I'm using "coating" as a general term. I consider bluing in this as well, as it is a coating (surface metal conversion).dickfunk wrote: The ramps aren't coated, they're blued. And some of the ones I've seen have had visible machining marks on them. They fed alright, but could definitely use a polish. I don't think you're adding surface area by polishing smooth a roughly machine piece of metal.
Adding any scratches, microscopic or otherwise, does increase surface area. So while it is possible to do it properly, most Dremmel wielding amateur smiths are not going to be able to pull it off. I know I can't, yet I've seen real smiths do it properly. And then re-coat (whether bluing or otherwise).
My point is simply that this isn't something you just do willy-nilly. It is not an "all positive with no downsides" proposition, yet I didn't see that mentioned anywhere in the thread.
Just trying to give people some perspective on this so they can make an educated decision.