fluffing some stuff

Kyo · June 24, 2009, 04:36 PM

Last night I came over to my dad's place to polish some stuff on the gun. He has the tools and is a jeweler so he knows what he's doing with metal. We did the feeding ramp, and the slide rails on the button of the slide only. What a difference the bottom of the slide makes. The whole assembly feels smoother, and crisper then before. The next time I come over we are going to do the guide rod and maybe the outside of the barrel. Over all I think it is a great improvement for a 10 minute job.
He used green rouge instead of the red because he said the has grit in it that would take off some metal. He used a polishing head on his motorized tool which was soft enough to not take anything off.

hogdogs · June 24, 2009, 04:53 PM

Actually, Polishing in and of itself is the controlled removal of metal. red being coarser than white and green but I can't remember if white is finer than green. white would make mirror finish on the harder stainless plate used so often in brewery equipment.
Brent

Kyo · June 24, 2009, 08:19 PM

The green made the feed ramp mirror finished but not the rails because he lightly did them. When I say it didn't take off metal, I meant it did not deform the shape

hogdogs · June 25, 2009, 12:57 AM

Gotcha... and the red will quickly deform or remove excessive amount...
Ask, for me, if white or green is finer just so I know, if you would...
Brent

Kyo · June 25, 2009, 04:41 PM

White is more coarse than green. Green is a final step as it shows down here. So, I would say green is more fine then the red.
http://www.hobbytool.com/stainlessst...gcompound.aspx
thats the green stuff he used.
http://www.hobbytool.com/jewelers-rouge.htm
This is the guide to it I found for ya. The red is supposed to not take any off, and the green is supposed to be a final step. So, if the red won't take anything, the green won't either.

JasonG · July 2, 2009, 05:01 AM

After the green hit the rails, firing pin, guide rod, anything that moves, with flitz.
"Flitz, its not just for the outside of your gun!"
Really smoothes the action out. Makes cleaning easier too

grymster2007 · July 2, 2009, 09:20 AM

Wiping metal down with a cotton cloth will remove some of it, but you'd need to work pretty hard with any of the jeweler's rouges to dimensionally alter a gun part enough to adversely affect it's performance.

Kyo · July 3, 2009, 01:45 PM

well, yes and no. I didn't feel like arguing with my dad when he said the red rogue will take metal off while the green wont. I came back a different night to do my guide rod, and my barrel. He did the top of the barrel, which has a mirror polish now, and the slide stop pin on the outside which is polished now.
The guide rod felt smoother but the finish wasn't taken off. He did the 1/2 inch end of the barrel at the end where the bullet comes out of and it also smoothed things out as well.
After each polish I come home and clean the parts, and I do get that green rouge off. I use ballistol. that is liquid butter.
The effect on the gun was better for it as well. Still smoother, and snaps back crisper, and you can hear it sound crisper as well when you do a full rack.
He uses a motor with a flexible attachment that lets him put stones/bits/polishing heads on it. its like 1/2 hp motor, and its strong.

hogdogs · July 4, 2009, 05:37 PM

would you consider motor turned/jeweled finish on the barrel? I understand the reason for it is to hold lube which a mirror finish won't do so well.

BTW, The black color on a polishing pad is proof positive metal is removed by any grit level.
Brent

**4V50 Gary** · July 4, 2009, 05:56 PM

I suggest you learn jewelry making from your father - especially engraving. That skill alone can make you into a custom engraver for guns or other things.

gunn308 · July 7, 2009, 11:55 PM

Jewelers rouge or red rouge is finer than green, which is finer than white they all remove metal to a degree. I worked my high school years as a mfg. jeweler and spent a lot of time in front of a buffing machine and soldering gold, platinum, silver, pewter and brass on jewelry,glasses frames and silver tableware. Tripoli is a polishing compound used to remove sanding marks and is coarse, then red rouge is used to shine it up. Green and white rouge is used for steels and I think is a harder and coarser compound. The polishing machine was set up with one side for tripoli and the other for rouge with a vacuum and all dust went into a bag which was sent to a smelting company and they sent us money back, so rouge does remove metal but the finer it is the slower it takes.

Kyo · July 12, 2009, 08:59 PM

He has an engraving machine at work. its like 35k...it can engrave anything I believe. Including glass to gun metal. its nuts. I am no jeweler. I am a cook

we all have our skill sets. My dad's skill sets don't include cooking.
No offense gunn im going to stick with what my dad said. But good info! I know what machine you are talking about. The ones I have seen have the steam jet nozzle on there as well for getting the crap off.

A motor turned finish like the machines Gunn and I are describing would do it faster but with less detail. A flex shaft tool with a motor is much more precise. This is what we want with guns correct? A mirror finish will be find imo, because although it will not "hold" lube as well as a surface with much more surface area because of those ridges/bumps it will operate much smoother. If needed I will use grease but I doubt I will have to do that.

The reason all of this is being done is to reduce the friction in the whole gun. The gun is a Ruger P345. When the tools are bought we will work on it I will post some pics and take it to the range and see how it feels. I haven't even gotten a chance to go to the range with the rails smoothed out but im excited to. When I do I will update.

June 24, 2009, 04:36 PM	#1
Kyo Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2009 Posts: 897	fluffing some stuff Last night I came over to my dad's place to polish some stuff on the gun. He has the tools and is a jeweler so he knows what he's doing with metal. We did the feeding ramp, and the slide rails on the button of the slide only. What a difference the bottom of the slide makes. The whole assembly feels smoother, and crisper then before. The next time I come over we are going to do the guide rod and maybe the outside of the barrel. Over all I think it is a great improvement for a 10 minute job. He used green rouge instead of the red because he said the has grit in it that would take off some metal. He used a polishing head on his motorized tool which was soft enough to not take anything off.

