Ain't that the pits...grip pitting that is

[MrToad]

I have a question for the members here regarding a bit of corrosion/pitting on the grip of my MK9 Elite 98. For those of you with steel guns, what steps would you take to remedy these? Obviously these don't affect the gun's performance, and I don't want to mar/scratch up the finish unnecessarily, but I'd be curious what others have done in similar situations.

[gb6491]

I have a question for the members here regarding a bit of corrosion/pitting on the grip of my MK9 Elite 98. For those of you with steel guns, what steps would you take to remedy these? Obviously these don't affect the gun's performance, and I don't want to mar/scratch up the finish unnecessarily, but I'd be curious what others have done in similar situations.

I'd bead blast it first.
If still easily noticed: I'd sand, then bead blast.

I realize that might the above might not be a viable option to some, so I'll also suggest try removing the discoloration in the pits as described below (the goal being to make the damage less noticeable).
What I would try: get a product called "Bar Keepers Friend" (the Lowe's near me carries it). Wet that area and sprinkle some of the BKF on it and let it sit for a while. Wipe clean and check the results. If the discoloration is not completely removed, repeat the process. You might also want to try some light scrubbing action with the BKF: I'd go with a toothbrush and a light touch. Don't rub too hard a this might polish the area a slight amount

Birchwood Casey makes a product called " Blue and Rust Remover" that will sometimes remove the discoloration.

Regards,
Greg

[yqtszhj]

+1 on What Greg said about Bar Keepers Friend. The wife uses it on everything stainless we have and its amazing.

[Bawanna]

Greg nailed it. My first thought was bead blast.

I don't know anything about Bar Keepers Friend but I'll be checking that out too. It's late, I thought today was gonna be the day I didn't learn nothing. Yall saved the day.

Might be a good time to experiment with stippling, add a nice texture to the front strap.

Checkering would work but cost some money.

[muggsy]

I'm the original barkeeper's friend, but the new stuff does works good, too. +1 on bead blasting. Good advice, Greg.

[b4uqzme]

I used that BKF stuff to clean up both my stainless Kahrs. It did wonders. I used the liquid kind and a green scrubber. It didn't polish/shine the surface...just cleaned it real good. But don't use it on any polished stainless. It will show scratches there.

[MrToad]

Thanks for the suggestions, friends. It's such a fun pistol to shoot, and I do try to keep my gear in good shape and reasonably clean. I had wondered about bead-blasting as a last resort. I'm having to start wearing reading glasses for closeup work, and that's when I really noticed the spots. I'll try the BKF first.

Today I did some ultrasonic cleaning with a water/Simple Green mixture and carefully dried with a compressor and did a lot of oiling/lubing since the cleaning really stripped the gunk and oils off. Looks pretty good to me for a well-shot 15-year old.

[b4uqzme]

I just caught that you have an Elite 98. Don't use a scrubber with the BKF. It might scratch the flats. Greg's soft toothbrush recommendation is better. Indeed it already looks good in your pic. Nice guns aren't they? Enjoy.

[Redstate]

Without seeing that in person, it is difficult to say from the photos; but, I am kinda leaning toward those just being pits that were in the steel from day one. Are Kahr frames cast or forged? Those pits could be from some foreign matter in the casting, if they are cast. If you look inside your field stripped pistol frame, you may see some other pits like those.

I'd send the photos to Kahr before I did anything to it.

[ronny]

Without seeing that in person, it is difficult to say from the photos; but, I am kinda leaning toward those just being pits that were in the steel from day one. Are Kahr frames cast or forged? Those pits could be from some foreign matter in the casting, if they are cast. If you look inside your field stripped pistol frame, you may see some other pits like those.

I'd send the photos to Kahr before I did anything to it.

I'll second that. I detect no discoloration in the photo. I had an MK9 (not Elite) which had similar pits at the time of purchase. I've seen others. It is a casting issue and seems to be most common around the lower end of the grip. On yours, I think it is virtually unnoticeable . Of course, to you it's probably an ugly wart. Don't worry, though. It's not.

My belief is that the frames are cast. The slides appear to be machined. If the frame were machined, I think they would cost even more than they do.

[MikeAvery71]

My K9 suffered the same problem. I used a product called Innosoft B570 to remove the rust and then just tonight applied Renaissance Wax to protect against further corrosion.

[marshal kane]

Those pits (to me) do not affect the functionality of your pistol at all and are hardly noticeable and if this were my pistol, I wouldn't do a thing to them. Anything you do would likely result in removing the factory finish and then you'd be in a world of hurts. That's my take but then YMMV.

[Phish]

Without seeing that in person, it is difficult to say from the photos; but, I am kinda leaning toward those just being pits that were in the steel from day one. Are Kahr frames cast or forged? Those pits could be from some foreign matter in the casting, if they are cast. If you look inside your field stripped pistol frame, you may see some other pits like those.

I'd send the photos to Kahr before I did anything to it.

That is what I am thinking also but checkering would be IMHO would most ideal.