Sand blasting a scope?

Has anybody had guts enough to sand or bead blast a scope? Naturally you would need to mask off all the delicate parts of the scope. I'm wondering this because I don't like a shinny scope, but on E-bay you can find some very good deals on shinny scopes. Sure you could paint the scope, but I'm looking for something more perminant. A good scope on E-bay and a little squirt of glass beads and who knows.......
 
I have a glass bead setup. I've never tried a scope, but sure it could be done. Send me a scope and we'll see. Or better yet bring it over and you can do it yourself. The glass beads I use are very fine and are used for SS barrels on custon rifles, gives a very fine matte finish.
 
I used to have a bead blasting outfit that I used to refinish antiques with media that was finer than most women's face powder and well as the courser grades. With very low air pressure, it can be done..

The biggest problem I can see would be forcing the media under the movable parts of the scope and not being able to remove it. I know that when we went to Egypt, the ultra-fine air blown sand there almost ruined our cameras and they all had to be sent back to the respective factories for cleaning. You would need to seal those joints with clear fingernail polish before starting and only hit those areas at the very last as the media will remove the seal.
 
Boy now this is strange...
I just got done sand blasting my 3x9 Leoupold. Took it right down to bear metal. Looks pretty clean now.
Going to paint it or get it refinished in flat black for my calling gun.Did not mask off anything, just made sure not to blast the lense. Still works GREAT!!!
Chris Crawford
 
I'm sure the manufacturer would still honor the warranty.
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Dan - A good offer, but before destroying a scope I'd like to hear if others have had any luck in doing such a thing.

Bead blasting stainless steel is suprising, isn't it. I had a 45 THat I built into a comp gun, there were some SS parts that I wanted toned down a bit so I had a fellow hit them with a sand blaster, WOW what a difference. The parts went from bright and shinny to dark and gray. I liked the effect very much.
 
Is that on SS or aluminum? The guy that shot my SS parts .... I was standing there when he did it and looked into his media barrel .... used sand. But very course sand, this was in a plating (Chrome, Silver, Copper, Nichal) plant, he used the sand blaster for removing heavy rust and other nasties from metal. I really didn't intend to have him do it. We were talking, since he knew about metal I asked him what he thought, the next thing I knew he saw blasting away at my parts ... no matter I liked the result very much.

A nice gray would be sorta nice on a scope .... Hmmmmmm this just might work .....
 
Probably both, Beads don't have color in them, it's just the way SS looks when the surface is roughed up. It is not a true gray. I think it comes from sand leaving sharp edges and the beads leaving a smooth more rounded surface.
 
I have never done it, but I would be real reluctant if it were my scope. The anodizing on aluminum is many times harder than the base-metal and has a melting point that is probably double of the base-metal. On something as thin as the tube of a scope, the anodizing could very well account for much of it's strength. I have often had poor results, once the hard-coat anodizing has been compromised on aluminum parts.
 
Quote:
Now there's something I hadn't considered. Paint it will be.

Mike the parts arrived and worked very well, the new length is perfect.



Glad they worked out for you!
 
I used to own a bluing and plating shop and I have done both bead blasting and sand blasting to prep guns for bluing and plating. There is a big difference between the two processes.

Glass bead blasting actually deforms the surface of the metal by causing microscopic dents, like hitting copper or aluminum sheet with a ball peen hammer, only on a much smaller scale. Glass beads are round and smooth

Sand blasting actually cuts the metal causing a microscopic uneven surface with sharp edges. Grains of sand have sharp edges and irregular in shape.

The big difference as far as firearms are concerned is the durability. Parts that have been glass bead blasted and then blued or plated have a much more durable finish that parts that are sand blasted. Because the bead blasting dents the metal the surface has no sharp edges and is not easily burnished. Sand blasted parts have sharp edges even after bluing and plating and are more succeptable to burnishing a bright spot on the metal surface when they come into contact with almost anything. Plating is more durable than bluing but it too will burnish.

I would stay away from using any airborne abrasive on a scope. If you wouldn't blast your camera then you shouldn't consider doing it to your scope for the same reasons.

Truckeedan
 


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