I want to polish my barrel....What would I be up against?

[Tophe]

Not sure if this is the best forum for this topic, but seemed pretty close to me....


I got my CZ P-01 recently and think it would look sweet in the "hood" of the barrel was polished. Im not sure if this is the correct terminology for the what I am talking about so please correct me if Im wrong.

Is this something I could do myself? Is it even doable for the finish on this gun? Would I be better off to have it professionaly done?

I have done some polishing on aluminum before with some wetsanding and polishing compound so if that is what it would take I think I could do it.

Thanks in advance for the input

Oh, here's the picture of whatI want polished.

[Dfariswheel]

Depending on what the finish is, you can polish the hood by using some very fine crocus cloth strips "shoe shine" style to remove the finish and polish it up.
Don't use anything but very fine cloth, the idea is to polish off the finish, not remove metal.

Another technique is to wrap the abrasive cloth around a flat file and use that to polish. This gives better control than the shoe shine method.

Be aware that that area on auto pistols gets worn by the slide during normal operation. A shiny finish will quickly get a scuffed look so it won't stay brightly shined for much more than one range session.

[Tophe]

I am not sure what the exact finish would be on that part of the gun. I looked at their specs on the gun and it didn't specify. Not sure if the manual says anything.

Would having it chromed be kind of a rediculous idea?

Just curious what my options would be if I decide to try anything

[TheRifleman]

You might try lightly polishing to see what kind of results and wear you get.

Beyond that, you may want to consider jeweling or plating.

You can send me a PM if you have any questions.

[ActivShootr]

Before polishing, remove the barrel and clamp it in a padded vise or other non-marring sturdy fixture.

Too make it look pretty, use emery cloth in 600-800-1000 grit with a light weight oil applied to the cloth. Use alternating patterns (like shoeshine 600, back-and-forth 800, shoeshine 1000).

As dfariswheel said, the idea is to polish the surface without removing metal and fouling up the gun. Use only enough pressure and speed to remove the discoloration in the metal.

Keep it clean and dry to prevent future discoloration.

[Don P]

If all else fails white compound works well with some good old elbow grease.

[MagnumWill]

Another thing to think about. You can polish it all you want, but if the barrel's steel (not stainless steel) then you might have problems with it oxidizing a little bit and rusting, and you'll constantly have to take the surface corrosion off every week.

If it's just steel and you still want to polish it, I think this task could easily be accomplished by hand. Pull out some 400-grit sandpaper and take the first layer of black finish off, and then then step up from 00 to 0000 steel wool.

And again, keep in mind:

the idea is to polish off the finish, not remove metal.

[a7mmnut]

I always use a Dremel with polishing wheel and some brown jeweler's rouge. Crocus cloth and hard work will get you there. I also hit the feed ramp and underlug locking surfaces until I get a mirror finish. This makes feeding and lockup a lot closer to 100%.

-7-

[Don P]

MagnumWill, I'll have to disagree with you on that. If that were the case all the 1911 barrels would be rusting and oxidizing. None of the 45's and a PX4 and a 92fs all of which I have polished the barrels on have shown any signs of rust or oxidation. I will also add that the 2 Glocks I had also had polished barrels and never showed any signs of rust or oxidation.