT]

 Hi Eric,
 The accounts posted about hammer struts prompted me to disassemble my R9 and inspect the strut.
Looking at the strut with a eye for stress riser points the area that is relieved to clear the hammer pivot pin looks to be the failure point..Did the 5000+ round count R9 get to the number with the original strut?
 What was the material used on the struts?

Mich