Reblueing

A

Alberta hunter

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I have a cheap mossberg semi 22 that was given to me. The barrel and action have been painted, and is now peeling off. I know the gun isnt worth much, but I wouldnt mind refinishing it just as a project. I plan to tape up the barrel, holes in the action, and trigger and then bead blast it to remove the old paint, and the little bit of rust on it. My questions are in regards to blueing. I plan on using an over the counter blueing product, and would like any input and help on reccomended product and procedures from the knowledgable CGN crowd.

Thanks

A.H.
 
I have bead blasted an old CIL 22...the finish was pretty rough so I buffed it down with some emery cloth and then applied the cold blue...turned out great,gave it a matte dark grey finish...oiled it up and let it sit for a few weeks just cause I didn't get to the range,but have since been there after that....it has been over a year and no signs of rust or anything and I was even shooting on a windy rainy day...cleaned it like usual and that's about it...so far so good
 
Sand blasting

I use a sandblaster to recover old and rusted rifles and have had good success. This is an old dodge for restoring antique (eek!) guns. The result is that rust damage and pits are not very noticeable.

Sand blasting is great for removing rust and crud. It is however, very abrasive (go figure) and will remove metal quite quickly. Don't blast any surfaces that have a fit with each other. Blasting also tends to be a bit harsh and leave a rough finish if the sand is of a course grade. Very fine sand works best, or even better, bead blast it. The tiny glass beads are more gentle. Just be careful of sand in the working bits. Remove any mechanism, sear etc. Or use duct tape to mask off and protect things.

The surface should be buffed afterwards with steel wool and then degreased before applying the cold blue. The surface, which will be clean bare steel will just 'suck up' the blue. I have had very good results. The finish is dark and has a nice flat finish, not unlike worn Parkerising. Follow the directions on the bottle to the letter.

Take your pick as to which cold blue to use, there are dozens to choose from. I find that they all are much the same. Perhaps somebody could recommend one brand to you.

I recommend that you do some trials on scrap pieces of metal before you blast the barrel and action. The trick is in the surface preparation. Blasted, sanded or polished, all produce different finishes.

Oil it well with a good gun oil to protect it.
 
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Birchwood Casey makes a Cold Blue product that I have seen very good results from on a couple of different rifles from a member on this board.

I bought it for myself to reblue a .22, but just haven't had a chance to get to it.

It comes in a package with 3 bottles in it. You can get it at several of the large sports places like WS. I think it was $20 to $25.
 
Perma Blue

My dad had a bottle of 'Perma Blue Immersion (PBIM)' that he bought many many years ago. I tried it out on an old junky luger and it came out beautifully. I have not seen this product on the market any more, though. It's from Birchwood Casey (product # 135046, I think)and comes in a 32 fl.oz bottle, a concentrate that one dilutes 1:7 with water. It lets you immerse the entire part(s) in the solution to get a completely even finish.
 
I have used Birchwood Casey to touch-up on a 1x3" section of the barrel. It worked very well. I am not sure if this approach will work well for the entire barrel like your case. Anyway I suggest you use the blueing paste instead of the liquid form.

I am sure the cost involved is a factor as you may not want to sink too much into an old 22 rifle.

Good luck

Danny
 
Thanks for the info Danny, I know it isint worth very much, and doesnt shoot worth a damn either, but I figured it might be a learning experience. If I f**k it up, it isnt much of a loss either way.


A.H
 
Oxpho, or 44-40 , pretty good cold blue. But like a friend once said ''easy on easy off":D
But if the metal is warm, and clean , it will work just fine...buff the crap out of it with fine steel wool between applications.
Frank
 
Kleen bore's black magic works great.I use birchwood casey "sheath"{liquid not aerosol} and steel wool after to seal the deal.RB
 
I recently blued and refinished the stock on my winchester Model 62.

Id recomend a kit by Birchwood Casey. the kit I bought cost $37.99 and it includes Blue and rust remover, Cleaner-Degreaser, Gun blue, wood stain, Stock sheen and conditioner, tru-oil gun stock finish, and all the stuff you need to apply it. the only thing you need to buy really is some diffrent fine grits of sandpaper. It also has complete and easy to follow instructions.

there are many kits available so whatever combination you want you can get and not anything you dont want.

this kit also has enough stuff to do multiple guns as well.

When I moved out to BC I guess the case had somehow gotten wet and the inside was all damp so when we took it out the gun was horribly rusty like really bad and this package took care of everything and it's good as new now.
 
I've used several of the cold blue products. My preference is the Brownells Oxpho Blue (available at Wholesale Sports, and likely elsewhere). As Levi G mentioned in his post, heating the metal before application makes a difference to how well it works. The more applications you make, the darker it gets. I use a heat gun to get the metal hot, but using a hair dyer, or even pouring hot water over it will do the trick. I usually end up doing 3 or 4 applications.
 
I have been doing alot of this blueing browning stuff on a revolver for the last few days and have nothing to add that aint been said except that for degreaseing parts that Can tire Motormaster Brake cleaner is great.

It evaporates really fast, I just wear latex gloves (It dont disolve them) and the stuff just blasts outa the can and cleans off all the oil.
Also dont touch the metal with your oily fingers once its clean, I hate gloves so used clean rags to hold the parts and big tweezers. :)
 
I have used them all and the best is OXPHOBLU. The cheap crap you buy at Canadian turd will last you about a month. Ox pho is by far the best I have ever used. Dont waste you time with the other crap
 
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