What is best polish for old gun metal?

[egillman]

I have stripped all the paint off of my Crosman 600 pistol, and I want to keep it this way.  It currently has a dull silver appearance, and I want it to look like chrome.  What is the best method to polish it so that it shines? 

[SeanAT]

I've done the same thing to a 600 frame before. Honestly, no matter how you polish it, it won't be long before it oxidizes and starts to look dull again. You would need to seal it somehow. I was thinking of sealing with an automotive type sealer like Optimum Opti-Coat 2.0 or Wolfgang Deep Gloss Paint Sealant. Never got around to it.

To polish, there are lots of products that will work. I used Eagle One Never-Dull and then followed that with a carnauba car wax on a cloth.

I took the pic quite some time after polishing, so it had already started looking a little dull and scratched up....

[TooJung2Die]

I like Mother's Mag and Aluminum polish. Polishes every kind of metal I've used it on. Aluminum, brass, pot metal, you name it. No Harley-Davidson owner is without a tub of it in the saddlebag. Available almost everywhere. I use it to polish barrel bores. I stripped the paint from a Crosman 760 action and polished it a month ago. No sign of dulling yet.

[breakfastchef]

I like Mother's Mag and Aluminum polish. Polishes every kind of metal I've used it on.

X2. Great product.

Now, if you want to protect the polished surface from corrosion and rust, there are a number of products available. I use Ballistol now for just about everything. In the past I used Blue Wonder Armadillo. I hear positive comments about Ezzox.

[Bicycleman]

Only a thought - never was in the position to actually do this -- What about stripping the pistol down to the parts that you "want it to look like chrome", and actually have them chrome plated?  I see that chrome process being applied to auto and truck parts on "Power Block."  Like I said, only a thought.

[SciGuy]

I recently started using Ren Wax and love it.  Expensive but I can see the little $16 tin I bought lasting for a couple years.

[egillman]

Thanks for all your suggestions!  My local hardware store was out of Mother's, so I bought some Blue Magic metal polish instead.  I was quite impressed with the results.  I still have small scratches left over from removing the paint, but the shine is there.

[SeanAT]

... I still have small scratches left over from removing the paint, but the shine is there.

I gave mine a thorough scouring with #0000 steel wool before I polished to help smooth put any larger scratches.

[TooJung2Die]

Thanks for all your suggestions!  My local hardware store was out of Mother's, so I bought some Blue Magic metal polish instead.  I was quite impressed with the results.  I still have small scratches left over from removing the paint, but the shine is there.

That looks great. Much better than paint. I should've suggested an auto parts store first for the Mother's polish. The Blue Magic did the job as well.

I was having trouble painting the receiver on the 760. Paint chipped too easy, or dripped, or didn't finish glossy enough. Then I realized the action looked pretty good without the paint. A good polish really made it shine. The label on Mother's says it polishes and protects. So far, so good.

[egillman]

Thanks.  I will go after it with the steel wool, then re-polish.