Polishing Stainless

[meltmelt]

For those who enjoy a mirror finish on their stainless firearms, what techniques have you learned to be most effective? What amateur mistakes would you caution against?

What's your go-to polishing product(s), applicators, methods and etc?

I mostly hear great things about marathon polishing using Mothers Mag , often finishing with another product such as Mothers Billet Polish.

I have also come across several past Mothers users who now swear by Simichrome as being a vastly a superior product. (Though from my reading, it seem as if it may be a more caustic product less suitable for amateur polishers..? )

Others claim a selection of 3M products to be THE king of achieving ridiculous reflectivity.

What works best for you? What applicator do you use, and with what method? Tiny circular patterns with an ultra shammy until day break? An electric buffer or sorts? A brand specific polishing cloth? Slow and steady? etc etc. Do you remove the cylinder (and do it separately?), or plug the internals to protect vital mechanisms?, etc

I am brand new to this, and am looking to better understand the subtle techniques and understandings that aren't always specified or widely known.

In my case, I am starting with stainless steel, in matte silver finish. The goal being a mirror finish that appears capable of signaling planes and igniting objects via the suns reflection.


What would you recommend?

Also, will the engraved company insignia be removed/damaged?


Thanks

 

[ogilvyspecial]

mm, here's a thread that should help
hold you over until others respond.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-smithing/236756-best-way-clean-stainless.html

 

[OLDSTER]

soft cotton rag and either Mothers Mag polish or Flitz. Make her shine like nickle.

 

[Dann Fassnacht]

soft cotton rag and...Mothers Mag polish...

That's what I use and it works very well.

 

[Doc Nonverbal]

I use Mothers as well. I use an old white cotton tee-shirt that I cut up into little squares. For applicators, I use oak dowels cut to pencil length with different shaped tips: Flat, rounded, and pointed. I have two different diameter dowels for doing cylinder flutes.

I like the oak dowels because they allow me to put a consistent amount of force on the surface of the gun while polishing without putting undue pressure on my fingertips.

The other tool that I've found works really well is a 6" bamboo skewer. Bamboo is pretty tough stuff and won't break like toothpicks. I use the skewer to force the cotton rag into tight crevices and corners. The butt end of the skewer fits perfectly for cleaning out the cylinder notches.

Note that this is only for stainless guns. For blued guns, I use 0000 steel wool and lots of oil. I use a very bright LED flashlight to spot the early stages of surface rust. The 0000 steel wool and oil does a great job of knocking out the rust.

To clean up the steel wool reside, I wrap a small magnet in a cotton rag and run it over the surface of the polished area. All of the steel wool fragments will adhere to the rag, which you can then turn inside out and toss in the trash. This keeps the magnet clean.

Good luck!


David

 

[OLDSTER]

polish

I use Mothers as well. I use an old white cotton tee-shirt that I cut up into little squares. For applicators, I use oak dowels cut to pencil length with different shaped tips: Flat, rounded, and pointed. I have two different diameter dowels for doing cylinder flutes.

I like the oak dowels because they allow me to put a consistent amount of force on the surface of the gun while polishing without putting undue pressure on my fingertips.

The other tool that I've found works really well is a 6" bamboo skewer. Bamboo is pretty tough stuff and won't break like toothpicks. I use the skewer to force the cotton rag into tight crevices and corners. The butt end of the skewer fits perfectly for cleaning out the cylinder notches.

Note that this is only for stainless guns. For blued guns, I use 0000 steel wool and lots of oil. I use a very bright LED flashlight to spot the early stages of surface rust. The 0000 steel wool and oil does a great job of knocking out the rust.

To clean up the steel wool reside, I wrap a small magnet in a cotton rag and run it over the surface of the polished area. All of the steel wool fragments will adhere to the rag, which you can then turn inside out and toss in the trash. This keeps the magnet clean.

Good luck!


David

I polish all my SS revolvers using Mothers Mag. I really like your magnet in a cotton rag idea. I've got a 2 1/2" 686 coming for my next polish job, and I'll definite use the magnate

 

[meltmelt]

I use Mothers as well. I use an old white cotton tee-shirt that I cut up into little squares. For applicators, I use oak dowels cut to pencil length with different shaped tips: Flat, rounded, and pointed. I have two different diameter dowels for doing cylinder flutes.