July 2, 2009, 05:01 AM	#6
JasonG Senior Member Join Date: August 14, 2008 Posts: 209	After the green hit the rails, firing pin, guide rod, anything that moves, with flitz. "Flitz, its not just for the outside of your gun!" Really smoothes the action out. Makes cleaning easier too __________________ "Bones, what killed him ?" "Acute lead poisoning Jim....." ST-TOS#61

July 2, 2009, 09:20 AM	#7
grymster2007 Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: In the oak studded hills near Napa Posts: 2,203	Wiping metal down with a cotton cloth will remove some of it, but you'd need to work pretty hard with any of the jeweler's rouges to dimensionally alter a gun part enough to adversely affect it's performance. __________________ grym

July 4, 2009, 05:56 PM	#10
4V50 Gary Staff Join Date: November 2, 1998 Location: Colorado Posts: 21,841	I suggest you learn jewelry making from your father - especially engraving. That skill alone can make you into a custom engraver for guns or other things. __________________ Vigilantibus et non dormientibus jura subveniunt. *Molon Labe!*

July 7, 2009, 11:55 PM	#11
gunn308 Member Join Date: October 4, 2006 Location: Maine Posts: 73	Jewelers rouge or red rouge is finer than green, which is finer than white they all remove metal to a degree. I worked my high school years as a mfg. jeweler and spent a lot of time in front of a buffing machine and soldering gold, platinum, silver, pewter and brass on jewelry,glasses frames and silver tableware. Tripoli is a polishing compound used to remove sanding marks and is coarse, then red rouge is used to shine it up. Green and white rouge is used for steels and I think is a harder and coarser compound. The polishing machine was set up with one side for tripoli and the other for rouge with a vacuum and all dust went into a bag which was sent to a smelting company and they sent us money back, so rouge does remove metal but the finer it is the slower it takes. __________________ Oats that have already gone through the horse are always cheaper than oats that haven't !

June 24, 2009, 04:53 PM	#2
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	Actually, Polishing in and of itself is the controlled removal of metal. red being coarser than white and green but I can't remember if white is finer than green. white would make mirror finish on the harder stainless plate used so often in brewery equipment. Brent

June 24, 2009, 08:19 PM	#3
Kyo Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2009 Posts: 897	The green made the feed ramp mirror finished but not the rails because he lightly did them. When I say it didn't take off metal, I meant it did not deform the shape

June 25, 2009, 12:57 AM	#4
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	Gotcha... and the red will quickly deform or remove excessive amount... Ask, for me, if white or green is finer just so I know, if you would... Brent

June 25, 2009, 04:41 PM	#5
Kyo Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2009 Posts: 897	White is more coarse than green. Green is a final step as it shows down here. So, I would say green is more fine then the red. http://www.hobbytool.com/stainlessst...gcompound.aspx thats the green stuff he used. http://www.hobbytool.com/jewelers-rouge.htm This is the guide to it I found for ya. The red is supposed to not take any off, and the green is supposed to be a final step. So, if the red won't take anything, the green won't either.

July 3, 2009, 01:45 PM	#8
Kyo Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2009 Posts: 897	well, yes and no. I didn't feel like arguing with my dad when he said the red rogue will take metal off while the green wont. I came back a different night to do my guide rod, and my barrel. He did the top of the barrel, which has a mirror polish now, and the slide stop pin on the outside which is polished now. The guide rod felt smoother but the finish wasn't taken off. He did the 1/2 inch end of the barrel at the end where the bullet comes out of and it also smoothed things out as well. After each polish I come home and clean the parts, and I do get that green rouge off. I use ballistol. that is liquid butter. The effect on the gun was better for it as well. Still smoother, and snaps back crisper, and you can hear it sound crisper as well when you do a full rack. He uses a motor with a flexible attachment that lets him put stones/bits/polishing heads on it. its like 1/2 hp motor, and its strong.

July 4, 2009, 05:37 PM	#9
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	would you consider motor turned/jeweled finish on the barrel? I understand the reason for it is to hold lube which a mirror finish won't do so well. BTW, The black color on a polishing pad is proof positive metal is removed by any grit level. Brent

July 12, 2009, 08:59 PM	#12
Kyo Senior Member Join Date: April 14, 2009 Posts: 897	He has an engraving machine at work. its like 35k...it can engrave anything I believe. Including glass to gun metal. its nuts. I am no jeweler. I am a cook we all have our skill sets. My dad's skill sets don't include cooking. No offense gunn im going to stick with what my dad said. But good info! I know what machine you are talking about. The ones I have seen have the steam jet nozzle on there as well for getting the crap off. A motor turned finish like the machines Gunn and I are describing would do it faster but with less detail. A flex shaft tool with a motor is much more precise. This is what we want with guns correct? A mirror finish will be find imo, because although it will not "hold" lube as well as a surface with much more surface area because of those ridges/bumps it will operate much smoother. If needed I will use grease but I doubt I will have to do that. The reason all of this is being done is to reduce the friction in the whole gun. The gun is a Ruger P345. When the tools are bought we will work on it I will post some pics and take it to the range and see how it feels. I haven't even gotten a chance to go to the range with the rails smoothed out but im excited to. When I do I will update.