Cold Bluing

[Ron J]

I'm cleaning up an old Rem .22 for a friend. A couple pcs need bluing. I've done spots like corners of revolver cylinders etc, but not a whole pc like a sight for ex. What brands have you guys had luck with?

Thanks in advance, Ron.

[Clemson]

Brownell's Oxpho Blue liquid.

 

I have access to caustic salts, and I use the process, but I use the Oxpho Blue for touch-up jobs. It is so much better than anything else that I have tried that I can't imagine using others.

 

Clemson

[AzRednek]

I've been using Birchwood Casey's Super Blue for years and really like it. Make certain is says "Super" they have two other grades like "Perma" Blue that aren't worth a Tinker's Dam. Make certain you use rubber gloves or an applicator that keeps it off your fingers. It has a stench that will get into your fingernails that lingers for a few days.

[Brenden]

I've always used Wheeler Engineering's cold blue. It works very well and has a nice even color with no streaks. Just heat the parts up on the stove burners or in a pan of water (just warm enough, don't get them glowing lol) and then presto....its blue. I usually do about 7 coats, and then let it set for a day then oil it down with 3 in 1 oil, keeps the color looking good.

Brenden

[bubbamauser]

I have had great results using Super blue after sand blasting with one of those cheap harbor freight guns and fine play sand. The sand blasting is the only way I have ever been able to get a consistent streak free cold blue.

 

Roy

[beanstrung]

I'll throw in a "ditto" for Brownell's Oxpho Blue. It's much better, and more forgiving than either B-C's Perma-Blue or Super-Blue.

[Vladymere]

I'll 3rd Brownell's Oxpho Blue.

 

My bottle of it is so old that it has turned brown in color. It still works though. I find it works best if yu apply it and then rub it around.

 

Vlad

[Ron J]

The stuff I had here is called Van's Instant Gun Blue. The bottle came in a kit with a citrus cleaner, stock finish, the bluing and some oil. Had this kit for years and it worked well for spots. I figured I'd do the sights and trigger guard with this and get the Oxpho if the results were only fair. The sights are sand blasted for a better sight picture and the trigger guard was hand polished with paper and 4 ot steel wool. I did not use a buffer. I was told once that certain compunds can prevent the bluing from working good. These pcs were fairly well pitted so I started with 150 grit on through 800. The odd thing about this bluing is it neutralizes with oil rather than water. It should be petroleum based according to the bottle so I tossed everything in a can of 10W-30 Castrol GTX for a couple days. The owner likes it and asked if the barreled action can be done the same way. We'll find out.

[riceone]

I have found after years of streaking, that if you heat the metal from warm to too hot to hold and then sumerge it in most any type of cold blue it will give you a nice black finish. Usually with one dipping.

 

Riceone

[Ron J]

Well we wrapped it up the other night. I wish I had taken "before" pics. The gun stood in the corner of the breezeway on their farm for decades and was basically a farm tool. At some point it was dropped and a piece about 2-3 inches long broke off the toe. It broke right through the screw hole for the buttplate and the pc of the plate was missing also. The forend was split on the left side about 8 inches along the edge of the barrel channel. The metal was rusted beneath the bluing with some pits. The crown was dinged up pretty good. So we gave it the old college try. I stripped the stock and was able to get the forend glued together. The break at the toe was flattened, a pc of walnut glued back on and shaped to match. I dyed it best I could and got some grain to match, but after the oil finish, the colors changed again. Drove me nuts! My brother spun it in his lathe and polished the barrel to 600 then recrowned with a factory radius. I did the rest of the metal by hand to 1000 and 4-0 steel wool then cold blued with 3-4 coats of Van's brand as it worked good on the trigger guard. The guy took it from his dads farm without him knowing and he's giving it "back" to him for Christmas. It was his grandfathers who passed it on to his dad. This guy has a 10 yr old son, so it starts life over again with the 4th generation in the family. Kinda neat. The only thing we bought was a reproduction butt plate. The oil finish was a new concoction I tried.[

attachment=1071:needs_a_...olor_002.jpg][at

t

achment=1077:Neils_stock_004.jpg][attachmen

t

=1074:Neils_stock_001.jpg] Sorry I have no idea why I can't get the attachments in some kind of order.

[Bob58]

Commendable in all respects - appearance and thoughtfulness.