Polishing internal parts - revolvers

[colonialrob]

I have read numerous posts from members who do some of their own gunsmithing. Or at least what sounds like fairly thorough cleaning up and polishing of internals. If there is not a sticky somewhere already, it would be very helpful to me, and I suspect others, if someone can post a detailed, with pictures preferably, tutorial on polishing parts for the purpose of smoothing the action. Including recommended tools, etc.. I don't mean polishing just in the sense of making parts look nice; I want the action to be as smooth as possible.

I can disassemble my BP revolvers ('51 Navy, '58 Remington, 2nd Model Dragoon) and clean them good, but they seem to need more than that to really maximize the actions.

If this is something that a DIY person can accomplish, I would like to learn how to do it.

Thanks. I have gotten a great deal of benefit from all the stickys.

colonialrob

 

[Dithsoer]

A dremel tool is perfect for small gunsmithing jobs like this. Use a buffing wheel and rouge compound and polish the parts wherever they come in contact with metal. This can usually be ascertained after a bit of shooting by examining the individual parts and looking for self-polishing, bluing removal and just plain wear. This is where metal is slipping past other metal. Polishing these areas will improve the smoothness of the action. Another important aspect of getting that smooth as glass custom feel is to polish that slot in the frame where the hand slides up and down on it's way to push on the cylinder. Brownells sells a stoning kit specifically for this job. http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/st...itle=COLT+SINGLE+ACTION+HAND+SLOT+STONING+KIT
A really fine grit sand-paper glued to a suitably sized piece of wood could also be used. Just remember for all polishing not to remove too much metal. It's easier to take metal off a little at a time than to replace it from an over-zealous polishing job.
This may sound crazy, but one of my favourite ways of polishing internal parts on a revolver is to melt some polishing compound in a spoon and dilute it with a little oil. I then cover all of the internal parts well with this and put the gun back together. Without firing it, I just work the action many times. The more the action is worked the better the polishing job. A quick squirt of spray lubricant helps spread the polishing compound around and makes sure that every moving part is covered. Every point of metal is assured a good polish and there is less of a chance of removing too much metal, as can happen with a power tool. I used this technique on several of my guns including a double action auto and it has never failed. Just be sure not to fire the weapon until it has been thoroughly cleaned. I use hot soapy water first then a bowl of rubbing alcohol, which I dip the parts in. Cotton swabs will help to get into the frame. Double action revolvers really respond well to this treatment.

 

[Cincinnati Slim]

Polishing the internals

Howdy,

I like to use an "Arkansaw Stone" sold to sharpen knives to polish the flat sides of revolver internals. It'll safely take off any high spots and make the flat surfaces really true and smooth. Start with the coarser stone to identify high spots and spend most of the time using the finer stone. Work carefully and don't take off too much metal. Be careful using anything other than a polish wheel on the dremel. That super high RPM removes metal with suprising ease. Stay away from the trigger sear/hammer notch. If there is an obvious burr on the tip of the trigger smooth it off using the least aggressive method possible. You don't want to change trigger/hammer engagement angles or cut through any surface hardening.

If you have Pietta revolvers, internal parts kits are fairly cheap and availble through Cabela's or Dixie Gun Works. It's nice to have spare parts on hand in the event you really screw something up. I ordered a stainless internal parts kit for a blue Remmie from Cabela's. Did a little mix-n-matching to get the best possible fit and trigger pull.

Go slow, be careful and you can greatly improve the action of these old guns. They are really very simple devices which respond well to a little attention and TLC.

Happy Trails,

Slim

 

[ZeSpectre]

Initial disclaimer/warning: DO NOT MESS WITH THE TRIGGER/SEAR UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!

My "slicking" process runs about like this.

-Clean/degrease and reassemble
-Run the action about 100-200 times
-Disassemble and look for the wear/friction points
-Gentle (EASY DOES IT) polishing work to smooth up those friction points with a dremel, various felt tips, and jewelers rouge.
-"Stoning" with a white arkansas stone and honing oil if I need to take a little metal off or remove burrs. NOTE: this should be done extremely conservatively as you can take metal off but you can't really put it back on.
-More polishing work on the areas I just stoned.
-Thorough cleaning to make sure all the grit and metal are out of the system. This is usually where the full Simple Green/water mixture bath happens.
-Lube, re-assemble, test.

Again, DO NOT MESS WITH THE TRIGGER/SEAR UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING! Also you DO NOT want to mess around with any parts that set the headspace, the breech face, or the crown of the barrel. If you don't know what these parts are you shouldn't be doing this type of procedure.

Oh and one final safety note. If you are working with springs (as in gun disassembly) I'm begging you to wear your safety glasses.

 

[Ed Gallop]

I too am a fan of the Dremel tool. There is a gray Drimmel polishing wheel that is graphite impregnated and will polish metal to a shine. I purposefully rounded off the edges to make it easier to use. It takes a bit of practice but works great. I used them to hone areas of most metal on metal parts in several of my guns but can't get into the hand and spring slot or the hammer. I used xtra fine steel wool on a squared popsickle stick and polished until it felt flawless. Bought a new 1860 Army and the trigger guard had a large burr that polished off quickly with the wheel. It may be a lot of trouble to assemble, hone, and assemble, over and over, but my guns feel much better than if new. Besides... It's fun. Ed.

 

[Imaginos]

Black Powder Hobby Gunsmithing

Get Gun Digest's "Black Powder Hobby Gunsmithing" by Dale Storey and Sam Fadala. It briefly covers revolvers, but it has a wealth of info on metal treatments, tools, techniques, and other useful things to aid in your project.