Would enjoy thoughts/ideas on how to clean up this frame, without making it super shiny and looking like a piece of chrome.
I was thinking some very light steel wool w.o. oil. It's a nice olde 1900 (or pre 1900) VL&D Francotte.
Thanks!

I'd put it in an ultrasonic cleaner and thoroughly clean it first. Then make the decision on what's next, if anything. JMO.
SRH

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MUSOW...aWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

JR

I have been using a very mild steel brush at a lower speed in a variable speed Dremel. Light oil (wd40) helps . The longer you work the brighter it gets but it does not look like crome rouge on a buffing wheel. Do as little as possible!

bill

To start I would use a Stainless Steel cooking pan scourer with White Vinegar. Using a circular motion and not use to much pressure. Now you would think that the Stainless steel scourer would be very abrasive but quite the opposite it is quite soft steel and is far less abrasive than some wire wool's. Using this method it will be less likely to polish the action.

This is the version I use regularly. They won't even damage bluing when used properly.

https://www.big45metalcleaner.com

I would opt for 0000 steel and either WD40 or Ballistol, or Break Free. Put the oil on the steel wool and use circular motion. Of course, remove the stock first.
Mike

Before anything else I strongly suggest you put it in a sonic cleaner. I think you will be amazed at the results. And will not do any damage to the metal.

Do this ^^^^^^
Then the ultrasonic.

Did you not see this thread of a few weeks ago about ultrasonic cleaning?
https://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=590948&page=1

An ultrasonic cleaner is a great idea tbh. I don't have one, and I'm not about to go to Harbor freight and buy one. I will ask my gunsmith if I can bring in a bare receiver.

That was my thinking, bls, though I failed to say so.

Good luck.

SRH

Actually, there have been a couple recent Threads that documented very impressive results of cleaning shotgun frames in a good ultrasonic cleaner. What was most impressive to me was how the cleaning brought out a good amount of case hardening colors that were obscured by grime and patina. Those colors were there all along, but you would not know it to see the "before" photos.

For that reason, I would avoid any more agressive methods that might remove any remaining case colors along with dirt and rust. I'm not 100% certain, but I believe that a mild acid like vinegar would also degrade any remaining case colors, so I would avoid any acids (or caustic solutions) until I was satisfied that there were no case colors present that might be unintentionally removed.

I agree.

How about a copper pad and Hoppe's number 9.

0000 steel wool and a few drops of oil will not remove color.

I use Frontier pads. Bobby

Ultrasonic cleaning will remove crud and hundred year old staining and will not harm the metal of color case, whereas steel wool, no matter how fine, is an abrasive and will, to some degree, remove or microscopically scratch, metal and case color.

To remove metal from the receiver, the steel wool would have to be harder, and I don't think it is. Of course if it had some additional particles of harder abrasives trapped in it, scratching could occur. Just use clean 0000. Ultrasonic cleaning is a good idea, if you are lucky enough to have the equipment.
Mike

I would be concerned about removing color and not metal steel wool will remove color

Removing color from casehardened parts may not be removing metal but it certainly is moving metal. Casehardening, in the way that produces varying colors, does so by producing a micro-crystalline surface on the metal that reflects some of the colors in the light spectrum. Oscar Gaddy's great two part writings in the DGJ explained this and showed photos of the crystalline surface taken with an electron microscope, as I recall. Steel wool can certainly wear these tiny surface irregularities in a way that reduces or eliminates their "prismatic" abilities to reflect colors.

Think about it ....... if wear from your hands carrying a gun can eventually wear the color away, certainly anything like steel wool can and will do so. And, it really doesn't matter if the s. wool, or whatever other product one chooses to use, wears the metal away or if it just alters it's structure, when the color goes away the surface micro-structure has been irreparably altered.

I had an A. H. Fox cased hardened a few years ago. The colors were a little bold. Ten minutes and some steel wool removed just enough to put the gun back in balance.

I have a 58 year old car so read a few antique car forums. I have never tried this , but have seen it mentioned a few times for taking rust off of chromed trim.

Wad up some aluminum foil and then scrub off the rust with the foil using Coca Cola.

Again, I have never tried this method.

This is interesting using an inexpensive unit with some tips on using it.

Thanks builder for the interesting videos. A caution though on using ultrasonic cleaners on guns with cerakote. In my experience the ultrasonics seem to break down cerakoteing. If you have say a 22 pistol with a compensator on it, that gets lead buildup in the comp, a safer method (for the coating) to help remove/soften the lead is to soak the comp in a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and either apple cider or distilled white vinegar. I use old plastic pill bottles and let my comps soak for an hour. After this I rinse the comp in a mix of water/baking soda. This will not remove all the lead but does make it much easier to remove what's left.

I've not tried this on old SxS frames/parts but for those without an ultrasonic this method might be helpful for a decent cleaning.

Plastic containers will absorb some of the sound waves, better to use glass. Pyrex beakers are best.

First of all, if there are no rusted parts, try with a ballpoint eraser. Is an easy way to clean the frame.

Before... after:




Before... after:



Without chemical treatment. If there is more dirt, other methods will have to be tried.

Regards!

Rubber erasers contain an abrasive compound such as powdered quartz. They should not be used on case colored frames or blued parts.

I agree with you. I have used the Brass pad that they sell. It also is made from ribbons of metal and actually replaces the long and tiring process of carding the finish. So many people ruin a gun by using Steel wool..