Home Blueing

R

recon1

New member
Has anyone ever reblued a revolver at home? What product was
used and what did the finish look like? Sorry for all the questions. A friend just got a old *&* model 19 that has no finish left on it. He bought some bluing stuff and tried it out. He said the gun just looked all rusty by the next morning. Any help would be greatlty appreciated.
 
Several years ago I reblued a Black Powder revolver with pretty much the same results. It sounds like your friend made the same mistakes I did. Cold bluing agent, lack of surface prep and inattention to the amount of time the cold bluing agent worked. Cold bluing is Ok for small pieces parts, but the only way to get decent results is to go with the hot blue method. That means an investment in tanks and chemicals that's going to outweigh the price of sending it out, if your only doing one or two guns. If you want to make a hobby out of it, that's a different story.

The good news is that places like Tripp and Robar can put an excellent working finish on the Model 19, but it's going to cost. Tripp research advertises $150.00 for a revolver for their Cobra finish. Can't say how much NP3 or Roguard is going to cost, since they don't list prices on the website.
If the 19 is an outstanding shooter, that just looks bad, the money for a good wear resistant finish may be worth it.

http://www.robarguns.com
http://www.trippresearch.com
 
As a general rule, I agree with RAE. Getting a good blue at home is a tremendous pain in the butt.

My old gunsmith friend Mr. bud Walters gave me a good bluing tip that resulted in a really good reblue of a shotgun.

Strip all the finish off the gun, clean it, degrease it and pop it into a warm oven. Heat it to the point you can beardly stand to touch it. Then pull it out and put an even coat of blue on the gun.

Follow directions about letting dry and buffing with steel wool. Wipe the still warm gun down with a heavy coat of mineral oil, and repeat the heat and blue procedure. Repeat until you reach the depth of finish you desire.

Doc Hudson
 
The only other alternative is what is called hot water blueing. You boil the gun parts in hot water, and lift them out to apply the blueing.

I have not tried it yet, but it looks promising.

If it is your first time blueing, do not try it on a gun you care about... trust me.

Spend the money and let a professional do it...
 
Having read Bob Brownell's "Gunsmithing Kinks," vols. 1 through 3, where the bluing process is discussed in detail, I would submit that the best way for the average owner to refinish his firearm(s) is to have it (them) professionally done. It's just not worth the headaches, set-up, cost, or exposure to potentially harmful chemicals (mitigated, of course, by use of proper safety measures).
 
Brownell's Oxpho-Blue is the best I've found for at home cold bluing. Works pretty good. Get yourself a Brownells catalog they explain it all in some detail and they got every kind of bluing agent under the sun. Call their Tech Service dept and ask them what they recommend, those guys are real helpful. -- Kernel
 
Take the NRA summer class

You can bring a bunch of guns and blue them for the cost of the course. They'll teach you about the different types of bluing, the prep work (sanding or polishing), hot caustic bluing (and if you're lucky, the old fashion cold rust bluing).
 
I agree with Kernel. The oxpho blue works great. A warmed up gun would only improve its effectiveness. But with any cold blueing, you have to go back a few minute later and steel wool it. It's even more important if you have degreased like your supposed to. If it's blued to your satisfaction, then you just oil it down like you would normally. The only time I've had the runaway rust problem is when I forgot to steel wool the surface down after two or three minutes of the oxpho blue working and then oil-swab it.
 
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