Hot Blue or Cold Blue
- Thread starter adam_17
- Start date
The cold blues, like the Oxpho Blue from Brownell's and offered by Dewdney Mountain Products as well as others can do a very good job if they are applied properly. For newbies, one of the easiest methods is to first disassemble the firearm and degrease the components. Then use a blow drier on High heat setting to heat up the parts so they are to warm to handle without gloves. The oil on your hands can be detrimental as well. I like to boil the parts myself but if you clean the metal properly it should accept the cold blue chemicals well. The first coat will be very light. Some people will use 00000 steel wool to wipe off the residue. Be careful with this as most steel wool has oil on it and needs to be boiled first. Cleaning with Varsol isn't an option. Varsol also has a bit of oil in it. I like to use Acetone both to clean the steel wool and to wipe down the metal to be blued. Repeat this process until the blue matches the rest of the firearm. Then cover it with oil to fix the blue and stop rust from forming again. Blue is only rust in that particular color.
The oil I use is Ballistol.
OK, one other tip before you start. You say you have rust spots. There is a product on the market called Wipe Out. It comes in two forms. Liquid and foam. I take a bit of the liquid and soak some 000000 steel wool with it. Then I use the steel wool to apply it to the entire area where rust is a concern. Cover the whole area well and use a bit of pressure on the steel wool so it breaks the rust and allows the Wipe Out to soak into it. The Wipe Out will dissolve the rust right down to the bare metal without causing any pitting. Wipe Out is also touted to be a rust preventer and it is claimed it can be left in the barrel after cleaning without concern. It dries into a very thin residue. That means it has to be cleaned from any area to be blued. It works extremely well because it removes the brown rust without touching the blue. It certainly make life easier.
The oil I use is Ballistol.
OK, one other tip before you start. You say you have rust spots. There is a product on the market called Wipe Out. It comes in two forms. Liquid and foam. I take a bit of the liquid and soak some 000000 steel wool with it. Then I use the steel wool to apply it to the entire area where rust is a concern. Cover the whole area well and use a bit of pressure on the steel wool so it breaks the rust and allows the Wipe Out to soak into it. The Wipe Out will dissolve the rust right down to the bare metal without causing any pitting. Wipe Out is also touted to be a rust preventer and it is claimed it can be left in the barrel after cleaning without concern. It dries into a very thin residue. That means it has to be cleaned from any area to be blued. It works extremely well because it removes the brown rust without touching the blue. It certainly make life easier.
- Location
- The Conservative part of Ontario
Definitely remove all oil, and heat the part, it's the step most folks miss. Heat makes "cold" blue look better, and last longer.
A heat gun is about as hot as you'd want to get it.
A heat gun is about as hot as you'd want to get it.
I've done lots of cold bluing and it has lasted well. I degrease with brake cleaner and heat as well before applying. I like to use foam to apply as I get a more even finish. I use the small bottle of cold blue from Cdn Tire & it works well. Good luck.
Used an Outers cold blue kit years ago on my BPS receiver and the results were amazing. Unfortunately, I did not, as the knowledgeable people here have suggested use any heat, so the application was short lasting and faded quickly with carry.
This. Express blue is probably the easiest but any kind of rust blue gives you the best of both worlds in my opinion. I bought a big bottle of laurel mtn forge barrel brown and degreaser years ago and have done quite a few full re-blues, and it holds up extremely well. Much more durable and a deeper colour than any cold blue I've done. Also cheaper to setup and safer to do than a hot salt blue tank.
I used the LMF barrel brown to do a homemade trigger guard on my mossberg.
I like using this little dome as a humidity chamber for small parts bluing.
black powder
CGN Regular
- Location
- Saint Hippolyte
