what is the best way to get dings/scratches out of a lower

[the brass man]

i am getting ready to refinish a lower and it has the normal scratches and dings from years of use. is it alright to sandblast, beadblast, or what?? i dont want to screw up the lower, but i dont want the blem's to show thru either. any suggestions?

thanks
chris

by the way, i am going to be duracoating the lower.

 

[tommygun2000]

Bead blast with glass beads for a smoothe finish. It will aid in adhesion of the coating also.

 

[rustyolddog]

Is this a semi-auto lower or a F/A? If it's a registered receiver, I wouldn't blast it at all. Find a reputable anodizer and have it hard coat anodized, then refinish it in Duracoat.

 

[the brass man]

it is a semi, i have blasted it(bead) and refinished it in colt grey duracoat, i will post picks soon.

thanks
chris

 

[rustyolddog]

it is a semi, i have blasted it(bead) and refinished it in colt grey duracoat, i will post picks soon.

thanks
chris

Just a general FWIW, receivers are anodized after manufacturing. This creates a hard coating of aluminum oxide, much harder than the base metal. The anodized coating actually grows out of the surface of the metal and to an extent, below it. It is very porous in it's initial condition which is when it is dyed, after dyeing, it's is subjected to a chemical sealer which retains the dye. A good anodizer will gauge the pin holes on a receiver prior to chemical stripping, then anodize the receiver and check the pins holes to be sure that the same amount of anodizing has "grown" upon completion.

On a valuable registered receiver, this would be the proper way to go, then finish with one of the gun coating products.

Just a general FYI.