Is barrel removal required for rust bluing?

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Quiet

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Is it necessary to remove threaded-in barrels from an action/frame when rust bluing?
I've read about how Mausers at the factory originally were assembled in-the-white and the barrels staked before had the barrels removed again for rust blueing. I'm assuming this had something to do with the possibility of water/acid getting into the receiver threads and causing corrosion, or maybe grease leaking out into the boiling water and ruining the finish?

I'd like to re-blue an old '96 Swede, and I have a barrel vice, but I worry about the possibility of cracking the receiver ring if I remove and re-torque the barrel.
 
Quiet said:
Is it necessary to remove threaded-in barrels from an action/frame when rust bluing?
I've read about how Mausers at the factory originally were assembled in-the-white and the barrels staked before had the barrels removed again for rust blueing. I'm assuming this had something to do with the possibility of water/acid getting into the receiver threads and causing corrosion, or maybe grease leaking out into the boiling water and ruining the finish?

I'd like to re-blue an old '96 Swede, and I have a barrel vice, but I worry about the possibility of cracking the receiver ring if I remove and re-torque the barrel.
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I hot blued for years and found that rust blueing was easer than hot for a smaller amounts and that I was doing on blueing blue blue side by side shot guns. Rust is better for wear and resistance and works better for single blueing jobs. Be aware that some Swedes are extremely tight and it possible to twist the action.

Try boiling the barreled action in water with a small amount of detergent and then rust blueing. As with any blueing, clean metal is very important .
 
Well, my homemade barrel vice worked fine for a '98, but I can't get enough grip to budge the '96. As you say I don't want to damage it so I will have to try bluing with a barreled receiver. I've only done smaller parts so far and the results look closer to the original finish than modern hot blueing, so we'll see how this goes.
 
Removing the barrel prior to rust bluing is desirable but not essential. There is always the possibility of oil seeping out from under the receiver ring during the boil but I’ve found it rarely happens.

As mentioned above, boiling the part prior to applying the bluing chemical is a good way of minimizing the risk.

Just be sure the part is throughly degreased. This includes the bore, lug mortises and all the nooks and crannies found in the barreled action. I wash the parts with detergent then with Super Clean engine degreaser. Wear rubber gloves when degreasing and when handling the part until the job is done.

One the parts are degreased, dry and cool, apply the chemical. If there’s a delay in application, rust may form on the part.

Dero338
Brownells will ship to Canada Laurel Mountain Brown and Degreaser. For rust bluing this is an excellent product.
 
I've blued a few guns over the years and have never removed the barrel from the receiver, and they all came out pretty nice.
 
Thanks for the tips. I finished bluing the barrel and receiver and am happy with the results.

Some things I learned from this experience:

- the wooden dowels in the muzzle and chamber need to be pounded in tight, or they will leak.
- let the damp box go back down to room temperature before using, or condensation drops may form on the parts causing irregular finish.
- pay particular attention to small hard parts when polishing and use fresh sharp abrasive paper to make sure they are not too smooth, or they won't accept finish.
- use cold blue to pre-test areas around soldered joints, or places where soldered parts (like military sight bases) were removed. Stray solder can be hard to see on shiny metal but it really shows up after the gun is blued.
 
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