I traded a friend out of a Security Six which has a lot of holster wear on the end of the barrell and cylinder, nearly all of the blueing was gone from the cylinder. I searched some how to's and bought some Birchwood Casey cold blue. I followed the directions to a "T" alcohol wash, polished with steel wool, rinse,blue, repeat as desired tone is reached. I'm not happy with the way it turned out. It has a darker color where the wear is compared to the rest of the gun, the cylinder turned out okay, but there was hardly any blueing left on it anyway. Is this just the nature of cold blueing or did I do something wrong? It was my first attempt.
Cold Blue Gone Amuck?
- Thread starter VTR996
- Start date
Walt Sherrill
New member
Cold bluing is a hit and miss proposition. I've found that the Birchwood-Casey stuff is, at best, temporary coloration. The next time you start to clean the gun, you'll see a lot of the color disappear.
I've had especially good results with Brownell's OXPHO-BLUE, and even better results using a number of different cold blues AFTER an initial treatment with OXPHO-BLUE.
You've got to be especially careful to get the weapon clean and grease free before you start, and don't touch it with bare skin (and that doesn't sound you had a problem in that respect.)
You may just have to "blue" the rest of the gun to get it to match the "redone" areas.
I've had especially good results with Brownell's OXPHO-BLUE, and even better results using a number of different cold blues AFTER an initial treatment with OXPHO-BLUE.
You've got to be especially careful to get the weapon clean and grease free before you start, and don't touch it with bare skin (and that doesn't sound you had a problem in that respect.)
You may just have to "blue" the rest of the gun to get it to match the "redone" areas.
Unkel Gilbey
New member
What about 44/40?
I too, have had lack lustre results with the Birchwood Casey stuff, and have been looking into alternatives for cold bluing.
I've leafed through the Brownells and see that they hawk three seperate house brands of cold blue. The afore mentioned Oxpho-blue, Dicropan T-4, and 44/40.
Does anyone have any experience with these other blues, and are they worth obtaining, or should one just concentrate on getting the Oxpho-blue?
Thanks!
Unkel Gilbey
I too, have had lack lustre results with the Birchwood Casey stuff, and have been looking into alternatives for cold bluing.
I've leafed through the Brownells and see that they hawk three seperate house brands of cold blue. The afore mentioned Oxpho-blue, Dicropan T-4, and 44/40.
Does anyone have any experience with these other blues, and are they worth obtaining, or should one just concentrate on getting the Oxpho-blue?
Thanks!
Unkel Gilbey
I have had the best cold bluing results from Van's Gun Blue. It is a selenium compund and only blues the bare metal. I have just finished blueing my great grandfathers Winchester Model 60 .22 bolt gun and the rifle looks fabulous I wish I had a digital camera so I could post pics. You can buy Van's at www.trackofthewolf.com
Six
Six
I've used 44/40 on some minor damage repair, and the results have been pretty good. It's not going to fool anyone up close, but from a few feet, it's hard to tell there was any damage repaired.
It'd use it for minor touch ups, but if it was something big, or it covered a large percentage of the metal, I'd probably prefer to do the who thing with something like gunkote. Now I just need a sandblasting cabinet....
It'd use it for minor touch ups, but if it was something big, or it covered a large percentage of the metal, I'd probably prefer to do the who thing with something like gunkote. Now I just need a sandblasting cabinet....
Walt Sherrill
New member
Here's pictures of a CZ-75 (pre-B) I picked up a week or two ago.
It was pretty ratty, with a lot of scratches on the frame and slide, and the polycoat (plastic enamel) shot all to crap.
Stripped it with auto paint remover, polished it lightly (with a mild wire wheel, and by hand with some 800 grit wet n dry sandpaper), and used Oxpho Blue, G96 paste, and some stuff called Van's Instant Blue, all kind of mixed together in layers. Turned out beautifully...
I've used this combination before, and its just about as durable as factory bluing, and only the most discerning claim to be able to tell the difference when looking at it. (Unless I tell them, though, they don't mention it.)
Try this link:
You can see both sides of the gun by clicking on the small arrows at the tope of the page.
It was pretty ratty, with a lot of scratches on the frame and slide, and the polycoat (plastic enamel) shot all to crap.
Stripped it with auto paint remover, polished it lightly (with a mild wire wheel, and by hand with some 800 grit wet n dry sandpaper), and used Oxpho Blue, G96 paste, and some stuff called Van's Instant Blue, all kind of mixed together in layers. Turned out beautifully...
I've used this combination before, and its just about as durable as factory bluing, and only the most discerning claim to be able to tell the difference when looking at it. (Unless I tell them, though, they don't mention it.)
Try this link:
You can see both sides of the gun by clicking on the small arrows at the tope of the page.
Walt Sherrill
New member
I'm reasonably sure that rust bluing is a good way to reblue -- perhaps the best way for purists, but its so darned labor intensive. And I'm not a purist.
(My shooter friends couldn't tell that the gun had been reblued, but the ones who had seen it before I started the "redo" were amazed.)
I'm not particularly gifted when it comes to stuff like this, but I have figured out what works pretty well.
I spent about 3 hours, total, stripping the gun in my photos of the old Polycoat, sanding, and then rebluing -- about an hour and a half a night. That's not a lot of work, and that's all it took.
I used a mild wire wheel in the tool shed, and some hand sanding, very light. Just to get a sheen on the metal. (I've always been told that the smoother the metal, the darker the bluing job will be.)
You've just got to do a lot of thin coats of Ox-Pho Blue and the other ingredients, to get it where it looks right.
