gun metal preper?

[Beladran]

So I was given these to practice on. one is ready to roll the other three have been bead blasted I think to recieve a coating of some sorts. I spent about 30 min with an ark stone trying to slick up one area of the slide. I did better than I thought but the media they used left some pretty good pits that might be over my skill level. Who would you guys reccommend that I could send these to to get them prep'ed ? or should i just give it a try with maybe a coarser stone?

 

[Barry Lee Hands]

you could send them to any restoration outfit like Doug Turnbull.
If you have a bench belt sander, with a flat platen, or can get one at harbor freight or another store, that is where I would start.

 

[Sandy]

You would be surprised what you can do with sand paper. Just be careful of the contour lines. Keep them straight. 45 minutes to an hour and all of that mate finish will be gone. Start with 220 and move up through 600. I use a piece of 1" wide 1/4" thick piece of aluminum as a backing for the sand paper. I put a piece of carpet tape on the aluminum and then stick the sand paper to that. This will help with keeping everything flat. Give it a try on a piece of steel. Do the tops of the slides first using a shoe shine method. Then do the sides. Keep an eye on the lines where the top turns into the sides. This line needs to stay straight.
Sandy.

 

[JJ Roberts]

Take Sandy advise and block sand with the wet & dry automotive paper,I like to dipping the paper in kerosene to keep it from clogging.Stay away from buffers you'll only get in trouble take your time. J.J.

 

[Beladran]

Thanks for the advice I will give it a go

 

[Dulltool]

Try using a spray adhesive on the back of a full sheet of sandpaper. Then stick the paper on a thick plate of smooth clean glass.... Push/pull the "flats" of the pistol slide back and forth over the mounted paper.

 

[Big-Un]

Be sure to make use of draw files.

 

[Bama]

I would tackle this job with some good files and diamond stones. It will take some elbow grease and time but I consider that part of the job. I have to prep all the metal when building a long rifle because everthing is cast or milled or made by hand. It is pain in the butt work but to have an exceptable surface it has to be done. If these are truely practice pieces then you only have to prep the areas you are going to engrave. Good luck with your project.

 

[Beladran]

yea all i was going to tackle was the flat areas. its hard to tell in the pic but one of the slides has what they call a "tri top" cut on the top of it. I may try to totaly finish that one out.

 

[tdelewis]

I did a slide for a client that was finished in black and he just wanted the flat part engraved. I used a piece of plate glass for a flat surface and sandpaper on top of it. Pushing the slide over the paper gave a nice finish to engrave. Make sure you go in one direction. The flat area was bright and smooth and the rest was black. Depending on how much sanding you do will depend if you need to file the serrations.

 

[Southern Custom]

Fine draw filing followed by paper up to about 600 is the way we would tackle this in the gun shop. Really no magic or special skills involved. Just time and some elbow grease. The two main things to know are keep your paper on a dead flat surface. (keep your file flat) and don't skip steps in paper. You'll have some nice shiny slides in no time!
Layne Z

 

[Sandy]

I forgot to mention the use of a lubricant while sanding. Over the years I have used all sorts of petroleum products. About 25 years ago I switched to baby oil. It does not irritate the skin. Doesn't have a order problem. The best part about it helps keep every flowing. I also use it when stoning. I have kept my stones in small containers covered in baby oil. Give it a try. Also you significant other will like the fact that you don't smell like a gas station.

 

[zzcutter]

One thing I was told with polishing is sand each grit a different direction ending up with the final grit going the direction you want the finish to be.
This allows you to see when all the last size line are gone so when your all done you don't have any deeper scratches from the lower grit papers showing through the higher polish.

 

[LVVP]

I have kept my stones in small containers covered in baby oil too, it is very smart advise

 

[Southern Custom]

Jon just made one of the most important points about sanding large flat sections of metal. Sorry I missed it and thanks for adding it Jon.
Layne