The assigned material for this week's article summary assignment is titled "Metal polishing: Do this, not that". The article is authored by CTD Mike, and was published on 06 Oct 11. The article appears on the cheaperthandirt.com website, and may be sourced at: http://blog.cheaperthandirt.com/metal-polishing-this/.
The article begins with the assumption you have a task to perform that involves removing metal. Should I use the Dremel rotary tool? Stones? If you want to make sure you don't jack up the job, the Dremel should probably be put down. Unless you are extremely well versed in the proper usage of a hand rotary tool, it would behoove you to not use it. CTD Mike explains in this article that there are two types of polishing that are performed in the firearm industry. Polishing for appearance, and polishing for performance. The first should be limited to stainless steel parts, as when you remove enough metal, it becomes susceptible to rust. Polishing for performance is polishing a feed ramp, or taking a little bit off a trigger for a lighter pull. These things help the weapon in the performance of it's duty. …show more content…
This can save you a lot of time, and frustration in the long run. Things such as damaging your equipment, damaging the work piece, and having to buy replacements to either can add up. Parts can be through hardened, or case hardened. With through hardened the entire material you are working with will remain the same strength throughout the job. Case hardened is essentially a hardening applied to the outside of an object, leaving the material underneath vulnerable. Going back to the Dremel for polishing, you can use a simple cloth wheel in it's place. Just make sure you use a good amount of polishing compound, as that is what does the actual job of
The article begins with the assumption you have a task to perform that involves removing metal. Should I use the Dremel rotary tool? Stones? If you want to make sure you don't jack up the job, the Dremel should probably be put down. Unless you are extremely well versed in the proper usage of a hand rotary tool, it would behoove you to not use it. CTD Mike explains in this article that there are two types of polishing that are performed in the firearm industry. Polishing for appearance, and polishing for performance. The first should be limited to stainless steel parts, as when you remove enough metal, it becomes susceptible to rust. Polishing for performance is polishing a feed ramp, or taking a little bit off a trigger for a lighter pull. These things help the weapon in the performance of it's duty. …show more content…
This can save you a lot of time, and frustration in the long run. Things such as damaging your equipment, damaging the work piece, and having to buy replacements to either can add up. Parts can be through hardened, or case hardened. With through hardened the entire material you are working with will remain the same strength throughout the job. Case hardened is essentially a hardening applied to the outside of an object, leaving the material underneath vulnerable. Going back to the Dremel for polishing, you can use a simple cloth wheel in it's place. Just make sure you use a good amount of polishing compound, as that is what does the actual job of