Posted: 9/17/2007 5:32:51 AM EDT
|
The universal claim is that it "safely" polishes blued guns (removing the rust without removing the bluing). I have used other metal polish, and what I have found was that the bluing is nice, bright, and reflective, but it comes at the cost of "thinning" the blued finish. Analogizing it to an oxidized car with a deep paint job, it seems as though the polish cuts through the oxidation at the cost of a coat or two of paint, bringing you closer to the primer. So, I tried Flitz based on the suggestions to others on this board on a Smith 586. It certainly made for a nice, shiny mirrored blue... but just like the other brands it seems to have thinned the finish (from a deep blue black to a thinner blue silver). So, is this just the oxidation being cleaned off the gun (allowing for many "harmless" applications of Flitz over the years), or is it like I thought where once, maybe twice will take off just a bit of the bluing, but a few times more and you are looking at bare steel? |
|
Given that bluing is oxidation, eventually you will wear through the bluing. There shouldn't be any reason to need to use Flitz on a regular basis on a blued gun. If rust is forming after regular use, requiring removal, I'd recommend using a couple coats of silicone-based automotive wax to help guard against it. |
| If your weapons are rusting, you need to wipe them down with an oily rag more frequently. Polishing them is, as a you say, wearing down the blueing. A cotton rag with a heavier gun oil (or even even grease, for storage) should do the trick without damaging the finish. |
|
Like ALL metal polishes, Flitz contains abrasives. No matter how fine the abrasives are, polishes WILL wear the bluing off. How fast depends on the polish and how hard you rub. The best "cleaner" for bluing is something like CLP Breakfree. This will remove any dirt or oxidized bluing, and it's dirt and oxidation that dulls the bluing. How shiny a blue job is, is a factor of how the steel was polished BEFORE it was blued. Once a gun is blued NO polish will make it shinier, all it can do is abrade the bluing. If you want to preserve your blue job STOP using Flitz, and start using CLP Breakfree or a non-abrasive wax like Johnson's Paste Wax, or Renaissance Carnuba Hard Wax as used by museums to preserve metal. Any of these will clean and prevent rust on the finish. I DO NOT recommend using car wax. Too many of them contain fine abrasives to clean paint and will abrade the bluing. |
|
I have used Johnson's paste wax for years, mostly for long term storage on guns. I've had automotive clear-coat wax recommended to me for rust protection but I admit I don't use it often. It's much less abrasive than Flitz or similar polishes, however. I also have used Blue Wonder's Armadillo wax, which seems to be mostly carnauba. It, however, is a royal pain to apply. |
Excellent post 
|
'pulpsmak' - I notice you list your location as Louisiana. That means a very humid climate. I feel your pain, but I think you're up against a high-maintenance environment. Maybe the firearm in question is more susceptible to rust than others. Whatever the case, you've got to clean and re-condition that baby often. I use the word "re-condition" because I frankly don't know what's best in a humid climate: oil, wax, silicone or whatever. I live in Arizona where humidity is not a problem, yet even here I had rusting on one old .22 rifle that I left in the garage for a couple of years. |
Oil is great -- on guns sitting in a safe. When the guns are in use, oil tends to rub off and sweat is left behind in its place. I had a couple XDs that were rusting constantly after use, and I tried everything that had worked so well in the past: Eezox, BF CLP, etc. They would all be removed by handling, leaving the metal susceptible to rust. The only thing I found that consistently protected against rust was some sort of wax, whether it was Johnson's paste wax or Armadillo. Johnson's did well, but it needed reapplication more often than the Armadillo. Armadillo lasted quite a while and protected the gun very well, but it was very difficult to apply and apply consistently. It is basically a chunk of wax about the consistency of a candle, and you really have to melt the shit to get the gun well coated. Plus it made the gun feel, well, waxy. I haven't used silicone car wax more than a few times, but it's part of a regimen that was mentioned to me by a member here (wganz) who had seen it work well in a coastal environment. Here's a photo of one of my XDs a few hours after a USPSA match. 
|
all polishes have abrasive. No if and or buts. once you understand that, you will know that your blueing can and will thin over time. get this. there are alot of gun people saying to use 0000/00000 steel wool too. im sure it will do the same, but in this case, i would stick to flitz. |