Flitz and blueing

[Ddawg]

I applied Flitz to the side of my M27-2 where the S&W logo is and it appears sort of foggy. Is there any way to restore the blue mirror like finish or did I really mess my revolver up? I thought Flitz was OK to use on blue guns. It makes my nickel guns look like mirrors.

 

[dfariswheel]

I suspect you ruined the finish.

Flitz and all other metal polishes are abrasive. That's what a metal polish IS.
Flitz is a very fine abrasive, but rub a little too hard or use it very often and the finish will be abraded.
These metal polishes will also damage nickel if over used.

Everyone reports great results using Flitz on guns and I keep telling them the stuff is abrasive.

If you want to clean a blued or nickel finish, use CLP Breakfree.
If you want it to shine, use a hard wax like Renaissance Wax or Johnson's Paste Wax.
NO CAR WAX. They too often contain fine abrasives.

Sorry, but short of a total refinish, there's not a thing you can do to restore what is simply missing blue you rubbed off.

 

[pred]

Polish real good with a very clean soft cloth turning frequently..
It may have some left on it.
Hope it turns out well.

 

[Ddawg]

Thanks for the prompt replies Dfariswheel and pred. I used a soft polishing cloth as pred suggested and was able to restore a partial shine and there is far less fog. It still isn't right but I coated it with Renaissance wax and its still my qualification gun once a year for concealed carry under HR 218. I carried it everyday for the first fifteen years as a LEO so it really was not a showpiece anyway, but I learned a lesson about Flitz. Thanks guys.

 

[tac803]

In over 10 years of using Flitz exclusively on my blued guns, I have never had a problem like the one you described. I suppose if somebody rubs the snot out of a gun, they can remove blueing, but it would take quite an effort. The one thing I have found is that Flitz can remove cold blue products. If the area in question had been touched up, that might account for the "fog". Other than that, I have no idea how you could have had a problem. As far as Flitz being abrasive, so are dry cloths and holsters. I have used it on at least 35 or 40 guns through the years and have had no problems at all.

 

[Ddawg]

tac803

Thanks for replying. It wasn't cold blued anywhere and I didn't think I rubbed that hard or that much but I guess a little lighter touch would have been more prudent. I didn't rub the bluing off completely but just enough to make it look different in comparison to the rest of the gun, which looks beautiful. I carried it in a suede lined Safariland basketweave but the suede is almost gone now. Still shoots great and I like shooting it much more than the P226 that replaced it the the late 80's. This is a great board, BTW, and has really renewed my interest in my S&W wheel guns. These guns are 10X as beautiful as any of the new autos (except 1911's which are beautiful in their own right).