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Ice · 03-05-2009, 11:28 AM

I use Brownells Steel White to chemically strip the old finish. Depending on pitting/marring I carefully draw file the metal or if marring is light I use Wet or Dry paper to resurface the metal. I back the Wet or Dry with a pink eraser or one of those hard rubber body tools from the auto parts store for flat work. For curved surfaces I wrap the paper around a wooden dowel of proper diameter. For me, one of the keys to good work is to study the finish on an original unretouched specimen and try to duplicate the polishing directions, the grain flows and the surface appearance. All of my work is done by hand with the exception of polishing revolver cylinder flutes because thats the only way that I can precisely control the result. Even the cylinder flutes are touched up by hand after polishing to duplicate the overall appearance of the gun. The key is to keep flat surfaces flat and curved surfaces curved, all without ripples, dips, blurring the lettering and markings and without dishing out the screw and pin holes.

Since I am set up to only do kitchen table rust blueing I don't polish to finer than 400. The rust blue has an etching quality that makes a finer polish unnecessary.

I'm not a professional but have received favorable comments from both pros and collectors on occasion but in the end I just do the work for the enjoyment of bringing an abused - and non collectible - firearm back to its original state or as close as possible.

Sorry for the long explanation. I hope this helps.

03-05-2009, 11:28 AM	#9
Ice User Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 552 Thanks: 13 Thanked 69 Times in 57 Posts	I use Brownells Steel White to chemically strip the old finish. Depending on pitting/marring I carefully draw file the metal or if marring is light I use Wet or Dry paper to resurface the metal. I back the Wet or Dry with a pink eraser or one of those hard rubber body tools from the auto parts store for flat work. For curved surfaces I wrap the paper around a wooden dowel of proper diameter. For me, one of the keys to good work is to study the finish on an original unretouched specimen and try to duplicate the polishing directions, the grain flows and the surface appearance. All of my work is done by hand with the exception of polishing revolver cylinder flutes because thats the only way that I can precisely control the result. Even the cylinder flutes are touched up by hand after polishing to duplicate the overall appearance of the gun. The key is to keep flat surfaces flat and curved surfaces curved, all without ripples, dips, blurring the lettering and markings and without dishing out the screw and pin holes. Since I am set up to only do kitchen table rust blueing I don't polish to finer than 400. The rust blue has an etching quality that makes a finer polish unnecessary. I'm not a professional but have received favorable comments from both pros and collectors on occasion but in the end I just do the work for the enjoyment of bringing an abused - and non collectible - firearm back to its original state or as close as possible. Sorry for the long explanation. I hope this helps.