KTOG.Org - TecWerks - GL's Illustrated Fluff & Buff (fluff and buff) - Page 1

Reliability Preparation

For prevention of accelerated wear, it is highly recommended that the initial F&B be done on the steel parts only, before firing, and then again after a few rounds when additional wear or rough spots may become evident.

A word of caution: Aluminum and polymer parts of a pistol are very soft and easy to damage. Do not sand or polish them unless it is to address a specific problem you have identified.

The essence of a fluff and buff is to reduce friction. All you need is some 400 grit sandpaper and an hour or so of your time. If you'd like, you can use 600 grit sandpaper for a final finish and a Dremel type tool with a felt bob and some polishing compound to give the feed ramp a little extra polish. However the 400 grit paper will do what you need. The photos are of a Kel-Tec P32, but the same idea applies to most any pistol.

Items *1, *2, *7, *14, and *15 have the * because they are the most important. They should be done at a minimum and are the area you will want to spend the most effort.

First field strip your pistol and clean off all the lubricant that is on it so it doesn't gum up your sandpaper. I like to use rubbing alcohol.

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*1. Use a small piece of sandpaper folded over for thickness and drag it through the rails in both sides of the slide. The first few drags will remove some finish and you can see the rough marks left by the milling process. drag the paper through a few more time, you should be able to feel how much smoother it pulls through. Be sure to make contact between the paper and all three sides of the channel before you are done. It is not necessary to completely remove the mill marks, especially if they are deep, you just want to make them smoother to glide across.

*2. Sand the hammer interface using the sandpaper. Be sure to always finish your polishing going in the direction of contact.

3. Sand to smooth the breech face. be careful not to damage the extractor.

4. Polish the inside of the opening that the barrel passes through. Again go in the direction the parts move.

5abc. Use the sandpaper to gently dull the sharp edges on the slide that will contact other parts.

6. Sand the flat areas inside the slide that contact the barrel when the slide retracts. Don't try to remove the machine marks, just smooth it a bit.

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