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Cleaning Exterior Stainless Steel Barrel Surface?

dja_3_hunterdja_3_hunter Member Posts: 8 ✭✭
edited June 2013 in Ask the Experts
What do I need to use (cleaner, steel wool,etc.) to clean the exterior surface of a stainless steel rifle barrel? It has a few scratches that I would like to remove as well.
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    asphalt cowboyasphalt cowboy Member Posts: 8,904 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I prefer to view steel wool as a last resort. Instead try a natural bristle brush or scrap of burlap wadded up tight. A good bore solvent with either should handle most anything. For the really stubborn crud remove the barreled receiver from the stock and use brake cleaner, the kind you get from the auto parts store.

    As for the scratches, your options are limited. Removing scratches involves removing metal. In other words, polishing them out with abrasives. If the barrel already has a matte finish you could easily hide, or at least minimize, minor scratches with bead blasting. A polished or brushed finish will require more work in order to match the surrounding surface.
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    tigguytigguy Member Posts: 19 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    3M makes a matted type scratch pad stuff that we use for work. Can't think of the proper name but it's like the scrub pad stuff on kitchen sponges. Comes in 3 different grits and we use it for stainless handrail to remove minor scratches. I also use it on my Marlin stainless bull barrel and it matches finish perfectly.
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    nmyersnmyers Member Posts: 16,880 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Look at your barrel with a 10X magnifier, like a jewelers loupe. You will see how the manufacturer finished it. Usually you will see tiny lines in one direction from an abrasive wheel, & you want to polish it in the same direction using the techniques described above.

    However, if it's got tiny craters indicating it was bead-blasted, any abrasive you use will leave a shiny spot that may look worse than it does not. (A professional can easily re-do the entire part, & it will look great.)

    So, analyze the surface carefully before you begin.

    Neal
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    tsr1965tsr1965 Member Posts: 8,682 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    The 3M pads are most likely Scotch Brite. They come in white, reddish brown, and green. They are the only thing to use on stainless steel. By all means, NEVER use STEEL wool, unless it is made of STAINLESS. Using STEEL wool will imbed iron particles in your stainless and create more problems than what you already have.

    As has been prevciously stated, the only to match some matte finishes is remove the barreled action from the stock, and then remove the trigger group and any moving parts. Bead blast using virgin GLASS beads that have never seen steel.

    Hope this helps.

    Best
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    Camelot43Camelot43 Member Posts: 118 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    If it's not clean by now...

    You don't need anything abrasive just find a product called ROR (Residual Oil Remover) by V-VAX Products ROR.net. We use it to clean our HD television camera lenses. You may be able to find it in a camera store, use it to clean your scopes, binos and rinse out your microfibers and hang to dry they will be like new.

    But for Stainless Steel...

    Spray some on a dry cleaning patch and wipe it down should take very little time to get down to the issue and clean it factory new. In my experience on matte SS it takes very little scrubbing to remove the guilty party. Once you are satisfied with your progress make sure to get oil right back on the steel for protection.
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    dcs shootersdcs shooters Member Posts: 10,969
    edited November -1
    We use the 3M sanding sponges. A 150 grit matches the S&W stainless. You need to see what grit works for you.
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    Camelot43Camelot43 Member Posts: 118 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    It has been my experience that the key to cleaning stainless is getting rid of the protective oils that we apply to our guns. They do work well don't they? Before I started using the ROR I scrubbed and scrubbed with patches and oil & cleaners of all kinds. Far and away the ROR is the best I have found - I have tried Murphy's but it wasn't nearly as effective as ROR and adding more oil to the equation didn't make much sense to me. I am not disputing that Murphy's did have some effect it just was not what I had hoped for and sandpaper was not going near my rifle!

    I used 3 patches and this took in all seriousness 5 to 6 minutes - no brushes, sandpaper, soap/water just the spray, a patch and then re-application of gun oil.

    This rifle was beat to death when I got it. Keep in mind I had already done some work to remove the rust and stains previous to the before pictures. Wished I had used ROR earlier! If it's good enough for a $300k Fujinon Camera lens its good enough for my big box rifle and customs.

    http://www.hunt101.com/showphoto.php?photo=800618&ppuser=67983
    http://www.hunt101.com/showphoto.php?photo=800616&ppuser=67983
    http://www.hunt101.com/showphoto.php?photo=800619&ppuser=67983
    http://www.hunt101.com/showphoto.php?photo=800617&ppuser=67983
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    Wease01Wease01 Member Posts: 216 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    The info contained in this link may be of some help. You may have to "copy & Paste" it.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsaHryvoakY
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