Toning down a polished receiver

Phil Yearout · 03-05-2015, 09:46 AM

My ol' Trojan 16's receiver had been polished some time before it came to live with me (it's the one in my avatar but kinda hard to see there). It's not awful but I wouldn't mind if it was grayed out a little. I'd be looking for a quick and easy that doesn't require dis-assembly, if such things exist. I've heard of lemon juice, rubbing with a potato or an onion...thus far I haven't tried anything. Thanks for any ideas...

Ronald Moore · 03-05-2015, 09:53 AM

Try buffing with oooo steel wool that shuld tone it down some if not go to 000 or oo steel wool.

Ron

Dean Romig · 03-05-2015, 10:06 AM

It's not that difficult to remove the stock. You don't have to take the entire frame apart but just to be safe and not get anything on the wood that would compromise the finish.

B. Dudley · 03-05-2015, 10:26 AM

A couple quick coats of cold blue will dull it down a little.

edgarspencer · 03-05-2015, 11:43 AM

As Brian said, a quick coat with Oxpho Blue on a cotton ball will give it a pleasing gray finish with a hint of bluish tones. Be prepared to kill it quickly, by wiping it dry with a tissue, and quick coat of WD40.

Tom · 03-05-2015, 03:28 PM

Navel jelly will also tone it down, but you don't want it to sit on there to long. You just wipe it off before it starts etching.
Good luck, Tom

JJ Roberts · 03-05-2015, 08:35 PM

Phil,Get with a gunsmith or a professional restoration person for advice before you do anything. J.J.

Preston Chaney · 03-13-2015, 09:11 AM

Hi,
I have a related problem. the engraving on my Dh is sharp but bright down to the bottom of the cuts and doesn't stand out very well. Can anyone recommend a treatment to darken the bottom of the grooves? I tried ortho blue on the trigger guard and then rubber with 1600 grit paper on a block to clean the top and this worked pretty well. An engraver suggested spraying with rustoleum flat black and then polishing off the top surface. Has anyone tried this? Are there any well accepted ways to acheive this result?

Regards
Preston Chaney

B. Dudley · 03-13-2015, 09:35 AM

You should not be touching the surface of the metal with any abrasive paper as that will remove material.

JJ Roberts · 03-13-2015, 09:58 AM

Preston can you take a close up picture?,maybe the engraving needs to be re-cut. J.J.