How best to clean Residue off Chrome finish

S

Shalom

New member
I've had the slide of my 1911 refinished in hard chrome.An unpleasant side effect is that the slide is always blackish in some areas from powder residue.When practicing the pistol is fired, reholstered, drawn, reholstered and so on. The residue gets on to the leather inside of the holster and the pistol always comes out with some blackish residue even long after practice is over. At the points where the pistol rubs most against the leather the chrome seems to be discoloring.
Any tips on how to keep the slide looking its best?
Shalom (that means Peace)
Wild West Bank Israel

[This message has been edited by Shalom (edited August 17, 2000).]
 
And Peace to you. Welcome

Flitz metal polish (or Brasso or similar metal polish) will clean the metal shiny. I have the same holster problem with a nickel gun I have. I don't know how to cure it; once the powder residue is in the holster, how would you clean it out? Try wiping the gun off well before holstering.

Regards,

Ledbetter

[This message has been edited by Ledbetter (edited August 17, 2000).]
 
You might also try a bronze or brass brush dipped in kerosene or bore cleaner. That works for me on stainless steel, I haven't tried it on hard chrome.
 
Might also try a little saddle soap to get the smootz off of the inside of the holster A damp rag with a little saddle soap on it. Rub it in then take a dry cloth and removed loosened dirt. Repeat if necessary till you don't get anymore black on the rag. Just a thought. There is also a product called Simichrome which works wonders with discoloration. Had a motorcycle that someone set fire to. (Actually just the cover.) (Someones idea of a Halloween prank.) The chrome got scorched and discolored. Simichrome cleaned it right up. Welcome to TFL Shalom.

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***Torpedo***
It's a good life if you can survive it!
 
From your description, I think you're having the same problem I had with my (ex) Nickel Python -- which had a lot of carbon and lead buildup on the from the cylinder.

I found that the chemically treated cloths, like LEAD AWAY (there are several different brands) did a good job of getting both the lead residue and burnt powder off. Try that. Its easy, relatively inexpensive, and useful to have in your gun box, anyway...
 
if you use saddle soap to clean the holster be sure not to use a lot or saturate the holster. It could cause the leather to soften and ruin the holster. I generally run a light clean rag through my holsters to get out any lint or grit. Sometimes thay will come out with a little powder residue.

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I second what Walt says.

On my new stainless S&W 686, I tried solvent and a toothbrush for half an hour or more while trying to get the residue off the cylinder face and forcing cone. After an inquiry here, I discovered the LEAD Away cloths. Took me 5 minutes to shine up the pistol like new. They really work. They're big though, so you need to cut off manageable strips as you need them. Also, someone here noted that you can keep using the strips even when they appear dirty as long as they're still tacky. So save the old strips until they dry out.

My package notes that they're for nickel and stainless guns. As far as the chrome, you might try the cloth on a small area that is most inconspicuous. Or check with your gun shop to make sure the cloths are okay on chrome.

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Guyon
NRA & GOA Member
 
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