I want to play with rust bluing but do not have a lathe to spin my barrelled action on. I would like to know how to polish it correctly "in the white".

So far I scrubbed it with 240 grit wet & dry and also tried steel wool. I find the steel wool too fine & it does not remove the surface rust spots. The 240 grit is ok but not quite the "in the white" finish. So I got a wire brush bit for the drill and used that on the barrelled action. This seems to have got into all the fine crevices, low spots, lettering etc. and has improved the finish even further. But is still not "in the white". The receiver area is the more difficult one as the corners are not easy to get at for a good complete finish. I do not want to use a wheel for fear of creating uneven spots that migh ruin the rifle's finish.

I want to start with my Remington 512 .22 RF & then migrate to center fire rifles.

I would appreciate any help.

Get a muslim wheel and different grades of polish.I built a buffer from an old washing machine motor and a rheostat.You don't have to worry about putting to much pressure on the piece because the motor doesn't have enough torque.

Go to the 320 and 600 wet dry

There is no substitute for work on this type of project.

First, get good backer blocks to work with. I make barrel polishers, one of which is pictured below to do the rounded areas. Plus, an assortment of different sized dowels and hardwood blocks.

Do every bit of polishing using a backer block. Wrap sandpaper around a square block for most things, or use it in the rounded groove of the barrel polisher for round surfaces. Use small dowels, or wedges, or any appropriate shape to get into corners, indented areas, etc.

Start with about 120 or 150 grit on an existing blued gun. Polish in long, even strokes. Resist the temptation to go hard and fast at it, or to scrub at a small area. Try instead to make long, parallel lines of sanding. When you've got all traces of the bluing, and nicks and dents gone, go to the next grit. Use it until every trace of the last grit scratches are gone. Do this sequentially through all the grits. I use cloth backed aluminum oxide sanding sheets up to 320. 400 and 600 I use silicon carbide wet/dry paper. On the aluminum oxide, change the orientation of the cloth frequently to keep it cutting fresh and to help avoid scratching. Once it stops cutting fast, move the paper on the block to expose fresh grit. You can rub something all day with worn paper and get nowhere.

For rust bluing, a maximum fineness of only 400 grit or 600 grit is necessary. Start with 120, then 150, 180, 220,320,400,600.

dave


Make a block like this by clamping 2 blocks together, then drilling with a spade bit. Make several in different sizes to fit what you are working on.