Posted: 11/3/2009 8:31:00 AM EDT
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Unemployment and boredom will lead a man to do some funny things, I reckon. After seeing a thread on GlockTalk about using white vinegar to remove the finish on Glock barrels and polish them, I decided to try it myself. I used my G19 beater as the guinea pig and got started. I de-greased the barrel and let it soak in the vinegar for 15 minutes. I used a copper wire wheel to strip the black finish off and then a cloth wheel to polish. I didn't hit it with any Flitz yet but it came out looking as well as I had hoped for now. I liked it so much that I stripped and polished the G36 also. I've got a G20 with optics that is a range toy, it already has a LW 6" barrel so nothing to polish there but I am contemplating polishing the slide assembly. Should I strip and polish the slide? Let's hear it.  |
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'Polish that SOB. It's your gun. Be warned, you will get flamed. But hey, it cures boredom!
FYI: The bare metal is surprisingly resistant to rust. If I remember correctly, the tennifer is imbeded into the metal. The G32 I carry has never rusted and with a quick wipe from a terry cloth it's brand new again. Flitz is some magical stuff but expensive. A reputable chrome polish(Mother's) is much more affordable and works well. I was a little worried with the exposed metal originally, now I seldom think about it. The two-tone chrome look sure ain't for everyone http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/3235/gunkata006.jpg http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/5840/moreshtuff014.jpg http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/884/pictures057.jpg |
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Quoted: Did you protect the threads and ID of the barrel when soaked in vinegar or just soak the whole thing? I used the baking powder slurry on both barrels to neutralize the vinegar followed by a hearty water rinse and some CLP. I'm not using the vinegar for the G20 slide. Quoted: I like the look (barrel only not the slide) but I could never bring myself to do it to any of my Glocks except my G34 and even that one, stopped half way through it. Ended up with almost a black chrome look.  I'm at that point now with the G20 slide, the black chrome look. I'll have some pics up tomorrow. |
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Quoted: 'Polish that SOB. It's your gun. Be warned, you will get flamed. But hey, it cures boredom! FYI: The bare metal is surprisingly resistant to rust. If I remember correctly, the tennifer is imbeded into the metal. The G32 I carry has never rusted and with a quick wipe from a terry cloth it's brand new again. Flitz is some magical stuff but expensive. A reputable chrome polish(Mother's) is much more affordable and works well. I was a little worried with the exposed metal originally, now I seldom think about it. The two-tone chrome look sure ain't for everyone http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/3235/gunkata006.jpg http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/5840/moreshtuff014.jpg http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/884/pictures057.jpg I can't find any Flitz at local retailers. What process did you use to get them to that level of shine? Nice work BTW! |
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Originally I sanded the finish off with about 200 grit. You have to work the texture down quite a bit. The roll marks should be plenty deep so that you won't sand them away. I then moved to a 400 grit. At that point it'll be smoothing out nicely. You will see little scratches that look like brushed stainless if you stop there. Move to an even finer grit. Next you will need a good buffing wheel and some high gloss rubbing compound. Buff the ever lovin' hell out of it! Thats when the magic happens!!! You may find swirls in the metal that just wont go away. Not to worry, just LIGHTLY polish it with a good polish and 0000 Steel Wool. I found it quite rewarding to see my work pay off, you will too.
An Observation: I shoot 3-gun matches and more with the G24 and have no problems with glare. Partially because I left the texture in the top and just cleaned it up a bit. It looks REALLY good like that. Also the target sights size seems to block any glare out. Plus its fun makin' the folks at the range squirm when I whip that shiny bastrard out. Good Luck if go ahead with it! |
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I've put around 4-5 hours into sanding and buffing. Parts of the slide are taking on a mirror finish but it's slow going on removing the rest of the imperfections. The slide is nice and shiny but it still has somewhat of a black hue to it. I still haven't found any Flitz locally and I'm going to stop polishing for now until I find some.   |
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Quoted: After reading this thread last night I polished my 19 barrel... took about 2 hours using the vinager and a scotch brite pad  I love the 2-tone lookI should have stopped with the barrels.  I've shot my G20 twice now after polishing the slide and I have to admit I should have listened to the naysayers. The polished slide shows smudges and oils from my hands and generally looks like crap. It's also more difficult to rack the slide due to the polished surface. You guys were right.  I'm going to scuff it back up and GunKote it unless someone has a better idea.  |