I like the oak dowels because they allow me to put a consistent amount of force on the surface of the gun while polishing without putting undue pressure on my fingertips.

The other tool that I've found works really well is a 6" bamboo skewer. Bamboo is pretty tough stuff and won't break like toothpicks. I use the skewer to force the cotton rag into tight crevices and corners. The butt end of the skewer fits perfectly for cleaning out the cylinder notches.

Note that this is only for stainless guns. For blued guns, I use 0000 steel wool and lots of oil. I use a very bright LED flashlight to spot the early stages of surface rust. The 0000 steel wool and oil does a great job of knocking out the rust.

To clean up the steel wool reside, I wrap a small magnet in a cotton rag and run it over the surface of the polished area. All of the steel wool fragments will adhere to the rag, which you can then turn inside out and toss in the trash. This keeps the magnet clean.

Good luck!


David

Thanks a lot, that is some inspiring ingenuity. I would love to hear more of your thoughts on this subject.

Here are my current thoughts before I take the first plunge, any advice/criticism is appreciated.

Do you disassemble the weapon and/or plug the inner mechanics?

Are there areas which are off limits? such as certain aspects of the cylinder bay, etc?

being a total beginner and certainly no artist, am I taking any huge risk in botching this job? or is it fairly simple to achieve if one is committed and has a basic understanding of the task?

If you polish a stainless revolver that is machine engraved, will the engraving begin to look terrible or possibly appear interesting as it becomes more subtle?

I have an oddball hankering in my head to moderately mirror only the cylinder of a matte stainless snub. Has anyone seen this done, or have any opinions? Would it look better with another matching part or simply clash? What about a very lightly mirrored frame and an obscenely mirrored cylinder? Any pics of this type of clash pulled off in a reasonably classy fashion?

Also, if one were to polish only the cylinder, would it be best to remove it, or leave it attached for some reason?

Thanks again everyone

 

[timn8er]

I've got to say that SimiChrome is the bomb! I used to use it
on cycle header pipes that had turned blue. With a little work
they looked brand new. I haven't seen it in a while, so I've
been using a product that works well that actually is branded
by Honda. You can find it in cycle stores. I've used it on guns,
silver, & even gold jewelry with nice results. You might want
test it on a small area to see if its what you want. Its called
Pro Honda Metal Polish & Restorer. Good Luck!

 

[gutterman]

I'm like some of the rest of you-I use mothers mag. polish but I apply it with a micro fiber towel and polish it off with a clean microfiber towel. I disassemble and polish the parts seperatley. You can get the towels from Walmart in the automotive section. They come in a bundle for $5.00. This has been the single best and most effective method I've tried and it does wonders.

 

[lebomm]

If you do disassemble to preserve the hammer and trigger, be sure to reinstall the sideplate and polish it in position. Any rounding of the seam edges will be immediately obvious and look amateurishly cheesy.

 

[stc1]

For those who enjoy a mirror finish on their stainless firearms, what techniques have you learned to be most effective? What amateur mistakes would you caution against?

What's your go-to polishing product(s), applicators, methods and etc?

I mostly hear great things about marathon polishing using Mothers Mag , often finishing with another product such as Mothers Billet Polish.

I have also come across several past Mothers users who now swear by Simichrome as being a vastly a superior product. (Though from my reading, it seem as if it may be a more caustic product less suitable for amateur polishers..? )

Others claim a selection of 3M products to be THE king of achieving ridiculous reflectivity.

What works best for you? What applicator do you use, and with what method? Tiny circular patterns with an ultra shammy until day break? An electric buffer or sorts? A brand specific polishing cloth? Slow and steady? etc etc. Do you remove the cylinder (and do it separately?), or plug the internals to protect vital mechanisms?, etc

I am brand new to this, and am looking to better understand the subtle techniques and understandings that aren't always specified or widely known.

In my case, I am starting with stainless steel, in matte silver finish. The goal being a mirror finish that appears capable of signaling planes and igniting objects via the suns reflection.


What would you recommend?

Also, will the engraved company insignia be removed/damaged?

Thanks

My daughter in-law works for Zales Jewelers and gave me some polishing cloths that work well on many metals. you might need some fine sanding first though. I have found 800 to 2000 grit sandpaper in my local "walmart" type store in the automotive section.