stainless polishing

[.357 mag]

First of all, Thank you to everyone who has posted info on polishing your revolvers. I read post after post last night for about an hour. Today I purchase some mothers mag polish and gave it a try. It helped, but I'm after more. I'm a bit scare of doing this to the gun but I think I will be fine if I take my time. I'm going to the hardware store torroww to start. I think I'm goin to use the gray scotchbite pad and see how it does. Here is what I have as of now.


before

After with the mag polish

Any more info between now and in the morning will be great.

Thanks

.357

 

[rjrivero]

Polishing

It's a work of passion. You can use a buffing wheel on parts without stamping, but around the S&W logo and the Barrel Stamps continue on by hand. You don't want to dull out the stamps with your polishing.

I know one guy on this forum who polishes all his stainless revolvers by hand. Terrycloth and elbow grease goes a long way with mothers to get a great finish.

I believe this to be his most recent polish job.

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3274966&postcount=51

 

[govmule84]

How interestin'

...that we both was in this together.

My old lady took the chitlin' to her relatives, so it was a happy Easter all by myself. I decided to "go through" my stainless Ruger Security Six, which is older than I am!

I used the Mother's you got there...and I took mine to mirror shine. Use a dremel with the felt drums - It took a long time with that...I can't imagine how long it would take to do by hand. I don't have photos, but it looks dang near a nickeled pistol.

I took the whole thing down to do the job. I don't know if Smiffs are easy to break down, but the Rugers come apart purty easy. It makes it a bit easier not to have the cylinder and crane flopping about (and it's probably easier on them, as well.)

It looks sharp, but Lord, what a fingerprint magnet. Only a chamois seems to keep it truly spotless.

 

[johnwilliamson062]

I would never polish one of my stainless guns.
I buy stainless because it is rugged yet forgiving, just like me(If i knew any women who liked to shoot that one might get me somewhere).

Seriously though, bluing is lower maintenance than polishing your stainless.

Maybe I could meet someone who didn't like to shoot, just polish. We could both buy guns, I could shoot them and he/she could keep them in pristine condition. He/she you ask, well, for this set up I would be willing to make some major compromises.

 

[dabigguns357]

I took mine one step more.I used 800gr sandpaper then 1,000gr then dremmel tool with mother's mag wheel polish.I was very carful and it took about 6 days total,but they look way better to me now than before.there is more of a mirror finish on my semi-auto than my .357 but i'm not done.

 

[govmule84]

Well...

You can come to my house and shoot my guns. But you have to clean and polish them, too.

My gun looks nice. Polishing and "purtying 'em up" is okay by me. A very important part of shooting, to me, is care and cleaning. I love going over the parts, oiling, lubing, deburring, double-checking everything. I know more about my guns then my girlfriend, I think.

I can't afford to shoot a lot...I'm in college, and I have a little guy and a little lady, and they get 'spensive. But I clean and oil all the time. I like my guns to look good, and I love when someone asks me where I got something that I customized. (My revolver is real shiny. I just two-toned the barrel in my PT-92, and already people have asked me what model it is, trying to get their own.)

I've also got blued, park'd, and nickel finished guns. Variety, amigo, is the spice of like, they say.

My recommendation would be that if you don't like high-gloss finishes - don't get one!

 

[Bill DeShivs]

The Scotchbrite pad will smooth, but not polish, the gun. It will probably be less shiny than it is now. I prefer Simichrome polish. Sanding to 2000 grit, and then hand polishing with Simichrome will give you a near mirror polish. A Dremel tool does not have sufficient contact area to properly polish large surfaces.

 

[govmule84]

Disagree.

A Dremel tool has plenty of area to polish. I have a snubnose Ruger mirror in my safe to back that statement up.

Laying all that polish in by hand makes my hands hurt just thinking about it.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Disagree if you want. I have a lifetime of professional polishing experience to back my statements up. Anything much larger than a wedding band should not be polished with a Dremel. If I can't do it, I seriously doubt you can do a good job with one. It either needs to be done by hand, or on proper professional polishing equipment.

 

[govmule84]

And disagree I shall.

I usually agree with most everything I read of yours, Bill, but you ain't really got a corner on the metal polishin' market - a lot of us been doing it hither and yon, collectively, for a few more years than you, would be my guess.

I fail to see why applying a polishing compound with a small rotary tool would somehow not work. Mine looks just as good as any factory finish would come out looking, and I daresay if I put a little more effort to it, it could be better.

After I paint a car or motorcycle tins, I surely don't buff with a rag...I use a buffer. This is the same situation...why wear out your hand? Any mechanic will tell you...use the best tool for the job.

I am not understanding how size would somehow affect the finish of the product, but perhaps you could enlighten me.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

As I said-the surface contact area with a Dremel is too small for a consistent finish. Try buffing a car with a dremel and tell me how it works.

