Hey all,
I just acquired a model 63 that I want to polish up nice, but not do anything to hurt the passivation of the surface. Has anyone ever used a Birchwood Casey lead removal cloth to do this?
Doing a bit of research here, found out that polishing a stainless revolver bright will remove the passivation properties. And of all places (a beer brewing site pertaining to cleaning stainless), stating that using a cleaning/polishing compound that contains oxalic acid, like "Barkeepers Friend" will polish and also re-passivate the stainless after using by just exposing the stainless to air.
Any insight or experience?
Thanks!

I've used Adco Wonder Cloth for probably close to 30 years. Felt like cloth. You cut a small piece and it cleans the burn rings off in about 5 seconds worth of rubbing.

Thanks for the tip, but I'm looking to polish up the entire revolver and make it shiny. Not like nickel, but more shiny than the brushed stock look of the S & W revolver line without compromising the passivation properties.

Mothers Mag wheel polish and an old t shirt will work.No rust on the guns I did a few years ago.Humidity is not a concern here.

There's a difference between the stainless steels used in firearms and those used for other purposes, like beer brewing and kitchen and surgical uses.
I believe that gun makers give the guns their final polish after the passivation process.

To polish a stainless gun use any good metal polish. Mother's Mag, MAAS, even Brass-O can do the job.
While you can make the gun very shiny, polishing with metal polishes can't remove the fine machine marks left on the gun during manufacture, so you can't get it to a true mirror polish.
At the factories when a stainless gun is given a mirror polish the fine machine marks are polished off during the more extensive polishing process, then the metal is brought to a true mirror polish.

you are 100% correct.

Thanks all! going to get a lead removal cloth for the cordite fouling and do the Mom's Mag trick. Not looking for a 'mirror' but to make it look nice & shiny. Something in between mirror and stock brushed.
I'll post pics once I take control of this no dash 63.

Get some Flitz. It will take several attempts, but I think you will be very pleasantly surprised at how much polishing you will get (including those machine marks that some say cannot be polished away...).

I polished mine with a old T shirt and some Flitz. Came out OK.