reblue a barrel
- Thread starter andrew7597
- Start date
Yes, it is expensive to have someone do this for you.
Yes, it can be done at home, but again it is expensive to get all the bits and pieces assembled .
Anyways one slices it is going to cost money and time.
Rob
Yes, it can be done at home, but again it is expensive to get all the bits and pieces assembled .
Anyways one slices it is going to cost money and time.
Rob
RustyWood trading
I would suggest Oxpho Blue Liquid for base coat.....then finish with Oxpho Blue Paste.
Clean and polish metal first.
Any scratches or pitting should be sanded out.
Use Steel wool 2/0 or higher for finish polish.
When ready to use Blue liquid.... clean the metal really good with denatured alcohol.
Heat metal with a propane torch not scorching hot but really warm.
Apply liquid blue....wipe off excess and then lightly buff with 2/0 steel wool.....wipe off....and repeat process several times....
Then switch to blue paste...do same process...but I like to let paste "work" for a bit....before wiping and buffing.
It won't be a deep and lustourous blue but it will be o.k.
Some metal will resist cold bluing ...not much you can do about those areas??
I would suggest Oxpho Blue Liquid for base coat.....then finish with Oxpho Blue Paste.
Clean and polish metal first.
Any scratches or pitting should be sanded out.
Use Steel wool 2/0 or higher for finish polish.
When ready to use Blue liquid.... clean the metal really good with denatured alcohol.
Heat metal with a propane torch not scorching hot but really warm.
Apply liquid blue....wipe off excess and then lightly buff with 2/0 steel wool.....wipe off....and repeat process several times....
Then switch to blue paste...do same process...but I like to let paste "work" for a bit....before wiping and buffing.
It won't be a deep and lustourous blue but it will be o.k.
Some metal will resist cold bluing ...not much you can do about those areas??
There's some cold blues that get better and better with repeated and specific application. And others that work quite well with only one application.
Art's Belgian Blue from Brownells is one that doesn't work worth a darn right out of the bottle on a room temp barrel. But if given the right application it's supposed to be one of the better "cold blue" products. Check out this LARRY POTTERFIELD VIDEO for the right way to use it. I've got some here and was going to use it but a chance to get in on a hot bluing batch came along at just the right time. So I'm still looking for a job to use the Art's Belgian.
If you would rather just use a basic cold blue that is crazy simple and looks really dark then I can heartily recommend G96 brand "Gun Blue Creme". It's been my Go To product for small parts and touch ups for quite a while now. It does help the depth of the color if I run the part under hot tap water but it goes on really black. Hint, apply and let sit for maybe 20 to 30 seconds THEN rinse off in hot water from the tap. Pat or lightly rub dry without a lot of force and then oil it. Now you can rub it somewhat more briskly and any excess color will come off. But it'll be nice and dark. I found that with any cold blue if I rinsed and rubbed away any excess too soon they did not get as dark as I'd like. But between Birchwood Casey's two options and the G96 Creme I found the G96 works better for me.
Art's Belgian Blue from Brownells is one that doesn't work worth a darn right out of the bottle on a room temp barrel. But if given the right application it's supposed to be one of the better "cold blue" products. Check out this LARRY POTTERFIELD VIDEO for the right way to use it. I've got some here and was going to use it but a chance to get in on a hot bluing batch came along at just the right time. So I'm still looking for a job to use the Art's Belgian.
If you would rather just use a basic cold blue that is crazy simple and looks really dark then I can heartily recommend G96 brand "Gun Blue Creme". It's been my Go To product for small parts and touch ups for quite a while now. It does help the depth of the color if I run the part under hot tap water but it goes on really black. Hint, apply and let sit for maybe 20 to 30 seconds THEN rinse off in hot water from the tap. Pat or lightly rub dry without a lot of force and then oil it. Now you can rub it somewhat more briskly and any excess color will come off. But it'll be nice and dark. I found that with any cold blue if I rinsed and rubbed away any excess too soon they did not get as dark as I'd like. But between Birchwood Casey's two options and the G96 Creme I found the G96 works better for me.
shuraparabellum
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I like the idea of just painting it. Sounds nice and easy. But I think its also the perfect gun to practice doing the blue. I am going to look into the few options of blue you guys suggested and check out Larry Potterfield video and see what kind of mess I'm going to make. Thanks everyone.
Cold bluing an entire barrel is a pain in the ####. I've been fighting with a Cooey Model 60 for a few weeks now, trying to get it dark enough.
Metal prep is key- remove all the bluing with a vinegar bath before going on to polish everything and take as many imperfections out as you can. Degrease it, and then once you think you're done degreasing, do it again. Heat your metal with a heat gun until it's too hot to touch, and then wipe your bluing on, making sure NOT to let it drip. I found that using a small cup with some bluing solution in it and some cotton gun cleaning patches work really well. Let it sit for a bit and then buff it with steel wool. Rinse your metal to neutralize the bluing, and repeat the process until you get the desired color, and then hit it with some oil to finish.
