How to polish a stainless steel revolver

[BillCA]

jnew,

The short answer is yes. The first time it'll be a slow process until you know how much to polish and for how long. I'm not sure which parts you're referring to, but if they were cast rough it may take several applications to smooth out the surface with polishing compound.

 

[jglsprings]

Bright polish...

Before...

After....

Mothers mag polish and a damp rag. Follow the instructions on the jar. I watched the Olympics and cleaned it up a couple of hours a night. This was about three passes.

Not bad for a $275.00 gun.

P.S.

Plus another $80.00 bucks for the correct grips! YIKES! I can't believe the money they get for wood panels these days!! My next SS gun I'm going to try for the brushed look.

 

[jnewmash]

What can I use to unsharpen (for lack of a better term) the sharp edges of the stainless SA 1911 while I 'm at it? Thanks

 

[BillCA]

Some of that will depend on where those sharp edges are.

For something like the edge of the slide, it's best to build yourself an angle jig and use a very fine steel file to lightly break the corners to the same angle. Then use a flat stick (popsicle, paint stick, etc.) wrapped with crocus cloth to round off the remaining square edges.

Just remember that every time you remove any metal you'll leave behind a slightly shiny surface. Unless your gun has a polished look to it, you might need to have it lightly bead blasted to "blend" in the work.

 

[ADAMFOSS88]

Ss poloished with mothers mag and aluminum polish

My ruger speed six .357 mag polished with mothers mag and aluminum

 

[jglsprings]

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Zombie thread. Back from the dead. LOL!

 

[guns54]

shineing ss hand gun.

can I use mothers polish-over rustys rigs over mothers polish with out takeing mothers off,guns54.

 

[brasscollector]

Twice revived from the depths...necrothreading at its best.

 

[MarkDozier]

28 post and no one mentioned Renaissance Wax. It is far superior to Mothers for polishing. Where mother removes soot rings with little effort.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

You can't polish without abrasion. Mother's and ALL those "non-abrasive" polishes are lying- they are abrasive.
And Renaissance Wax won't polish anything. It contains no abrasives at all. It's not even a good wax.

AND- all of you who are polishing your guns are ruining their values.

Just so you know.........

 

[Old Bill Dibble]

You and I have a different understanding of how polishing works.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

That may be the case, but what I said is the absolute truth.
I feel I'm experienced enough in the metal finishing business to state it as fact.

 

[wizrd]

This worked great on some very minor polishing on a Mod. 64 I bought a while back. Highly reccommended by a knowledgeable gun person friend. Needs no other polishing compound, use as is.

 

[johnwilliamson062]

And Renaissance Wax won't polish anything. It contains no abrasives at all. It's not even a good wax.

Care to expand on that? I am selling it, so I would love to know.

I don't know how a polish could work if not abrasive.

Flitz, a rag, and a John Wayne marathon.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Assuming this was directed at me.
You are correct that you can't polish without abrasives.
Renaissance Wax is designed to be easy to apply, and easy to buff off. It is designed for stationary objects that are not handled much.
Neutral paste shoe polish, on the other hand, holds up very well as it's formulated for shoes.

 

[johnwilliamson062]

Somehow I missed the "good" in your post.

I sell it for use in cast iron work surfaces at my hobby funding part time job. Some used commercially others used by pretty active hobbyist. Table saws, drill presses, etc. A cabinet shop sliding sheets across it all day would meet my definition of handled much. Few finger prints or salty oils though. Everyone that uses it raves about it. I haven't been working with there long and haven't used it myself yet. I've just used a very light coat of RIG grease worked into the pores and I have yet to notice any oils rubbing off on my work or distortion of finishes.
I agree none of the above waxes or greases will polish metal.