Fingernail polish remover to polish stainless steel?

D

DG45

New member
Has anybody on the forum ever try using this stuff to polish a gun or gun parts? I have an old Victorianox Swiss Army knife and was bemoaning the fact that it's once shiny new stainless steel blades were looking kind of punk, when my wife said not to worry, that she used fingernail polish remover to polish our stainless steel kitchen knives, and that it worked wonders on them. (My first thought was to wonder how much residue from that stuff may have gotten into our food over the years, but she said she always washed them afterwards, and we're not dead yet so I guess it was ok.) Anyway, I tried her fingernail polish remover on my Victorianox blades and the stuff did work wonders. The blades looked like new. I'm scared to try it on my stainless steel gunparts like hammers and triggers though, because I don't know what it might do to blued parts if it got on them. Has anybody ever tried using the stuff on a gun or on gun parts, and if so, what were your results? Will it damage blueing?
 
I would never use it on any coated surface of any type. As for polishing stainless, I would not use it. I would use something meant for polishing. mainly because I never have it in the house. Not much call for it here with no women. I do buy the odd bottle on the occasions where I super-glue myself to something, which happens more often than you might think, but I never just keep it around. :)
 
Playboy -- What do you typically superglue yourself to? Hopefully not an anvil. That would be quite a sight: a penguin dragging an anvil down to the nearby drugstore for some remover. In the driving snow.

The thought tickles,
Jack

PS +1 on your point -- don't test strange solvents on handguns. There are so many good ways to clean them.
 
I use "Original- Never Dull- Wadding Polish by Eagle One. It polishes all metals and it's available at most auto parts stores.

It comes in a can filled with treated wadding. You only tear off what you need and it never leaves no deposits in crevices of the metal.
 
Nail polish remover is basically acetone. It's a great cleaner, but has no polishing ability.
NevRdull is a good product. Parts should be wiped clean, and then flushed with solvent after using it.
 
You do not want to be using acetone (component of fingernail polish remover), anywhere that is not well venitilated...like in the house.
 
Acetone is not probably that dangerous, we used it at work all the time. In small quantities anyway. Women put it on their fingers to remove polish and their hands presumably do not wrinkle up and fall off. The problem is that the stuff is like Kroil, has an overpowering stench that makes one want to vomit. I would polish stainless steel with Flitz or Simichrome or the like. Well try it on your knife first then on a gun. Then, it could not hurt to wipe down even a stainless gun with a silicone impregnated cloth. Any kind of polish you apply, don't get it inside the gun or build up in the nooks and crannies. Work it out of there with Q tips. NOTE Acetone may do nasty things to plastic or rubber parts, like grips, though.
 
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You do not want to be using acetone (component of fingernail polish remover), anywhere that is not well venitilated...like in the house.
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:eek: Are you suggesting that all women go outdoors to remove their fingernail polish? My wife is getting ready to re-do her nails and it is about 12 degrees here. I don't think she will buy into going outside to remove her nailpolish :eek:
 
If you want to test it out, try it out on the inside of your slide where it won't be visible if it removes the bluing or has any negative affect on the the stainless.
 
Acetone and lacquer thinner will not harm real gun bluing and stainless steel.
They may affect or even strip some coating type gun finishes.

They have a "brightening" effect especially on brass.
I've used them for many years as a parts cleaner and de-greaser, and kept a small lidded can on my bench for many years to clean small parts.

However, the fumes are explosively flammable. Any pilot light in the house or spark nearby can cause a potential roaring fire.
 
PBP has some great experiences with his guns.

I would use his methods if you want to polish your stainless steel.

The results he's got are impressive.
 
If you're looking for a good polish for stainless steel I would recommend Mothers Mag Polish. It can be found at most Auto Parts Supply houses. I used it to hand polish a couple of older matte finish Colt revolvers with good results, and will polish up anything you are looking to shine up. I used ONLY "elbow grease" and Mothers Mag polish on these, no power tools at all.


 
I'd skip the acetone and go with the Mother's Mag. Acetone is not very friendly stuff. We require our workers to use it under a fume hood or otherwise well-ventilated place, and to wear appropriate PPE such as latex or butyl gloves and splash goggles. Some say a lab coat and face shield should also be employed, but as long as the quantities are small and not a lot splashing going on, I call that overkill.
 
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