How to polish and prepare a rifle barrel for bluing

When refinishing gun metal it is important that the surface be well polished before bluing. Larry Potterfield, CEO and Founder of MidwayUSA, explains the process for polishing a rifle barrel to prepare it for bluing. He begins by cleaning out any lettering on the barrel using a blue and rust remover along with a nylon brush. The lettering is then covered with masking tape to prevent it from becoming damaged. Starting with 120 grit cloth backed abrasive the barrel is sanded lengthwise using a wooden backer while keeping away from the lettering. After all the marks and pits have been removed using the 120 grit the barrel is polished with the 150 using a shoeshine motion. This is called cross polishing. This process is continued, alternating between sanding lengthwise with cross polishing until you reach 220. The last sanding is performed using a hobby lathe. That tape that was protecting the lettering is removed and those areas are polished at this time. The barrel is now ready for bluing.