Birchwood Casey liquid gun blue paste

[alloy]

i have a few small parts i tried this product on. they are used parts going on a new pistol. grip safety and slide release lever.

they look new now, however they dont seem to be getting any darker.

the instructions say to repeat 3-4 times.
the instructions say to use fine steel wool between each application.

i have applied the paste about 6 times and altho the parts look really nice and uniform...will they continue to get darker if i continue, or do you hit some type of a brick wall after a few applications?

what is the purpose of the steel wool, would not using it have an effect, would using a coarser steel wool have more of an effect.

i am using 0000 steel wool.

any experiences appreciated.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

Using coarser steel wool won't help. Cold blues just won't get as dark as hot tank bluing. After a certain point, you are wasting your time.
Make sure you keep these parts well-oiled. Most cold blues promote rusting.

 

[alloy]

After a certain point, you are wasting your time.

that is what i was thinking after it didnt seem to be darkening, thanks. it looks fine as is, will be mindful of the oiling. the original worn blue is still on the part, maybe that will help with that part...but they are readily available pieces so no great loss either way.

just experimenting

 

[alloy]

the grip safety is one...hard to photo subtle color variations but the part was extremely well worn. not a match but not worth losing sleep over...i blued over the old and it all blended in.

gun looks kinda dirty i see

 

[James K]

No cold blue will be as durable as hot tank blue. The gun or part will look good for a while, but after some use, the bluing will wear off and the job will need to be done over. I long ago gave up on trying to use cold blue on anything but small parts like a buggered screw head.

Jim