(I wore plastic/rubber gloves from the drug store when applying the bluing compounds.)
(My shooter friends couldn't tell that the gun had been reblued, but the ones who had seen it before I started the "redo" were amazed.)
I'm not particularly gifted when it comes to stuff like this, but I have figured out what works pretty well.
I spent about 3 hours, total, stripping the gun in my photos of the old Polycoat, sanding, and then rebluing -- about an hour and a half a night. That's not a lot of work, and that's all it took.
I used a mild wire wheel in the tool shed, and some hand sanding, very light. Just to get a sheen on the metal. (I've always been told that the smoother the metal, the darker the bluing job will be.)
You've just got to do a lot of thin coats of Ox-Pho Blue and the other ingredients, to get it where it looks right.
(I wore plastic/rubber gloves from the drug store when applying the bluing compounds.)
Blue Wonder is the best
Friends,
First off I am not a gunsmith or overly trained when it comes to working on firearms. Instead I am sort of a shade tree mechanic when it comes to the repair and restoration of firearms. However, I found a product at the 2002 SHOT show in Las Vegas that even I can use to retore or refinish the blue on a firearm just like the experts. It was voted the best new product in it's class and is called Blue Wonder Gun Blue. This product provides the durability comparable to the best hot blues.
1. Basically what you do is take their gun cleaner and apply it to the surface to be blued to prepare the metal surface. Then if you are going to remove the old blue, use a scotbrite pad with the cleaner. However, you don't have to remove the old bluing as Blue Wonder will fill in the blank spots to match the original factory blue.
2. Heat the metal until it is warm to the touch using a hair dryer, hot air gun or propane torch.
3. Shake the bluing solution well to mix the chemicals, then using a paper towel, cotton cloth or other such material, apply the bluing solution to the surface to be blued.
4. Continue adding coats of the bluing solution until the desired depth of bluing is achieved.
5. Then once you have reach the level of bluing you want, apply the developer to the blued area.
6. After letting the area sit for about 24 hours, apply a light coat of gun oil to the blued area to prevent rusting.
Thats all there is to it. I have blued a Remington and a Beretta shotgun barrel that had the bluing missing in several spots. After following these directions, you can not even tell where the old bluing or the new bluing is.
Their web site has a demo video that shows you the step by step intructions. The site is www.novumsolutions.com/gunblue.html
Good luck and good bluing.
Friends,
First off I am not a gunsmith or overly trained when it comes to working on firearms. Instead I am sort of a shade tree mechanic when it comes to the repair and restoration of firearms. However, I found a product at the 2002 SHOT show in Las Vegas that even I can use to retore or refinish the blue on a firearm just like the experts. It was voted the best new product in it's class and is called Blue Wonder Gun Blue. This product provides the durability comparable to the best hot blues.
1. Basically what you do is take their gun cleaner and apply it to the surface to be blued to prepare the metal surface. Then if you are going to remove the old blue, use a scotbrite pad with the cleaner. However, you don't have to remove the old bluing as Blue Wonder will fill in the blank spots to match the original factory blue.
2. Heat the metal until it is warm to the touch using a hair dryer, hot air gun or propane torch.
3. Shake the bluing solution well to mix the chemicals, then using a paper towel, cotton cloth or other such material, apply the bluing solution to the surface to be blued.
4. Continue adding coats of the bluing solution until the desired depth of bluing is achieved.
5. Then once you have reach the level of bluing you want, apply the developer to the blued area.
6. After letting the area sit for about 24 hours, apply a light coat of gun oil to the blued area to prevent rusting.
Thats all there is to it. I have blued a Remington and a Beretta shotgun barrel that had the bluing missing in several spots. After following these directions, you can not even tell where the old bluing or the new bluing is.
Their web site has a demo video that shows you the step by step intructions. The site is www.novumsolutions.com/gunblue.html
Good luck and good bluing.
I am new to this forum...
I am with Novum Solutions, makes of the above mentioned Blue Wonder Gun Blue. I found this forum because of all the hits on our website from this forum. I first want to say I am not here to be a sales guy but to answer technical questions and provide accurate information to users or potential users of our products. I hope we can be of help to the members of this forum.
Second, I want to say thanks for the interst expressed through the number of hits on our website coming from this forum!
As a thank you for letting me visit, I would like to offer a free sample of the Blue Wonder Gun Blue. On our website, www.novumsolutions.com/gunblue.html there is a video demonstration of our gun blue process. For the first person to e-mail me with the type of pistol being re-blued and the part of the pistol that is touched up, I will send a FREE Blue Wonder Gun Blue kit. Of course, you will also need to tell me where to ship the sample.
If I can answer any questions, please feel free to post them here or email me directly.
I am with Novum Solutions, makes of the above mentioned Blue Wonder Gun Blue. I found this forum because of all the hits on our website from this forum. I first want to say I am not here to be a sales guy but to answer technical questions and provide accurate information to users or potential users of our products. I hope we can be of help to the members of this forum.
Second, I want to say thanks for the interst expressed through the number of hits on our website coming from this forum!
As a thank you for letting me visit, I would like to offer a free sample of the Blue Wonder Gun Blue. On our website, www.novumsolutions.com/gunblue.html there is a video demonstration of our gun blue process. For the first person to e-mail me with the type of pistol being re-blued and the part of the pistol that is touched up, I will send a FREE Blue Wonder Gun Blue kit. Of course, you will also need to tell me where to ship the sample.
If I can answer any questions, please feel free to post them here or email me directly.
I am happy to announce that Dewayne from Agusta GA has won the sample of Blue Wonder Gun Blue. I will be sending it to him tomorrow. 