 

[govmule84]

I could polish a car with a dremel... but it's the wrong tool for the job. But if pushed to do it, I could probably buff a set of bike tins with one. A car? I'd blow at least one motor, but I could do it. I'd have to be getting paid, but I could do it, with good results. You mention that the gun needs to be finished either on professional equipment or by hand...why would some compromise not work? Back in the old days, before Dremels or buffers... we buffed cars with rags. And it worked. Very slowly, but it worked.

Anything much bigger, like a buffing wheel, is terrible for the small spots on a gun. The area where the barrel meets the frame, and the triggerguard areas, in particular, are purty hard to get to.

I don't get why a small surface area would lead you to say a poor finish would result. Either your standards are far, far higher than my own (which may be possible), or you use a LOT more pressure on your Dremel than I use on mine.

I just set mine to max RPM (35k or so), and used a nice soft felt wheel to smooth mag polish in. Back out of an area when the polish turns black, and occaionally wipe the whole shebang down and see if any areas need retouching. Don't lean on the dang thing or get stupid with one area, and you can avoid that crappy melty look.

It turned out real nice, Bill... I hate the finish now, because it's a total pain to keep nice looking, but it looks first-rate. I polished my barrel out of another gun this way last week, and it, too, turned out fantastically. Perhaps we are doing things differently.

 

[Lost Sheep]

You might want to check these threads

Mothers polish seems to be very popular.

Some really nice pictures. The last one has a before and after picture of a Colt Anaconda.

http://www.rugerforum.net/showthread.php?t=8010&highlight=ruger+polish+stainless&page=3
rugerforum.net/showthread.php?t=8010&highlight=ruger+polish+stainless&page=3

http://www.rugerforum.net/showthread.php?t=7774
rugerforum.net/showthread.php?t=7774

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=353392
thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=353392

Lost Sheep

 

[madcratebuilder]

I use a 10" cotton wheel on a bench grinder. You can get a shine real fast. If you want a mirror finish it takes a little longer. I have never had a problem washing out any stamped logo or lettering, your polishing not grinding.
I just did this thirty year old ROA, it was very dull and had several scratches, plus stains from black powder. Not counting disassemble or assembly it took less than 30 minutes.

I bought this unfired 686 for .25 on a dollar because it had corrosion and rust on both sides of the frame. The deep pitting took more work, file, 320, 400, 600 then the wheel.
A few hours total, you can still see a few very tiny pits in the right light and angle.

As I said-the surface contact area with a Dremel is too small for a consistent finish.

Bill, that has been my experience in the past, but I just picked up some 1.5" layered cotton and felt wheels for my dremel. If you keep them moving they do a pretty good job and don't leave the streaking that the smaller ones do. I have always used the dremel for inside the trigger guard, flutes and other small area's. I would hate to do a entire gun with a 1.5" wheel.

 

[.357 mag]

Ok, I don't have a grinder. I don't have a dremel. So it makes it easy, I not using either. I really want to just get the scratches out and have a nice shine. I heard that the m3 pads will do what I want. I have all the time I need (I don't care how long it takes) I just want it to look good.

 

[GUNKWAZY]

No tools other than a clean rag, my fingers and a can of Mothers Mag polish did this one.
Again, NO TOOLS.

Jeff (GUNKWAZY)

 

[45Marlin carbine]

that's some good work there fellas.
myself I don't own any polished s/s pistols excepting a ROA which I so far have kept from haveing to re-polish.
I do own several matte finish s/s pistols and a blasting cabinet. I've got quite good at useing beads to clean up a finish on s/s pistols. looks factory new.

 

[.357 mag]

nice work Jeff. I think I will keep on with the mother's until I get what I want. I will post between now and then.

 

[CraigC]

Rotary tools do NOT have enough contact area to properly polish large areas. Disagree all you want. I'd wager that Dremels have ruined more good guns than all other foolishness combined.

I can't afford to shoot a lot...I'm in college

a lot of us been doing it...for a few more years than you...

Yeah, how many years you been at it? Are you really calling out a professional metal finisher?

I use a buffer.

Exactly! And a buffing wheel is what you use to polish a gun, or you do it by hand. Not a rotary tool.

This is the same situation...why wear out your hand?

Because the best way to finish a firearm is by hand, always has been. An improperly used buffing wheel (or Dremel) will round off corners and dish out screw holes. It causes waves on large flat surfaces. Hand polishing keeps all the flats flat, the corners sharp, the edges even. Also prevents dishing out the screw holes.

Perhaps we are doing things differently.

Or perhaps you should listen more to those that know and talk less.

 

[.357 mag]

Here is my take on the dremel. If you want to do it to your gun, go for it. But I wouldn't suggest using it to other people. You don't know there experiance with a dremel and think about it, us men think we are better than what we are when we first start a project.