Using Flitz

[tws3b2]

Yesterday I cleaned my G3c. I ran a patch soaked with Hopps #9 through the barrel several times and waited a couple minutes. Then I ran a brush through the barrel. Then I ran another patch soaked in Hopps through the barrel. Then I ran several dry patches until they came out clean.
After that I ran a felt tipped dremel tool with Flitz in the chamber and ramp only. I let it run for about 10 seconds or so.
In the photo the felt tip on the left is for comparison only. The felt tip on the right is the one I used in the chamber after. This is the way it came out.
When I first got my G3C many times the slide would fail to return to full battery. It would like about 1/4 in. from full battery. Even after many cleanings and oilings it kept doing the same thing. Someone suggested using the Flitz.
After using the Flitz my G3C ran without fail of any kind. Im now up to around 600 rounds through my G3C since using Flitz the first time. No Fails of any kind.
I've been using the Flitz about every 200 rounds or so.

 

[HighRoadRover]

Flitz can do some good things. I see you kept it out of the barrel which I think is a good idea -- Flitz contains a mild abrasive but especially if applied with a motorized tool could round off (smooth out) the lands and grooves, or even the leade, in the barrel and thus make it less accurate. (The Golden Rule of home gunsmithing is to never let a Dremel Tool get near a gun. Violate this rule at your own risk!). But a little polishing in the chamber or even the ramp (not too much) can lessen roughness or stickiness there. (I know chambers are reamed to precise measurements by the manufacturer... but reamers wear down over time and measurements can be off a little bit).

 

[usaral63]

I have used it as a final cleanup after hand lapping a bbl.........leaves an impressive shine in the bore.

 

[Riomouse911]

Now that you have it polished and it is working correctly, just clean it every 200 rounds or so and you wont need the dremel and flitz again.

Stay safe.

 

[tws3b2]

Flitz can do some good things. I see you kept it out of the barrel which I think is a good idea -- Flitz contains a mild abrasive but especially if applied with a motorized tool could round off (smooth out) the lands and grooves, or even the leade, in the barrel and thus make it less accurate. (The Golden Rule of home gunsmithing is to never let a Dremel Tool get near a gun. Violate this rule at your own risk!). But a little polishing in the chamber or even the ramp (not too much) can lessen roughness or stickiness there. (I know chambers are reamed to precise measurements by the manufacturer... but reamers wear down over time and measurements can be off a little bit).

According to Flitz.com its non-abrasive.
I also use it with a rag on the outside of the barrel. No dremel.

 

[beag_nut]

If one looks at the Flitz SDS sheets, they state that it is a polishing/burnishing compound. Thus, it is abrasive. By definition.

 

[CapnMac]

According to Flitz.com its non-abrasive.

Well, less abrasive than, say, valve lapping compound. If perhaps about as abrasive as Jeweler's Rouge.
The MSDS does indicate some abrasive content.

 

[Bwana John]

According to Flitz.com its non-abrasive.

Per Flitz MSDS- Aluminum Oxide, 4mg/m^3

 

[doubleh]

If it is a compound that polishes steel it is abrasive.

 

[Waveski]

I once polished a satin (bead blasted) ss S&W to a nice shiny finish using Flitz and a cloth wheel.
That is an indication as to abrasive or not.

 

[Reloadron]

I have used Flitz, Simichrome and Mother's Aluminum & Magnesium polish all with good results on guns including buffing out a few matt stainless 1911s to a bright finish using a Dremel tool and felt bobs. Any of them work fine as long as moderation is applied. I use Flitz all the time to polish feed ramps on my 1911 guns and have found it useful for cleaning out cylinders on .357 Magnum revolvers after running a few hundred .38 Special through them. The question of Flitz and abrasive has been bounced around in gun forums for as long as gun forums have existed and the general consensus is yes, it is very mildly abrasive. I know the guys making it say no. Like anything else, using it for the first time keep moderation in mind.

Ron

 

[westernrover]

It's not whether it is "an" abrasive, it's whether it is abrasive to the material you use it on. Of course it is abrasive to whiteboard marker. Does that make it "an" abrasive? Flitz claims it is non-abrasive to automotive paint, fiberglass (the resin), and plastic. So to suggest that it is abrasive to steel is tantamount to saying their claims are utterly false by a gross margin.

Flitz advises against using the product on plated items. They claim the paste itself is safe, but the rubbing can damage thin plating. Essentially what they're saying is the product won't contribute to the damage, but that rubbing something like a gold-plated box is going to risk damage on the corners where you're putting a lot of pressure with your polishing cloth.

Flitz is recommended for original factory blued finishes on firearms but contraindicated for cold-blued parts. Again, cold-bluing is like whiteboard marker. You're going to rub it off.

As for the issue in the OP, I would be wary if the G3c needed to have the chamber polished every 200 rounds to prevent it from malfunctioning. If it solved the problem permanently, then great. If it didn't, and polishing the chamber again restored function, then I would look into polishing the chamber with a Flex-hone brush and their oil.

