Polishing stainless/metal pistols

[jbabb]

I work with Ruger MkII pistols and have been doing some experimenting with polishing. The most I have done so far is with white rouge and a spiral-sewn wheel, but I want to really know and understand how to get a brighter polish and achieve a mirror-finish with these pistols.

From what I have read, I believe I should start with black/emery compound (lightly), then move to a different wheel using the white/rouge compound, and finally to get that high shine, move to a blue compound and a soft wheel. What tips can be offered for this and what specifically should I seek to purchase as far as wheels and compounds go? How often do I need to scrape my wheel off? I have been polishing for a couple months now using white rouge and the wheel and everything just seems to turn BLACK after a certain period of time. Suggestions?

I also would like to get a few dremel polishing heads to get inside of the stripped pistol itself to polish internals and make the action smoother

The majority of the pistol is stainless steel and the frames are mostly sheet metal with most of the small parts being stainless

Please help me out and thanks in advance!

[Fergman 5000]

I used green rouge on aluminum and the shine was grand. However I just found out green rouge is for stainless steel so I would use that. My father makes and polishes knives so that is why I used green.

[Rasper]

Yes, all hardware store green compound I have seen is for stainless. (Just because it's hardware store stuff doesn't mean it's not good; I have used a lot of it.) From professional suppliers such as Caswell, not all stainless compound is green.

Emery cuts stainless well at first, but I find that it breaks down too quickly and stops cutting. Stainless compound is normally made from aluminum oxide, which is, I believe, right up next to diamonds in hardness. I recommend getting a coarse and a fine stainless compound. I use only spiral sewn cotton wheels. I prefer to do the major cutting with sandpaper.

Most of the white compound you see is for final finishing. I use it after the stainless compounds.

I rake my wheels often—every three to five minutes.

The unknown here is what kind of finish are you starting with on those guns? Some stainless guns I have seen are so rough that they need some serious sanding. Others are ready to buff. Which is the case with yours?

R