cleaning german silver parts

[alaskasmoker]

Well, I have to wait on my mainspring vice to get here. Figured I could at least start by prepping the buttplate and trigger guard.

How do I clean these castings up? They are german silver.

Thanks!

 

[BlackNet]

To answer that question you have to look at another question, what IS german silver (a.k.a. nickel silver) the answer to that is this. 65% copper, 18% nickel and 17% zinc. Melting point is 2,030F (1,110C) and has a specific gravity of 8.8.

From that we know that nickel makes things durable and strong, copper makes things workable and zinc makes things corrosion resistant. Also from teh copper we know that over time it will have a yellowish hue to it.

Sandpaper works well on this as it's easy to work with and form. Anything that can be used with copper can be used with this stuff as well. Only difference is the color and it's a bit harder to work with.

I perfer a flap wheel on my flex shaft. I have this one mandrel where I can put any grit sandpaper on it that I want in any shape/length.

 

[alaskasmoker]

So you just prep this stuff like wood then? Been working on the buttplate for hours! I ground the real rough stuff off with a file, then have been experimenting with different sandpapers and attachments on my dremmel.

Tommorow if I go to the hardware store should I just by an assortment of sandpapers and if so any paticular kind?

 

[paulvallandigham]

YOu will be happier with the kind that looks like screen wire. It lets wood dust go through, so it doesn't clog the cutting particles as fast as traditional sand paper does.

 

[Birddog6]

I have never had much luck with a dremel on cleaning up the trim on a rifle, with exception to the sharp curves in a triggerguard. For me, all a dremmel did was make a whole bunch of small dug out places which usually sets me back to filing it out all over again. So I use files & sandpaper on blocks of wood. Finer than 220 I use emerypaper.

:thumbsup:

 

[Bountyhunter]

I use a 3" flap wheel in my drill press. I set it up to highest speed which is much slower than the dremel. It removes casting lines and bumps just fine, but not so fast that it digs in. It is good on brass or steel. Just go easy and take your time. I use a coarse and a fine wheel. My wheels have some felt like material between the flaps and they leave a very slick finish without any scratches. They wear out with use, but are cheap to replace. I get them at Tru Value or other common hardware stores. I have some down to one inch for inside trigger guards and tight places.

 

[BlackNet]

I do not use the normal flapwheels nor do I encourage their use.

This is what I use and it's super good.

They come in a range of grits from 40 to 400 grit. I use mostly 240 and 400 grit. This is a soft flapwheel ans it's basically sandpaper glued to a center shaft. The size/shape on these is outstanding, you have a good 6-8 different sizes to choose from as well as grit.

If you use the dremel brand that will be super harsh and your better off using files.

These are very bad and what gives the flex shaft a bad rap.

However you can also get this.

and load your own sandpaper on it to any shape or size you desire. This is a sandpaper mandrel and used for bowls and hollow areas. It will not move real estate but will allow some fine delicate polishing.

I get mine at widget supply around $1 or less each. that's 5x cheaper than the dremel brand and 1,000x better.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Buy a product from an automotive supply store called " Flitz". Its usually sold as a chrome bumper cleaner and polisher. I use it to remove tough lead deposits on the front of my revolver cylinders. It turned a black front of a cylinder on a chrome plated revolver back to the chrome plating.

You can also use Pearl Drops toothpaste and an old toothbrush to clean up small inlays and medallions.

 

[Vaino]

On buttplates, I clean up the inside for inletting and do most of the outside shaping when it's on the rifle. Trigger guard extension bottoms are cleaned up and a lot of the finishing is done when mounted on the rifle. For sand cast TGs and BPs, I use 1/2" sandpaper wheels in the Dremel and if "valleys" develop, just angle the abrasive wheel to smooth them over. Good luck......Fred

 

[mazo kid]

Interesting responses; a lot of info put forth. I recently used a Dremel and the 120 grit sanding drum to take off the bulk of casting parting lines on sand cast parts. Then file and progressively fine sand paper (Wet/Dry type) smooths things up to where I put a felt wheel in the Dremel and buff to the finish you want. Yeah, it's easy to ruin or at least partially damage parts using the Dremel; just go lightly and slow and things should be OK. Emery