Polishing Flats?

[Alan Adamson]

I've got a *new* 2211 upper conversion... I'd like to polish the flats on the side of slide, but I'd like to maintain the *black* in the serrations, etc. Just the flats to be bright and shiny.

How is best to do it and how difficult?

I'm slowly working on a steel gun, with a custom colored barrel and would like the accent of the flats on the side of the slide to be polished.

I'll assume you use sandpaper on a level flat surface and go slow, you are only trying to take the color off (black and probably some type of ceramic coating, doesn't look like any hot or cold black)?

Once you have the color off, you work on the polish aspects to remove the cut marks... Then once you have it polished what do you to to protect it... wax, oil, something else?

Thanks in advance,

Alan

[diehli]

4140 steel with a black oxide finish giving it the look and feel of a traditional 1911 pistol.

http://www.tacticalsol.com/tshome/2211-1911-22lr-conversion

http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-542221.html

[sperman]

If you are only trying to remove the color, don't use sand paper. Stones will do the job, and keep everything nice and flat. You can get a set of stones with a varying grits. The finest stones will leave the steel with an almost mirror finish. I try and stay away from buffing wheels and the like. They tend to round off the corners, and I prefer nice clean edges.

[lcs]

Can not answer your question directly, but APW charges an extra $100 for bright polished flats on a 1911 slide. I've talked to the owner and he does not use the word "easy"

[Mark K]

Alan,

Please remember if you do this, you will have just raw steel remaining, subject to rust.

Contrary to what Scott recommended, you can use "Sandpaper" but you would do something like have a good piece of flat glass, and then use a spray adhesive to fix the abrasive paper to the glass to achieve the super flat surface you need.

Talk to me next time we see each other.

(Have fun on our cruise).

Mark

[Loves2Shoot]

A lot of the how "easy" it is depends a lot on how flat the slide sides are to start with. If you have a high quality slide that was surface ground, then the task is less difficult, but if you have a lesser quality part and don't have the tools to make it true, well, bring a lot of elbow grease and patience to the task.

[Bob DuBois]

I would use sandpaper on a flat surface with light oil on it. Finer grits as you bring the finish up. Starting in the 400 grit range finishing up maybe 1000 grit depends how bright you want the finish. I prefer Simichrome polish when polishing by hand once your close to the finial finish you want. Again polished with a terry cloth rag on a flat surface. I usually work on the table on my drill press cutting the paper in strips. I have a parts washer with kerosene in it. Wetting the paper with kerosene works well also.

Best way I found to protect finish it Mink Oil. Sounds funny but tried it several years ago after cleaning some boots. It stayed better than any wax or oil products I found. Brings up a bright blue finish on a blued firearm. I also wipe down my hard chromed pistols with it. I use mink oil on a detail cleaning maybe three times a year. On a quick clean just wipe the gun down with a rag after cleaning with kerosene.

Nothing will stop rust and I live in a humid area but I feel that mink oil works better than any thing else I've found.

I bought Red Wing brand as there's a store close to my home.

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: If the upper is anodized aluminum then the anodizing is very hard. It will take some sanding to remove it. You can use a granite tile from a home supply store and some wet sandpaper. Go slow and hold the slide flat. Thanks, Eric