Tumbler

[Crow#21957]

Does anyone use a tumbler to polish up a lock plate or trigergaurd
Or other items. ,or is this a n o n o

 

[TDM]

I don't. I use a file, then sandpaper, then polish with a small dremel felt wheel and polishing compound.

 

[Davey Boy]

I use stainless steel pin media to polish and clean metals including brass, I use Windex (Blue one) in with the pins and it doesn't take but a few minutes. I didn't polish steel and brass parts on the Old Army 44 but used ultrasonic cleaner with an alcohol bath (water in the ultrasonic tank, glass jar with alcohol for parts).

If the muzzle loader belongs to you, you get to decide what to do with it. I think that's part of the attraction.

 

[Capt. Jas.]

File, stone and burnish

 

[Phil Coffins]

When I polish parts I also try to refine the lines. This means the radius are smooth, flats are truly flat and the straight lines are straight. A tumbler will blend everything together which is fine for some like a bumper but not on gun parts to my eye.

 

[dave_person]

Using a tumbler would be a disaster. All of the edges would be rounded over and every detail blurred. You would have to go back and sharpen every edge that is inlet a lot making the pieces considerably smaller and if you had already inlet them, you are screwed. There are no short cuts to good work.

dave

 

[necchi]

,or is this a n o n o

it's a no no,, see Dave and Phil above,,

 

[Crow#21957]

In 8just another bright idea of mine. Scrap that one. I understand about edges getting rounded. Would look awful.

 

[user 34300]

I wish the people who make the locks would not sand blast them so much. IT does the same thing.