First time refinishing metal
- Thread starter CanadianBaconPancakes
- Start date
For small touch up jobs, degrease the spot and surrounding area thoroughly and I mean absolutely no oils or grease residue. If you accidentally touch the area with your bare hands/finger, degrease it again. Though unnecessary, I warm the spot to be blued with a heatgun for just a couple seconds to speed up the reaction time before applying the cold blue solution. Let sit as per directions then wash off with cool water.
For your choice of which to use I'd suggest G96 bluing gel. I've tried a few different ones and this is my favorite. It produces deep black colouring quickly with minimal amounts of the gel and resists looking "patchy" where the strokes overlap.
And "ditto" for fully degreasing the metal and taking care to not touch it at all. Either a solvent style like brake cleaner or a good washing with a dab of full strength liquid laundry detergent then a good rinse in hot water. The warmth from the hot water rinse aids in a good take with the bluing.
A bit more about the surface condition you're trying to fix would aid in getting a better answer as to cold blue being the right answer or not.
And "ditto" for fully degreasing the metal and taking care to not touch it at all. Either a solvent style like brake cleaner or a good washing with a dab of full strength liquid laundry detergent then a good rinse in hot water. The warmth from the hot water rinse aids in a good take with the bluing.
A bit more about the surface condition you're trying to fix would aid in getting a better answer as to cold blue being the right answer or not.
I have used the G96 as well. I found that if I apply it with steel wool in a swirling motion I had way better results. Otherwise it ends up all patchy and looks like hell. The advice above about degreasing is a MUST. I use acetone...wear gloves and eye protection, that stuff is wicked! good luck
The applicator seems to matter in some cases. For small jobs with the Birchwood Casey stuff I would often use a wadded up patch of paper towel. But that allows too much of the solution to wick back and out of contact. For the liquid BC stuff and any future use of liquids I'm going to use a cotton ball instead of the paper towel. Something in the paper also seems to affect the solution as even with a lot of solution in the paper it never seemed to get as dark as with a Q tip. Also the gel doesn't soak back into the applicator so it stays out where it can work. In the end I've had better luck with an acid brush, cotton ball or a regular Q-tip depending on the size of the job. And I've continued that with the G96 gel and it seems to be working well for me. The acid brush seems to work particulary well since it doesn't really soak up the gel. instead it just pushes it around so it can work.
Steel wool? I know it comes with a trace of oil on it so it doesn't rust in the package. I'd think that this would cause a problem. It may be why you need to work more with overlapping swirls so it can cut through the oil from the wool. Perhaps next time you try it wash the little wad of wool with some acetone as well.
Steel wool? I know it comes with a trace of oil on it so it doesn't rust in the package. I'd think that this would cause a problem. It may be why you need to work more with overlapping swirls so it can cut through the oil from the wool. Perhaps next time you try it wash the little wad of wool with some acetone as well.
I normally use a Q-tip to apply the blue. I might try an acid brush to see if it's any better next time. Oh, I ordered a bottle of that G96 Blue Cream from North Trail Sports. If it comes in before this wknd, I'll give it a try. Got my 1894 all in pieces slicking it up and got a couple pieces left needing some bluing. 
