Polishing cleaning rod

M

mshelton

Member
I've got a few of the ProShot stainless rods, I had seen mention of people polishing them vertically to help with them not picking up debris in the barrel and was wondering if anyone could shed some light on this?

I'll probably switch to Ivy rods when I retire these but as with a most things, money does play a part in that and was hoping I could 'tune' these up with 1500-2500 grit sand paper or polishing compounds.

As always, thanks in advance for any help.
 
While I use Ivy rods, the process would be the same. I don't think it's a question of picking up stuff but to first off let the rod, which occaisionaly contacts the bore, to reduce any damage potential, and allow you to see any marks, scuffs, which allows you to be careful.
Get IOSSO metal polish, the stuff in the green tube. A liberal glob on a couple shotgun patches and short stroak it up and back. It will take a few applications but you will bring up a good polish.
That said, get that Ivy ASAP because it is onsiderably stiffer and you can get it to a mirror polish.
 
Brownells lapping compound #320,, then clean with Coleman Fuel OR TIPTON Carbon Fiber,,, Only the BEST ! Don't forget The T.K. NOLANS Barrel Saver
 
Last edited:
I made a 6" f/8 telescope mirror

FBecigneul said:
In the old days.......we used to polish telescope lenses with water and graphite. Wonder what they use today.
Click to expand...

a long time ago. Used coarse to progressively finer carborundum to grind the curve, used jewelers rouge to polish and parabolize it. That was then.
 
glp said:
a long time ago. Used coarse to progressively finer carborundum to grind the curve, used jewelers rouge to polish and parabolize it. That was then.
Click to expand...

Cerium Oxide at the final stages.

Long ago I made a 1/20 wave figured 12 inch mirror.

Edmund's used to have everything you needed.

After about 5 years I had to drive hours to find a place on the east coast without so much sky-glow everything was washed out.
Last I heard it was in Arizona somewhere.
 
Mine

brickeyee said:
Cerium Oxide at the final stages.

Long ago I made a 1/20 wave figured 12 inch mirror.

Edmund's used to have everything you needed.

After about 5 years I had to drive hours to find a place on the east coast without so much sky-glow everything was washed out.
Last I heard it was in Arizona somewhere.
Click to expand...

was a Jaegers kit. Fortunately when you get out of the built up areas here in Maine, the night sky is mag 6-6.5 depending you your eyes.
 
Ok, update on this. I didn't have some of the mentioned polishing compounds so I figured I'd give what I had a shot.

Started with JB non-embedding bore paste on some 2" patches and short stroked it for 4 patches, then did the same with Mothers Mag and Aluminium polish and it made a pretty noticeable difference, granted I am only testing by looking at it and running my fingernail down it but the difference between the polished and untouched section near the handle is obvious.
 
mshelton said:
I've got a few of the ProShot stainless rods, I had seen mention of people polishing them vertically to help with them not picking up debris .
Click to expand...

OK, I give up, what is vertical polishing? Is this axiallly like stroking the rod? Or is this radially, a section at a time?
 
Back to the subject..I wonder how much polishing a cleaning rod will help and what the desired effect is. How much difference can a few strokes with a fine polish make in regard to bore damage? I think very little to no benefit will be achieved from any amount of polishing a cleaning rod. Dirt ON the cleaning rod and/or the rod physically beating up the lands, is another story. When your top of the line custom barrel was lapped at the manufacturer, is was likely done with 220-320 grit...not 3000. TIFWIW. A well known rf smith likes to talk of "galling" between the rod and barrel. It's my humble opinion that this is physically impossible at the speed and pressure that a cleaning rod, inside of a rifle barrel sees. But, OTOH, a lot of what he says I find impossible, from a physics standpoint. Again, TIFWIW...it's JMHO. As usual, if you think it helps, then it likely does, in some way.
 
I'm gonna go with mwezell on this one. Not that I don't agree with him on other things...but I might have missed one along the way.
 
Wilbur said:
I'm gonna go with mwezell on this one. Not that I don't agree with him on other things...but I might have missed one along the way.
Click to expand...

:D Well, thanks Wilbur! I'm not here to simply agree with everything...that would be boring. But, I do agree with them when they're right! ;);)

Like Francis said, we're an anal bunch..that's just who we are. Some things matter more than others.
 
FBecigneul said:
There are those who say precision shooters are anal. Then there are those who think we are cerebral. Can't we just agree?
Click to expand...

Hmmm, sounds like you're sayin' precision shooters are sometimes know to have their head up their ass.........I could go with that....just sayin'. Francis, you're a genius. Or maybe that wasn't what you meant. In that case.....never mind.

Rick
 
Cleaning rods for cleanint barrels:

In the old days: I still have cleaning rods that came in 3 pieces, seems back then it was a good ideal to take them apart after use and then screw them together; not me, I screwed them together and then ground the joints smooth and or used tape. I did not number the sections because I did not have the set of little numbers or letters. And then I did not push the rod through the barrel, I pulled it through. And then one day I gave the process a little thought and then made a cleaning rod system, it beats bore snake and is impossible to lock up, jam or cause an obstruction.

Last month a reloader decided he wanted some equipment I am selling so he came over, in among all of my stuff I am selling there were a few of my cleaning rods; I ask him if he knew what they were and he said no; I suffered one of those moments when my mind failed me, I indented to demonstrate/explain the tool to him but as I said I got busy on something else.

F. Guffey
 
my parents told me to not polish my cleaning rod, or i would go blind.
 
A friend of a friend

is in the business of testing all manor of shooting related things. His tests have shown him that Stainless rods do in fact mar barrels and that coated or fiber rods do not. He also said that bore guides, when using either coated or fiber rods are a waste of time.

I expect massive flames here but he is the one with the maginifying borescope. I still use a bore guide but quit the SS rods, me.

Pete
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top