Before refinishing a metal part on any firearm, the surface must be properly prepared. Here’s how I polish gunsmith projects.

by Paul Mazan

I’ve received questions from readers asking what method I prefer for polishing gun parts before rebluing. As I thought about how to answer, I realized there are many methods and plenty of controversy, not to mention numerous different problems to be solved that would dictate the approach to the job. The material the part is made of, the condition of the surface to be refinished, the geometry of the part, and the degree of finish desired all play a role in determining the method used in getting the wanted result. Let’s break some of this down and see if we can make any sense of it.

We’ll start with the material of the part. Steel and stainless steel parts are approached in the same way and we will spend most of this article talking about the methods of bringing them to a degree of shine that will allow us to arrive at the wanted finish.

Read more in the May 2017 issue.

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