Leaving reciever un blued
- Thread starter FTGV
- Start date
I was wondering the same.I certainly don't want the patina look.I plan to polish to a near mirror finish .I'm shooting(pun intended) for the look similar to the receiver on an old Ithica xl900.I assume they must have used some sort of surface sealer?https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=ithaca+xl900+shotgun&FORM=HDRSC2
NOPE...you will have a problem with adhesion. If you want a high shine to it,finish with 600 grit paper. Then take a product called autosol( its a metal polish) A little dab,polish on and off. Shines steel like you wouldn't believe. Wipe with G96 and you are done...
Depending on what solvents you use for cleaning it could easily strip away varnish or lacquers.
I've been a hobby machinist for much of my life. Shop jigs and tooling I made and left "in the white" over 20 years ago still looks like they were made just yesterday simply because they are kept oiled. Just oil the metal like you would a blued gun and it'll stay bright and shiny. Abuse it and it'll rust just like a blued gun. Bottom line is that bluing is for show. It does just shy of nothing for corrosion resistance.
If you do forget or mistreat it at some point and it gets a stain on it sand it bright again. Or pick up some Barkeeper's Friend cleaning powder and use it with a cloth or scrubbing pad to remove the corrosion stain and then oil it properly.
I picked up some Autosol at CT and like you said it works great.Thanks for the tip.I also notice Brownell's has a clear aerosol epoxy for polished metal finishes.They claim it is durable and can withstand solvents.I wonder if it's worth trying?
Some clear finishes will affect the look of the metal. But if Brownells is selling this product it's likely not going to affect how polished or brushed steel looks.
If you buy some be aware that any on the inside surfaces might be thick enough to affect the fit of the bolt and the headspacing. So you will need to mask away the internal surfaces and only apply it on the outside.
If you buy some be aware that any on the inside surfaces might be thick enough to affect the fit of the bolt and the headspacing. So you will need to mask away the internal surfaces and only apply it on the outside.
I have never tried the clears from Brownells. But to be honest,to me its a waste of time and money.Here is why,most clears will change the looks of metal when applied,its a coating so scratching will be a issue when you have a mil buidup of layers of material. I have been polishing every sort of metal as a hobby for the last 35 years. I love shiny things and have tried every finish I could find over bare steel,every one detracted from the look of bare polished steel or metal materials. Plus being a aerosol it cant be mailed so its lots of extra $$$ to get it.I have barrels here I polished 30 years ago and hit them with G96 after. I might repolish every 3 years or so and after its done the first time,repolishing only takes 10 minutes by hand. The only thing I have found you have to look out for is fingerprints from certain ppl. Some ppl like my boss have a high acid content in their sweat. It doesn't matter what type of metal he touches his finger prints will rust it in a week or less. But a quick wipe after he handles metal( with G96) takes care of it. If its left,a quick 5 minutes with autosol will take care of it( lightly rusted fingy prints!)
Its actually easier to look after then you might think. Remember the KISS method...no extra duey dums or finishes seems to be the easiest I have found. An with autosol being a polish,a small dab between moving/working parts also helps to smoothen functioning out. Just keep it away from critical bearing surfaces like bolt lugs!! Just my .02 worth..
Along the same lines of this topic, what are others doing do preserve Case Colouring? All I have done so far is use Renaissance Wax & G96 to try to preserve it. A very, very talented and well respected gunsmith in the US told me to use lacquer to preserve CCH & French Gray finishes. I can't recall the lacquer he recommended, but it was of the common hardware store variety.
Good points Icehunter.Leaving it au natuel touch ups will only require a little buffing now and then.If I clear coated it I might become over protective and not want to take it out shooting.
Since shipping cost on aerosols is so high does anyone know if Duracoat or Brownell's Aluma hyde II sprays are available from a Canadian source?
http://www.remington.com/shotguns/autoloading/model-1100/model-1100-competition-synthetic
Since shipping cost on aerosols is so high does anyone know if Duracoat or Brownell's Aluma hyde II sprays are available from a Canadian source? The look I'm going for is the 1100 competition synthetic without the fancy butt stock.
http://www.remington.com/shotguns/autoloading/model-1100/model-1100-competition-synthetic
Just keep it oiled as you would a blued gun and it'll be just fine.
This isn't rocket surgery. Folks seem to assume that steel HAS to rust just because it's steel. But nothing is further from the truth. If it were machinists all over the world would have rust brown or rust blackened micrometers, dividers and a host of other nice shop tools that are not a nice slivery grey of natural steel that started out and has stayed that way for many years.
For a user's gun oil makes a lot more sense than conservitor's wax because you need to oil the gun anyway. And most oils tend to dissolve most waxes anyway. So you may as well start with oil and stay with oil if this will be a user gun.
This isn't rocket surgery. Folks seem to assume that steel HAS to rust just because it's steel. But nothing is further from the truth. If it were machinists all over the world would have rust brown or rust blackened micrometers, dividers and a host of other nice shop tools that are not a nice slivery grey of natural steel that started out and has stayed that way for many years.
For a user's gun oil makes a lot more sense than conservitor's wax because you need to oil the gun anyway. And most oils tend to dissolve most waxes anyway. So you may as well start with oil and stay with oil if this will be a user gun.
