Remove black fouling from handle of stainless CZ75

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I have some black fouling stain on my handle of my CZ75 pistol. It appears that something was on my hand (gunpowder or something dark) and it stained finger impressions on the stainless steel. I've tried using some aerosol solvents and CLP to no avail. Any thoughts on what I can use that won't damage the stainless finish?
 
My first question would be whether your CZ-75 is actually stainless, or is it hard chromed? Either way using any abrasive polishing compound wouldn't be my first choice, as at the very least it might give the area a conspicuous contrast with the untreated portions.

If as you say solvents didn't affect it much I'd be concerned that it might be something more than a surface deposit. In the case of it being caused by some sort of chemical reaction with the metal, it might be a sign of oxydation or corrosion.

One thing you might try that's worked well for removing this sort of discoloration on my "Wonderfinish", "Starvel" and stainless pieces is a product called "Never-Dull", made by Eagle One and available at Wally's or auto parts stores. It is a treated fiber wadding in a can which uses chemical action to remove both stains/deposits and oxydation/corrosion without abrasives from most all metals. I wouldn't use it on blued items (bluing being a sort of chemical 'rust' which it might remove), but it does very well on plating and bare metals.

Hopefully, this'll do it for you. A mild paste polish like Flitz, Iosso 'Gun Brite' or Simi-Chrome used very cautiously would be my next resort if the Never-Dull doesn't take care of it.
 
First, try a pencil eraser - it consists of fine carborundum(IIRC) abrasive dust mixed with latex rubber, it's gentle enough to take off a thin layer of paper & graphite, and you probably have one lying around the house.

If the stain remains, try FINE(0000 grade) steel wool and your CLP - if the steel wool is fine enough, it won't cause scratching(unless you grind away at it for hours).

If both these methods fail, escalate to crocus cloth or metal polish as mentioned above.
 
What about these marks on my stainless Ruger? They are smooth to the touch and aren't really darker than the surrounding areas. The pic just makes it out that way. I tried CLP and no help. Note: the burnt area around the muzzle is not in question.

myrugermark2stainlessmarks.jpg
 
Soak it in a solvent overnight, not CLP, not spray-on stuff. If you don't want to dip the entire gun, wrap the handle in paper towels bearing the solvent.

First try scrubbing it with a plastic potscrubber before you try steel wool (even 0000 will scratch it).

Flitz will work, but it may also polish that area so it stands out from the rest of the gun.
 
Lightsped, since there is NO BLUING to worry about try oven cleaner. Wear rubber dishes gloves, cover your eyes with safety glasses, and get that crud off, it it bothers you.
 
It isn't crud. It is smooth to the touch. It is like scuff marks or something. If you look closely at the marks, they are actually shiner than the rest of the gun. Kind of weird....
 
Not to be the poke in the eye but are you sure this a stainless frame and not nickeled ? Nickel Plating does this exact thing and you can't do a thing about it except refinish the pistol. You'll get finger grooves left along the front strap of the frame over time and it will appear as a light black or even grey streak. The only other thing I can think of is if CZ adds some kind of finishing laquer which I doubt over the stainless itself...........Either way good luck, I'm curious as to what you really have......................
 
Hi there lightsped I'm actually posting to the original poster whom I believe does not have a stainless pistol but a nickeled one. as to yours I think your just seeing some impurities in the stainless that you'll never remove, if you can't improve things with a rust removing cloth I wouldn't even worry about it...................Good luck
 
RCModel has got it, i use that on my stainless steel S&Ws it takes the burn and carbon marks off of the front of the cylinders with relatively little effort
 
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