Ok my pro shop does annodizing and I know that you can't ano a tippmann but as prep work they do bead blasting/or polishing. So I emailed em and asked if they could bead blast it and they said yes for 30$.

   Could bead blasting give my gun a smooth metal finish? I know sand blasting can but whats the difference between the two? Or if they "polished it" which they said was the oposite of bead blasting get the same result? I want a spify shiny metal look. What should I do? "Bead blast" or "Polish it"  Thanks in advance. Also Could I get some pics of "polished Tippys" and "Bead blasted tippys"

just thought i would add my two cents...

when you get it bead blasted, have them blast the inside where the bolt slides around, this will be a perfect addition to the list of mods. while you are at it you should replace all the o-rings too, after all that your gun should be like BUDDAH.

DjMcDankles wrote: just thought i would add my two cents... when you get it bead blasted, have them blast the inside where the bolt slides around, this will be a perfect addition to the list of mods. while you are at it you should replace all the o-rings too, after all that your gun should be like BUDDAH.

Hmmm, bead or sand blasting gives a uniform but rough finish. It is usually something you do to a surface so that a coat of paint gets a better bite. Blasted surfaces have the texture of frost on the windshield.

Blasting before polishing is not something one would normally do unless there is some extremely tenacious coating on the surface that cannot be removed any other way. Removing paint before polishing is usually done with chemicals or blasting with walnut shell medium...it goes after the paint but doesn't roughen the metal surface.

I would not allow bead or sand blast to be used on the inside of the marker shells. Been there, done that and though the surface holds lube very well, the surface is so rough on the micro level it eats "O" rings and plastic parts that slide against such surfaces. To remove paint over-spray or other surface coatings on the inside use steel wool  then polish with the proper polishing compounds to obtain a mirror finish.

The same wheels and polishing compounds that these companies use on the outside can be used to polish on the inside if contact is kept light. Power polishing by someone set up for commercial production can remove a bit of metal.

MoNkeY Hunter wrote:  OK so I m. What do I ? What if they didn't bead blast it but instead just polished It? Would that remove any small scratches and make my Tippy shiny and spiffy, Whats the difference between "polishing and bead blasting?" They said they cant do both or said that you cant do one then the other and vis versa, same price to ether polish it or bead blast it.

Work it over yourself with steel wool and sandpaper to remove imperfections. Then give it to them to polish. Tell 'em you want a mirror finish. Then keep it waxed to reduce staining from finger prints and moisture.

Clean it well with a wet then a dry soft cloth after play and it will stay brilliant for a long time. It will also be easy to touch up with a soft cloth and aluminum polish when it needs it (Flitz is a good aviation quality aluminum polish good for touch ups)

MoNkeY Hunter wrote:  Ok thanks but when they polish it aree they going to remove the powder coat or whats left of the powder coat.

Depending on the operation they may use, as I said before, a blast with a soft media, a chemical treatment, or a bristle wheel to remove the remaining paint before polishing. If they do this for a business, you don't have to tell them how to do their job. They will do what ever process they do to prep the shells for polishing.

If you think the shells have excessively deep scratches  then doing some of your own prep work, steel wool, sanding or Scotch Brite, before they begin to polish. Some places may even use a light very fine grit sand or bead blast to remove stubborn coatings.

Put it in their hands, ask what they are charging for the finish you want, and wait until they call you when it is done!

cus98tom wrote: You stated that you wanted a smooth look , for that follow Bruces advice , but I've seen a marker that was beed blasted (outside surface) and it looked good also. just my $.02

Actually, I like the look of the matte finish of the bead blasted marker, but I found it hard to clean because of the roughness. The bead blasted surface sort of looks like Parkerizing/Phosphating (Mil Spec stuff).