polishing sandcast brass

[kswan]

Hello all.
Ive looked around a bit ona good method of sanding then polishing sand cast brass. What the prefered method exprienced buliders use?

Thanks

 

[54ball]

File and shape till you think it's good enough then file some more...a whole lot more, till it's perfect.

sand paper...
Always backed 250 300 up to 600 or so in progressive steps....
scraper...
some will scrape brass
polish with steel wool or burlap.

 

[necchi]

File and shape till you think it's good enough,
then file some more...
a whole lot more,,,

,till it's a perfect shape

Then sand it.

Then next time, buy wax cast.

 

[DickS]

A file that has never cut steel is better for filing brass.

 

[Vaino]

A sand cast TG or Bplate usually requires a lot of mat'l removal. On the areas that allow its use, I use coarse sandpaper wheels in a Dremel.

Then a coarse file and then a finer file both of which haven't touched steel. I then use very coarse Gesswein stones dipped in mineral spirits and after all the irregularities are gone, then resort to various grits of wet/dry paper.

Don't use sand cast brass any longer....the investment cast yellow brass allows many areas to be scraped and is then gone over w/ 220 grit paper and 320 grit. From there it depends on what finish is desired by using steel wool or green Scotchbrite...........Fred

 

[kswan]

thanks for the advice. I think I will swap butt plate and trigger guard for wax cast.

 

[crockett]

Because sand cast is as rough as a corn cob you often don't know what you have until you start filing. Sometimes there are air bubbles and there isn't much you can do about it other than start over.

 

[kswan]

I worked on the trigger guard with files, emry cloth and finally a dremel. Didnt get much smother and seemed to have some flaws.
I didnt realize the difference between wax and sand cast. Bit of a learning curve building these rifles.

 

[Vaino]

Investment {wax} cast yellow brass is wonderful to work w/...it also bends easily. Reeves Goehring has very good TGs and Bplates as does Chambers.

Some investment cast TGs and Bplates are made from a bronze alloy and should be avoided. They don't file too well and discolor as they age. Shown below is an example.....Fred

 

[kaintuck]

DAVE KECK OR CHAMBERS.......... :hatsoff:

everywhere else has brass, but those folks do it right~ then you finish brass with smaller and smaller scratches.....final polish is 2000gt....in use, you'll get it dinged anyways.....

marc n tomtom

 

[kswan]

thanks for the advice. s

 

[don hepler]

I would make a good jig to hold it, so you can get some good productive contact, whether you're filing or sanding.

Someone might have pictures or ideas on this.

 

[Vaino]

I do a lot of the finishing of a TG when it's mounted on the rifle....mainly the exterior.

Probably should have made a fixture. but didn't really see the need for one......Fred

 

[Col. Batguano]

A good jig (for both the inside and outside) is practically mandatory if you're planning on any engraving. They don't take long to make if you use a scroll saw. You'll need something similar to hold the patch box too. I just used a block of wood with a glob of Bondo on it. Press it on. Voilla, it sticks. Just put some tape or something around the latch mechanism to keep it from getting locked in place. When you're done with the engraving a propane torch on the brass will release it from the Bondo.

 

[Pete G]

Sand cast is what I prefer because it is authentic. Any pits just add to the authenticity. If you study original guns you will notice this quite often. Also there is usually enough material on the part to allow for shaping, whereas you are pretty much stuck with the standard shapes with a wax cast part.
Most wax cast stuff seems to be some sort of alloy that is much more difficult to work, will age to a different color and is certainly much more expensive, although I have heard some say that there are some parts available in soft yellow brass.

Cabinet scrapers are the trick to quickly getting a sand cast part under control and they are the only way that I know of to get a concave shape on the inside of the trigger guard bow.

 

[Vaino]

Reeves Goehring's investment cast TGs and Bplates use wax patterns from original parts and his yellow brass is very soft and very bendable....can't get more authentic than that.....Fred

 

[Pete G]

I had heard that, but I've never had the pleasure of working with any of his parts. Most of the investment cast stuff in the catalogs is definitely not soft brass.

 

[Vaino]

You mentioned that sand cast parts are more "authentic"......not so judging from Goehring's parts.....Fred

 

[Capt. Jas.]

Reeves Goehring's investment cast TGs and Bplates use wax patterns from original parts and his yellow brass is very soft and very bendable....can't get more authentic than that.....Fred

Goehring's parts are sand cast right?

 

[Vaino]

Judging Goehring's parts by their finish as cast, I'd say they're investment or wax cast......Fred