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Who has jeweled a bolt?

Easy to do . Practice with a polished piece of steel or aluminum, inside of soda can will work . Use a pencil eraser , cut pencil about 1" from eraser end , mount in drill or drill press and go at it . Overlap about half of previous turn . No abrasive is needed on alum to practice with . Run a straight edge , ( anything ) to keep your lines straight. After a few minutes go at it with your bolt , follower etc . You'll need a coarser abrasive for some steels , valve lapping compound works , clover leaf is the name that comes to mind .
 
After a bit of internet research, i found a Cratex rubberized abrasive rod. I'm going to give them a go.
 
After a bit of internet research, i found a Cratex rubberized abrasive rod. I'm going to give them a go.
That's what is on the end of pencils. Though it's not in different grit .
A new box of pencils , 10-12 a box is $2 and will do about 6 bolts with Mauser type extractors .
Old pencils tend to crack the eraser off
 
I spend half my life putting some sort of finish on metal...well, not really half, but it sure seems that way sometimes. From firearms to Rolex watches, high chrome looking polish to heavy bead blast to the jewelling on model 12 bolts. I never had much luck with the eraser or cratex or any other "rubber" type device. It will make it look just about right, but it wont last very long if you shoot the gun much. Seems like it just rubs right off. Brownell's has little wire brushes that do okay. The best thing I have used is the fiberglass type, but you have to be careful, the fiberglass is heavier than say insulation, which will cause an itch....this stuff causes pain and infection and it's just small enough that you cant see it. It works though and if you are careful and wear gloves it wont bother you. Sorry, I am not much help on where to get them...I have several. They do last a long time and I cannot remember where it was that I got them. I think they are used more in the watch refinishing industry. I just looked and Brownell's has the wire brushes but not the fiberglass. As far as adding or using compound, 120 grit sticks in my mind....been a little while.
Edit: the fiberglass type is a quick and fairly deep cutting tool that you don't have to spin fast or necessarily even use a power tool...it can be done by hand and doesn't need any added abrasives. It looks more like an ink pen and you turn the top to push out more glass "brush" as you go.
 
I spend half my life putting some sort of finish on metal...well, not really half, but it sure seems that way sometimes. From firearms to Rolex watches, high chrome looking polish to heavy bead blast to the jewelling on model 12 bolts. I never had much luck with the eraser or cratex or any other "rubber" type device. It will make it look just about right, but it wont last very long if you shoot the gun much. Seems like it just rubs right off. Brownell's has little wire brushes that do okay. The best thing I have used is the fiberglass type, but you have to be careful, the fiberglass is heavier than say insulation, which will cause an itch....this stuff causes pain and infection and it's just small enough that you cant see it. It works though and if you are careful and wear gloves it wont bother you. Sorry, I am not much help on where to get them...I have several. They do last a long time and I cannot remember where it was that I got them. I think they are used more in the watch refinishing industry. I just looked and Brownell's has the wire brushes but not the fiberglass. As far as adding or using compound, 120 grit sticks in my mind....been a little while.
Edit: the fiberglass type is a quick and fairly deep cutting tool that you don't have to spin fast or necessarily even use a power tool...it can be done by hand and doesn't need any added abrasives. It looks more like an ink pen and you turn the top to push out more glass "brush" as you go.
I must admit I've never heard of fiberglass type . It's true the eraser by itself doesn't last long , same with the cratex . If you dip the eraser in valve lapping compound it cuts deep . Lately I've found diamond dust on Amazon, using erasers with grease on its tip dipped lightly in the diamond dust . Works fast , deep and is of course more expensive. The 600 grit compound is about $7 and it'll be enough for 1 bolt .
 

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