My Revolver is Shinier Than Yours

Squib.22

Squib.22

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I decided to polish my most prized possession yesterday. Figured I’d use the metal polish I had laying around…why not? I was blown away by how quickly the burn marks came off - like, instantly. It almost feels like I discovered fire. The gun is practically a mirror now too. I told a few buddies and they warned me it might mess up the finish in the long run - “it’s not meant for guns.”

I don't really get it, though. This stuff works WAY faster than lead remover and doesn't need half the effort. I don't see how it could harm the finish; it's stainless steel and the polish is made for stainless steel 🤷🏻‍♂️

Anyone know the science behind this, or are my friends just off base?

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I’ve got some coconut smelling felt-like polishing clothes that do the same thing. No bad odors, no burns to the hands, amazing. Polishes powder burns right off that I will have worked on for hours otherwise, to no avail.
 
DG412 said:
I decided to polish my most prized possession yesterday. Figured I’d use the metal polish I had laying around…why not? I was blown away by how quickly the burn marks came off - like, instantly. The gun is practically a mirror now. I told a few buddies and they warned me it might mess up the finish in the long run - “it’s not meant for guns.”

I don't really get it, though. This stuff works WAY faster than lead remover and doesn't need half the effort. I don't see how it could harm the gun; it's stainless steel and the polish is made for stainless steel, and other finishes.

Anyone know the science behind this, or are my friends just off base?

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I used Fritz on a S&W 686 years ago and was impressed.
Never an issue with the metal.
 
petroleum distillates and aluminum oxide... it's mineral spirits with a strong abrasive. If it removes bluing, it's because it is slightly acidic.
 
I use white diamond (vanilla scented) or flitz. There's several guys on YouTube that polish the burn rings off. They check the gap (feeler gauge) with the barrel and it's always in spec.
 
My only issue with abrasives and polishing a stainless gun is that over time the finish on the gun will change from brushed to polished, and getting it back to brushed is not something I’ve mastered.

Oh, and when you miss a spot, it shows!
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Put some on a bore mop, chuck it in a drill and polish the chambers. Works great on 22lr revo chambers. Flitz, lead away cloth etc all do the same thing.
 
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I feel like I'd be inclined to clean it again with something to strip oils then oil it with your favorite product. My concern would be heating up any residual acids or solvents that may be in the metal cleaning product the next time I fired it.
 
Tagging to follow. I love stainless guns and was curious about the burn marks
 
Timfoilhat said:
I feel like I'd be inclined to clean it again with something to strip oils then oil it with your favorite product. My concern would be heating up any residual acids or solvents that may be in the metal cleaning product the next time I fired it.
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This is good advice.
 
Back in gunsmithing i polished a police trade in 66 Smith. It was $249 and looked every bit of it. I used the buffing wheels and polishing compound that we had access to and when i was done, it looked amazing. I ended up selling it to a classmate for $500 (which i now regret).

The main thing to watch for is over polishing the edges and sharp lines as they will round off a bit. Doesn't affect function but might ruin the look for you/ some people.

We also did this on a pair of 4506's that were also really beat up. I loved mine but my buddy didn't. He took a blending pad and carefully brought it back to almost a factory looking finish. Took a day but i was impressed with the outcome.

Clean it off good when your done. That compound will get in cracks and openings everywhere. Other than that, great job, it looks good to me!
 
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