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Blueing a gun barrel.

11K views 12 replies 11 participants last post by  Charley 
#1 ·
I want to learn how to blue a gun barrel. Have taken an old steven/savage mod 51 .410 for my first experiment. Started the stock. Looks not bad for the first time.
Now the blueing. Have knocked down old blueing using sand paper and a couple coats of MAAS. Steel looks good and shiney. Now What! Can anyone give me advice on the blueing of a gun. Have been on youtube and other websites. Many look good but they are paid to look good. Just learning and could you the easiest to hardest of advice. I am sure many of you have different thoughts on what to do...thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
The various Cold Blues work pretty well. I've used both the liquid and paste by Birchwood Casey. I prefer the liquid for large jobs and paste for touchups.

Short of building or buying a $600 hot tank, leave that stuff to professionals.
 
#5 ·
Oxpho Blue from Brownells makes a very tough finish. With some practice you can get a good looking finish with it. Rust bluing is labor intensive and makes a softer looking blue than most people like (or expect) but it's a really traditional finish and requires very little in the way of equipment. Several of the bake-on finishes are very tough but don't look as traditional.
 
#6 ·
Personally, I would only recommend cold blue for repair work, touch-up.
Hot, dip blueing is fine in many cases but I have never done it at home. Rust blue I have done and I highly recommend Pilkington's. It is labor intensive but I prefer the finish, though it is not for every gun.
 
#8 ·
I've seen several "cold blues" that looked good. None of those "looked better" than a good "hot blue" though. Prepairtion of the metal is "the key" to both.

I can't report that I know of a "cold blue" that is superior too a "hot blue" in duribility though.

"Purdy guns" allways make me suspicious at gun shows in that regard. Is it real, or is it a good "cold blue job"?

Cheap and fast has no value to me.

Cheezywan
 
#9 ·
Over the years I've found Brownell's Oxpho-blue the best cold blue on the market. It was designed for gunsmiths whom didn't want to invest the two grand setting up a hot blue system. Read about it here. It's the only cold blue on the market that works thru oil that I know of.

http://www.brownells.com/aspx/NS/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=1072&title=OXPHO-BLUE~

Like was said above the prep is the key. It's like painting a car you get out of it what you put in it. I'm polishing out a rifle right now to be blued. Oxpho blued the last rifle, but this one is going into a friends hot tank. If your not going to polish it out with buffing wheels and compound for a glossy surface it's a good idea to bead blast the surface. Gives a nice mat blue finish.
 
#10 ·
I used to do a cold rust blue that was attributed to O.A. Zischang. This consists to sulphuric acid, nitric acid with iron nails. Not a good thing for most people to work with.

I've since changed to using Brownells Dircropan IM.

This process results in a gray/black finish that is very durable, but does require immersing the barrel (or whatever you are blueing) in boiling water.

It still is a lot easier than hot salt blue.

Steven
 
#13 ·
Rust blueing isn't difficult, can be done cheaply, and looks better than any cold blue concoction on the market. I don't even consider it labor intensive, since most of the time involved is just waiting for rust to form. I don't sit around and watch paint dry, either.
Here's a Noble Model 20 single shot .22 I refinished, including rust blueing.
 

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