The felt-tipped dremel tool might work well for cleaning the chamber, but I can only imagine it's costly. I suggest a bronze chamber brush and using a Dewey rod instead of a Dremel tool.

 

[tws3b2]

It's not whether it is "an" abrasive, it's whether it is abrasive to the material you use it on. Of course it is abrasive to whiteboard marker. Does that make it "an" abrasive? Flitz claims it is non-abrasive to automotive paint, fiberglass (the resin), and plastic. So to suggest that it is abrasive to steel is tantamount to saying their claims are utterly false by a gross margin.

Flitz advises against using the product on plated items. They claim the paste itself is safe, but the rubbing can damage thin plating. Essentially what they're saying is the product won't contribute to the damage, but that rubbing something like a gold-plated box is going to risk damage on the corners where you're putting a lot of pressure with your polishing cloth.

Flitz is recommended for original factory blued finishes on firearms but contraindicated for cold-blued parts. Again, cold-bluing is like whiteboard marker. You're going to rub it off.

As for the issue in the OP, I would be wary if the G3c needed to have the chamber polished every 200 rounds to prevent it from malfunctioning. If it solved the problem permanently, then great. If it didn't, and polishing the chamber again restored function, then I would look into polishing the chamber with a Flex-hone brush and their oil.

The felt-tipped dremel tool might work well for cleaning the chamber, but I can only imagine it's costly. I suggest a bronze chamber brush and using a Dewey rod instead of a Dremel tool.

Actually I have no plans to use flitz again,Unless. I think my G3C fail to go back to full battery was just a "Break In" problem. I'm sure that in time it would have fixed itself. The flitz just eased the aggravation. And, I was just amazed that after the Hopps, brush and all the patches and labor the felt with just a little flitz came out looking like that. That little bit was enough to cause the gun to fail.

 

[beag_nut]

What you saw on the felt was not dirt, but metal.

 

[westernrover]

metal oxides actually
it's not like the metal on the felt was any longer part of the chamber -- not any more than flaking rust is still part of an old car

 

[Otto]

^^^ The the black substance on the felt bob is the metal from his barrel. The more he polishes, the more metal that is removed.
If he had used 10 different new felt bobs.... each one would have been as black as the other.

 

[westernrover]

That's not right. The substance is the Flitz. The Flitz has been turned black by a chemical reaction to the metal oxides. It's not removing metal.

 

[HighRoadRover]

The black substance may indeed be mostly the Flitz, or a compound created when Flitz and steel combine, that I cannot tell you. But metal is removed. My original point was that Flitz can take the edges off the lands and leade in a gun barrel. It takes a lot of work, but it can do that. Use a dremel and that removal work goes faster. I use Flitz to polish 316L stainless steel all the time -- scratched up wrist watches -- and I can see it "smoothing" the surface as I work each small area. For our purposes here, the recommendation that you shouldn't use it in a gun barrel is a safe practice in order to protect the bore of your weapon. Anyone is free to take some Flitz, some old metal, and a dremel tool and have at it on one spot for 10 or 15 minutes and see if you create a groove or divot where you buff away.

 

[tws3b2]

The black substance may indeed be mostly the Flitz, or a compound created when Flitz and steel combine, that I cannot tell you. But metal is removed. My original point was that Flitz can take the edges off the lands and leade in a gun barrel. It takes a lot of work, but it can do that. Use a dremel and that removal work goes faster. I use Flitz to polish 316L stainless steel all the time -- scratched up wrist watches -- and I can see it "smoothing" the surface as I work each small area. For our purposes here, the recommendation that you shouldn't use it in a gun barrel is a safe practice in order to protect the bore of your weapon. Anyone is free to take some Flitz, some old metal, and a dremel tool and have at it on one spot for 10 or 15 minutes and see if you create a groove or divot where you buff away.

Don't think so.

 

[westernrover]

I agree that the last bit of advice to experiment on an inconsequential part and see for yourself is sound advice. I can't think of a better way to prove with relevance whether a particular compound like Flitz, and a tool like a felt cylinder, and a method like using a Dremel will have the desired or an undesirable effect on a part of the same material.

I only want to add that Simichrome, unlike Flitz, is claimed by the manufacturer to be abrasive to most materials and that the abrasive is claimed to be of fine grit. It should be expected to be more aggressive than Flitz and might be suitable for parts where an abrasive action is desired. It is claimed to be 8 to 10 microns which would be equivalent to about 1800 grit.

I've had very good results using both Flitz and Simichrome. They are great products when used appropriately. I can't say I've ever thought of using them in a rifled bore though. I haven't used them for such, but it does seem like either would be appropriate for polishing a chamber. Brush Research specializes in chamber honing and polishing brushes impregnated with silicon carbide, and they use 400 and 800 grit. Simichrome on a chamber brush or mop would have a milder effect, and Flitz ought to be even gentler.