How to make a polished charging handle
One of the most distinctive features of AK is the chrome (bare steel) charging handle. After receiving a bunch of emails on how to do this I have decided to create a quick tutorial. Luckily this is a very easy and cheap upgrade if you are trying to obtain an original look. The picture below is a great example of how well this method works.
First you will need to purchase a can of "Birchwood Casey Rust and Blue remover" and a can of "NEVR-DULL". Both of these products can be found at Wal-Mart.
You will need the following tools:

Steel Wool
Dremel (optional) with Wire Wheel brush (optional) or Emory brush (optional)


To begin, remove your charging handle from your rifle and coat it with the rust and blue remover. Within 1-2 minuets you should be able to wipe the bluing off the charging handle with an old rage. You may have to do this several times to remove all of the original finish off the charging handle.

Next exam the viewable side of the charging handle (the side with the handle you pull back on) for any rough machining marks. Take your steel wool or dremel with a wire wheel brush or Emory brush and slowly smooth out the machine marks until you get a nice smooth surface.

Now take the NEVR-DULL and apply it following the directions on the container.


And that's it, you should have a very cool looking charging handle.
 
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