Cold bluing question

deckerhead

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Is the Birchwood Casey's cold blue kit the best to use ? If not what other brands are recommended for cold bluing ?
Where is a good Canadian supplier ?
 
Oxpho Blue is better IMHO and it can be purchased from Dewdney Mountain Products.

One hint when applying cold blue. Heat up the area to be blued to uncomfortable to touch then clean the area thoroughly. When you are positive it is completely free of oil/dirt/cleaning agent buff the area lightly with a non detergent scouring pad very lightly. Heat the area again. I usually use boiling water. The heat will quickly evaporate any water. Wipe on the cold blue solution. It will take very quickly this way. Wipe the area down with a CLEAN rag or fresh paper towel and heat up with boiling water again and apply more cold blue solution. Repeat this until you have the depth of blue you want in direct sunlight. Indoor light will make the job look darker than it really is.
 
I've had better luck with Outers than Birchwood, but both of them were the liquid versions. I found that the liquid pulls away from sharp edges and then the corners look worn. My brother told me I should try the Birchwood paste cold blue because its easier to get an even finish. I got the Outers stuff at Canadian tire and the Birchwood Casey at my local gun shop.
Kristian
 
I've had by far the best results with "Blue Wonder." It actually turns blue, not black or gray like other cold blue products. Not the easiest stuff to find in Canada though. Some Wholesale Sports stores carry it though. Need lots of heat to get good results. There are a few videos on youtube about it. Pretty impressive, especially for touch ups. Very good match for nicely blued rifles.
 
I'm planning on doing a rifle with cold blue. This thread confirms what I was told when I bought it that best results happen when you heat the metal up first. I was told an old hair dryer or heat gun is sufficient, I hadn't heard of boiling water. Hopefully that works because, although the wife is very patient with my hobby, I don't have a sink in the basement and I don't think I'll be allowed to blue a gun in the tub/kitchen lol
 
It's all about the prep work. Which brand doesn't make much difference. Just remember that cold bluing is not intended for entire firearms. It's made for touch up work. It's not easy getting the whole thing evenly coloured if you try it.
 
I'm now on my third bottle of cold blue. The first two were Birchwood Casey and worked OK. But the results from one or two applications were more of a greyish blue/black.

The most recent is G96 Blueing Cream. The G96 is by far a better product. It produces a deep blue-black finish almost instantly and with only the one application needed. It cards off with a light polish from some 0000 steel wool to a nice sheen that produces a lovely look when oiled.
 
Yeah my 1911 frame I did completely is slowly rejecting it.. I go every day and wipe it with a patch and shouldnt be black. but the patches are coming off black.

I bought 4, 5$ bottles and poured it into a plastic container and dipped the gun.


** Edit**

Even my H&R I done, Its doing the same.
 
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Did you card off the excess with some degreased steel wool? That's an important part. Otherwise what happens is that the buildup of the "rust" just wipes away like you're finding. It's not paint after all. The bluing solution actually produces a chemical reaction that changes some of the steel over to the new compound. And some of the material produced is excess. Which is why any blueing process needs to include the carding operation.
 
I'm now on my third bottle of cold blue. The first two were Birchwood Casey and worked OK. But the results from one or two applications were more of a greyish blue/black.

The most recent is G96 Blueing Cream. The G96 is by far a better product. It produces a deep blue-black finish almost instantly and with only the one application needed. It cards off with a light polish from some 0000 steel wool to a nice sheen that produces a lovely look when oiled.
Where did you get G96 Cream ?
 
Where did you get G96 Cream ?

One of the local shops carries G96 cleaning and lubricating products. They had it. The stuff is fairly common so one of your local shops should have it as well.... er... I may be wrong but I THINK it came from the local Wholesale Sports. But it was about a year back when I got it so the memory may well be playing tricks on me.
 
I am very biased but has anybody tried Tetra Gun Care's Liquid Blue? You can apply up to seven coatings based on the richness of the finish that you want.
 
I use Birchwood Casey. Gives a nice darker greyish look. Almost black if prep is done correctly. Easy to use and cheap. It does tend to pull away from sharp edges. Not perfect but better than paint
 
Oxpho Blue paste is my prefered product. As mentioned before,heat area to be blued but not too hot.Tried G96(never again) didn't like Birchwood Casey's product much either.
Scott...
 
I get Oxpho blue at William's Arms.Only problem is he only has it in the spring usually. If I want any I pre order it in February and get a call when it's in. Try him he may have a bottle left.
Scott
 
It's all about the prep work. Which brand doesn't make much difference. Just remember that cold bluing is not intended for entire firearms. It's made for touch up work. It's not easy getting the whole thing evenly coloured if you try it.

Is this true? I just bought an old h&r revolver and was getting excited about trying my first bluing project. Is it not advisable to strip and reblue an entire gun?
 
Is this true? I just bought an old h&r revolver and was getting excited about trying my first bluing project. Is it not advisable to strip and reblue an entire gun?

I just did an old Cooey .22 to try my hand at cold blueing and wood refinishing. It's all about prep. I did 2 coats and it turned out pretty good. I might end up going back and doing a 3rd coat in the future for a darker look. I only did it a few days ago and haven't even reassembled the rifle, let alone shot it so I can't speak to the durability of it

Here is the barrel half done:


Barrel Completed:


Sorry the pics are a bit out of focus... cell phone
 
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