Diamond Paste or other Lapping Compound?

[flmason]

Hi All,
    As a kid I worked in a machine shop roughly 81-84... tripped over some 3 micron diamond lapping paste and found it conveniently mirror polished all the brightwork on my Blanchard Grinder, LOL!  Never for about it.

Was wondering if anyone has any experience using this to polish sears and other gun components. Is 3 micron good? 1, .5 or .25 better? 

Know of any more commonly available alternatives?

Was thinking it's got to be better and produce less wear than any stone, file, or sandpaper-ish ideas.

Anyone familiar with steel hones? Or is my memory wrong there? Could swear there is such a thing? Anyone tried it on a sear?

Last thought on the topic. Heard of a gent that once polished all sliding surfaces on a stainless Mini-14... he claimed it made the parts "sticky" when oil was used... that he ended up satin finishing one side to prevent that. Any truth to that?

[smokehouserex]

 
 
  Hey flmason:
  I don't know the micron equivalent, but I use Brownell's Polish O Ray, comes in sticks about 1 1/2 dia Xabout 10" long. I use #'s 140, 320,500; and some 500White for a glass-like finish, on a 8" muslin wheel, I change for each grade of course.
  I have never ran a sear on it,I only do it by hand as most that I've did didn't need anything but evening up a bit and slicking up. I'm sure a gunsmith could do it but I don't trust  myself with something like that to a wheel.
  I don't know about polishing something to a point that oil would cause it to have a sticky feel, it may depend on the type oil, maybe? I know two polished surfaces, when rubbed together are smooth but oil makes them slick.
  JMO
  HM
 

[Graybeard]

Only thing I use on trigger or sears is crocus cloth. It does not remove metal but sure does a good job of polishing. Hard arkansas stones to a somewhat similar job as well. Neither will change contour so as tomake for a dangerous condition as coarser grits can.

[Hooker]

My buddy works in a machine shop he brings me use oil from their hone it's loaded with microscopic metal particles.
It takes a bit of elbow grease but this stuff will put a micro finish on anything. You can't feel the metal in this stuff it feels like oil and looks like runny anti-seize. I use it as a finishing polish for knife blades and parts that need to be slick. It's free and a quart of it should last a man a life time.
You can also put it on a leather strop for a knife edge that is scary sharp.

Pat
 

[keith44]

for sears I use a norbide stick.  I never use a lapping compound here, just in case the piece is not hardened like it should be.  Lapping compound is best used when fitting and slicking up slides, and applied to the side of a part and then rubbing the part against a piece of glass.  This smooths the sides to make a trigger or hammer feel like it rides on roller bearings (along with a few other little touches)