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1822285-Cooey-60-resto-project!
You can see the struggle here and learn from my mistakes
Metal prep is key- remove all the bluing with a vinegar bath before going on to polish everything and take as many imperfections out as you can. Degrease it, and then once you think you're done degreasing, do it again. Heat your metal with a heat gun until it's too hot to touch, and then wipe your bluing on, making sure NOT to let it drip. I found that using a small cup with some bluing solution in it and some cotton gun cleaning patches work really well. Let it sit for a bit and then buff it with steel wool. Rinse your metal to neutralize the bluing, and repeat the process until you get the desired color, and then hit it with some oil to finish.
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/showthread.php/1822285-Cooey-60-resto-project!
You can see the struggle here and learn from my mistakes
Forget about painting unless you're going to get it done with Cerakote, Gunkote or one of that style of coating. Oil and cleaning solvents used for firearms will lift and ruin most hardware store paint types. It has to be one of these specialty products or you're wasting your time even on a cheapie solution.
If you do cold blue, use a hair dryer or heat gun to warm the surface, and ensure that there is absolutely no trace of oil or fingerprints. Brake cleaner, acetone, and a few pairs of clean cotton gloves or similar, will go a long ways.
Like as not, it will take several applications.
Hot bluing, with tanks of molten bluing salts is a bit on the expensive side to set up for one job. So look at what you can do with rust bluing. Cheap to set up, but a lot more work.
Most of the cost in a bluing job is in the prep work, sort of like a paint job, it does not matter how good the final finish is, if you lay it down on a crappy surface.
If you want it done professionally, you might be able to reduce your expenses by doing the prep work yourself and cleaning up the surface pits.
Or just have at the pitted areas with some steel wool to remove the rust, and cold blue to blend them in, and get on with life.
Like as not, it will take several applications.
Hot bluing, with tanks of molten bluing salts is a bit on the expensive side to set up for one job. So look at what you can do with rust bluing. Cheap to set up, but a lot more work.
Most of the cost in a bluing job is in the prep work, sort of like a paint job, it does not matter how good the final finish is, if you lay it down on a crappy surface.
If you want it done professionally, you might be able to reduce your expenses by doing the prep work yourself and cleaning up the surface pits.
Or just have at the pitted areas with some steel wool to remove the rust, and cold blue to blend them in, and get on with life.
By the way, earlier in this thread Guntech asked about the bore. Is it OK and it's only the outside that got rusty and crusty?
And before you go to all this trouble if the outside is mostly just small pencil point sized spots you might try just some oil and 0000 steel wool and rub things down. The steel wool won't harm the remaining blue but it'll even down the rust spots and darken what is left. It may be enough that a rider on a fast horse would consider it to look just fine...
If it still looks like diaper filling then buff it down and re-blue with cold blue.
Do NOT be tempted to use anything other than steel wool for this. The wool provides the abrasion needed but the edges are softer than the blued finish. Anything else risks sanding off the old blue fully. So ONLY steel wool for this option.
And before you go to all this trouble if the outside is mostly just small pencil point sized spots you might try just some oil and 0000 steel wool and rub things down. The steel wool won't harm the remaining blue but it'll even down the rust spots and darken what is left. It may be enough that a rider on a fast horse would consider it to look just fine...
If it still looks like diaper filling then buff it down and re-blue with cold blue.Do NOT be tempted to use anything other than steel wool for this. The wool provides the abrasion needed but the edges are softer than the blued finish. Anything else risks sanding off the old blue fully. So ONLY steel wool for this option.
If you havent wired the rust off yet...boil it.
PVC pipe verticaly over pot of boiling water(steam boiling) @15-30 min. Converts rust to Blueing.
a Gunsmith on Utube i think called AnvilGunsmith has the method.
He boils all parts before determining if it needs to be refinished.
PVC pipe verticaly over pot of boiling water(steam boiling) @15-30 min. Converts rust to Blueing.
a Gunsmith on Utube i think called AnvilGunsmith has the method.
He boils all parts before determining if it needs to be refinished.
The outside of the barrel is rough. I have not cleaned the bore yet. I have to do that and finish a few small repairs this weekend so I can even see if it fires. If that all goes well I will start the blueing and clean up the stock. I was also going to use sandpaper on the barrel but I will try boiling it first and just steel wool first. Thanks
Canadian Tire has the cold blue fluid. I cold blued the slide of my norc 1911 after some smoothing. It worked very well. Just clean very well. Basically just follow the directions and it will turn out good .
I've only done small bits nothing as big as a barrel. Getting the blueing even may be an issue on a big piece.
Corey
I've only done small bits nothing as big as a barrel. Getting the blueing even may be an issue on a big piece.
Corey
