Is this good enough to use to polish up some parts? It says it has a find and a course side. The only thing I've ecer used to smooth out parts before was a dremel but it wasn't anywhere NEAR a mirror finish. Just wondering if this would be the correct stone.


6 x 2 x 3/4 In. Bench Stone-87933 at The Home Depot

You don't say what parts you want to polish.

I did several revolver trigger jobs (Jerry Miculek DVD) using various bench stones before getting the proper India stone.

NORTON INDIA STONE
None of these give a "mirror" finish.

BTW, I would never use a Dremel on any part of a revolver.

With any "polishing" tool its really easy to do a lot of damage if you don't know what you're doing.

__________________
-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

You can always use automotive wet/dry sandpaper on a piece of granite or thick glass. It will stick well with just a bit of water. Then use some sewing machine or 3 in 1 oil.
The stuff is a buck a sheet or less at autozone or a good hardware store (not big blue or orange).
The beauty of it is that it can be wrapped around any shape to fit where you want it. I find a dowel wrapped with a thin bit of leather works well for rounded areas.
You can also get the paper in 220-2k grit so you can get as mirror smooth as you want.

Also, should you decide you want a stone I recommend a King. Nothing against the Norton's, they're quite nice, but the King stones can usually be had for half the price of a Norton and perform quite well. I use them for sharpening straight razors. Woodcraft usually has the best prices, especially coupled with the free shipping deal they offer every couple months.

You might want to look for a hard, Arkansas stone for polishing pieces...In the event the stone isn't available,,look for some 'crocus cloth' ,,cloth backed polishing cloth.....good luck...TIN...

I would not use that stone to polish anything. When I want to polish parts I use an Arkansas Black


http://www.hallsproedge.com/bench.htm#4

__________________
Regards,
Guy-Harold Smith II

I would agree. Way cheaper than buying stones.

You can get 2500 & 3000 grit wet/dry paper here:

Meguiars Unigrit Sand Paper

__________________
NRA Benefactor

By the time you use 600 grit wet/dry paper a few times it is just about right for polishing. Probably close to 1000grit.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

No stones...crocus cloth.

I almost always use extra hard and fine Arkansas stones. Slow and smooth! I do not like a really abrasive stone that cuts quickly - especially for guns. My set came from my Dad's tool chest and I have no idea when, where or how much it was purchased for - otherwise I would have given you the info. More than likely, it is older than I am!

Chief38

A stone such as you posted the link to would normally be used to sharpen an axe or maybe a butcher knife. Would actually do more damage than polish. I have a bunch of die makers stones, norton india stones and about three grades of sharpening stones. I would start with a norton india stone or depending how rough or smooth the part is end up using a black hard arkansas stone. Or just using silicone carbide wet or dry paper starting at 400 grit up to 800 grit. But when using the silicon carbide paper it's best to have a hard flat surface for a backing. That and some good oil as well. Different folks use different methods. What works for some may not work for others and vice versa.
Hope this helps, Frank

There is a polishing bit called a 'Craytex polishing bit' That is a rubber cone with a very fine polishing compound imbedded in it..It's for use in a Dremel and does a good job, depending on what you're working on....Tin...

What's your budget? I still think automotive paper is the best for someone under a budget. A flat surface under the paper is a must. You can glue the paper onto anything with rubber cement. Depends on where you are at, and what your resources are. Heck, you can even use tooth paste.

I am a master tool maker and I have at my disposal anything from a extreme variety of stones, diamond paste, crocus cloth, silicon carbide lapping compound, silicon carbide paper, diamond lapping paper, what they call "ruby" stones, aluminum oxide abrasives. I have anything from .5 micron diamond paste to "road gravel" silicon carbide.

Abrasive paper is the way to go, IMHO.

I use an Arkansas and India stone. Sometimes I use the Dremel with polish. It depends on the part and condition of it that determines what method I use.

I'm a stone junkie! That combination stone you mention is OK for sharpening some tools, but is not intended for such things as polishing sears etc. I would go with India stones as the most coarse for that kind of job. From time to time, I find extra extra fine Norton stones, and these are what I use for really smooth polishing. I don't use paper for polishing internal parts, but YMMV.

Froggie

Went with some 600 grit. I was trying to smooth out a Jennings J-22 and figured I'd smooth out the rough spots with the stone but 600 grit worked perfect. I was going to use the 1500 but it slides much easier and I think that should fix the problems it's having. IDK I've never shot it.


I saw the stone and was curious to know about it. Glad I didn't buy it now because I would have destroyed some parts. I think I'll keep an eye out for the India stones and some other ones at the next gun show. Glad I got all this info beforehand. I might polish up some parts using some small pieces of wood as a backing or a dowel if I can find one sitting around.

If you are looking for stones you might look at some ceramic stones. they are good and only use water for a lubricant. Speaking of water you might want to look at some water stones. Have experience with both. Great!

i have been useing 600 paper for years, it works perfect.