Feg Pa-63 Polishing

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Zero19

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Any tips on the steps or process of polishing the frame and possibly other internal parts for smoother action?

Some bath other guns in vinegar, bead blast/sandpaper or just use different polishes in steps until achieving the desired finish. I'm new to polishing anything so I figured asked before sanding, then using mothers & hoping for the best or a decent mirror finish

Edit- I know spring kits help with smoothing action & recoil. I found 2 posts with FEG mods but they just mentioned polishing internal parts, no specifics
 
If yours is like mine, the frame is aluminum. Polishing will likely remove the anodizing that hardens and protects the frame. Not a good plan. If it is steel carry on... carefully. There's not actually much at all that the frame contributes to smoothness on this particular gun unless there's an obvious burr or some kind of damage.
 
Honestly not sure, I think it maybe aluminum. How would I check? Wife just asked if I could do it because it does have some scratches & a couple knicks from where it looks like its been dropped. Some of the coating has also rubbed off in spots, under it is very shinny which is probably why she asked if I could polish it.

I don't think it will be used heavily anymore other than an occasional range day pick. It was her 1st gun and she did use it for CCW briefly but recently picked up a springfield compact mod 2 so short of the Makarov sitting by the bedside its basically become a safe queen now.

Personally I wouldn't mind giving it a mirror finish, wood grips and maybe giving it a gold colored trigger & hammer for looks sake but if it would possibly make it unsafe on future range days Ill go another direction
 
If it's is by chance steel the higher the polish the more scratches happen and show. I would recommend a coating of some kind. If Al leave it along or have it hard anodized, or Ceracote. Ceracote can be done at home but it add thickness and can throw off fit. Has lots of colors to choose from for your wife.

If you decide to do the trigger work, it's ultimately requires that you keep all of the surfaces flat and true without changing any of the geometry. Doing so could make the gun unsafe. DO NOT USE BUFFING WHEELS, These rounds all of the sharp edges. Best take it to a gunsmith who knows how to do it right.
 
If it's is by chance steel the higher the polish the more scratches happen and show. I would recommend a coating of some kind. If Al leave it along or have it hard anodized, or Ceracote. Ceracote can be done at home but it add thickness and can throw off fit. Has lots of colors to choose from for your wife.

If you decide to do the trigger work, it's ultimately requires that you keep all of the surfaces flat and true without changing any of the geometry. Doing so could make the gun unsafe. DO NOT USE BUFFING WHEELS, These rounds all of the sharp edges. Best take it to a gunsmith who knows how to do it right.


Trigger work was more of a research topic since I have the entire gun apart currently. I've ordered springs & will test those out before any mods to any internals. I wouldn't use a Dremel or buff wheel except maybe on the frame, maybe. We have looked into coating options as I have several done that way but we both think a high polish(if possible) would be the way to go or leave it as is especially if it may cause durability issues.

I figured more people have done a form of polishing on this particular type of gun before and how easy it would be come compared to those who have polished the entire upper slide of their glocks & M&P's. That was a bit strange to see being a liked trend
 
Using a Dremel for trying to polish anything of any size like a slide or frame will result in enough waves to make you sea sick regardless of who uses it. Large buffing wheels will do the same if not used by an expert. Best way to get a high polish for someone inexperienced is to start with sandpaper using 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500, and 2000 grit sequentially. Do the rounds and small curved areas first using a shoeshine motion, sponge backers, etc to keep the paper against the metal. The flats are easiest. Tape the sandpaper down on a truly flat surface and wet with water or oil. Then move the part across the sandpaper, ensuring that you move in a straight line in one direction only.
Then go to Flitz or similar for the final gloss. Polishing the aluminum won't make the gun fall apart tomorrow, but it will reduce the life of the gun if you remove the anodizing. Much better to leave it alone or have it Cerakoted, nickeled, etc by someone who knows finishes like Cogan.

There's still the question of what you will do about finish on the steel parts. Simply polishing to a high gloss will not prevent rust. You need some kind of finish for that. Bluing is the old standard, but is actually not very good for that. I am much more concerned with maintaining my gun to last as long as possible rather than be pretty.
 
Zero19

I bought this Essex 1911 frame some time ago. At the time it had a very thin matte blued finish on it that eventually started to rust in some spots; most likely from when I was working on it. Decided to remove all of the finish with sandpaper and steel wool and polished it with Flitz. No power tools, like a Dremel or a buffing wheel were used. It has been in the white for many years now and still doesn't show any signs of rust or tarnish anywhere on the frame.

eqPVfL0.jpg
 
Zero19



I'm pretty sure a magnet will not stick to aluminum.


Thanks for your input. That looks great! Did the magnet test with one they use at junk yards didn't even try to stick to is so almost 100% its aluminum. I think were going to go with a high polish route and see what happens as we have multiple FEG's(bought an extra 1 for parts) so no real loss. I plan on sanding it in stages up to 2000 grit, also using some 0000 steel wool & either flitz or mothers. Ill post pictures when I'm finished. I figured worst case if BBBill is right about it being anodized it could always be redone later if any issue pop up. I'm also currently waiting 4 responses from companies that do this type of work and any recommendations/ words of caution they may have
 
Zero19

Let us know how things go with polishing your FEG PA63! Photos when your done too!
 
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