home gun blue kit?

T

tplumeri

Moderator
O.K. i picked up a beat up winchester 94 for cheap. good shooter but its garsh darn ugly (self censored). No problem refinishing the wood but need to cure the surface rust etc on the barrell and receiver etc.
bought a home re-blue kit from Birchwood Casey but afraid to use it; I'd rather have a old rusty looking lever than a cheesy looking shiny one.
anyone used this stuff?
thanks tom
 
bluing kit

Hi :


I built a couple of black powder guns afew years back and used a browning kit. same thing I would guess. Used the oven and they turned out nice. Go for it. Can't be any worse,right. samco
 
Cold blues are really intended for minor touch-up of scratches and small worn areas, not complete blue jobs.

When attempting to re-blue a large are what you usually wind up with is a streaked, smoky "sort of blue".
This also rubs off quickly.

Some people report fair to good results, and the trick seems to be adequate degreasing and cleaning of the metal.
Note that the post-1964 Winchester's had steel receivers that were very difficult to blue even for the factory.

Other options are to send the guns out for a professional hot blue, or for do-it-yourself, one of the spray-on "paint" type finishes that are easy to apply, and very durable.
 
I've used the Birchwood cold blue technique on revolver frames, and it comes out as described above - streaky, "sorta" blue, and very quick to wear.

The next step I tried was Brownell's baking laquer. This gave acceptable results, but was quick to chip and fairly fragile.

I"m now getting ready to go with Gun Kote's "gun metal blue" spray system, and I'm going to blast the surface and apply it with an air brush. I am told this gives very good, reasonably durable results. If you have an air compressor, this is the way to go it appears. If you don't, it's a great excuse to get one as they are darn handy!
 
Oxpho Blue from Brownell's is, by far the best and easiest cold blue I've ever used.

That said, it's still intended for touchup work. You can do a large area and it will turn out acceptable, but it's going to look like a home project.
 
blue

Sir:
I've got the same problem as I don't have hot-blue tanks!
The blue I like best is Brownells Oxpho-blue - it seems to stay longer but you've got to get the surface grease free!
There's one other I like - it's G-96 and it's either in paste or liquid now - really like the liquid.
The post 64s' I don't know what steel they use in that action but it is the devil's own to blue!
Hope this helps. I'd almost think Winchester is using a "scintered" steel on that reciever but that can't be? Maybe someone here knows.
Harry B.
 
Thanks for all the input! I guess ill give it a try, i can always undo it and try something else if it looks bad.
Luckily its a 1964 rifle so maybe i wont have any additional headaches!
thanks again
tom
 
For touch-up I use Van's Instant Gun Blue, which really works well and doesn't come off easily. Better than any of the copper based instants I've tried which don't seem to last. The trick is degreasing as others have mentioned. I've never tried to do a whole gun with it, however I don't see why you couldn't. I got it at a gun show but you can mail order it from the link. Really great stuff!
 
If you have a plain post-64 Model 94, you probably can't hurt it much, but note the problems with bluing mentioned above.

But just in case you have lucked into an early 94, trying to do anything but killing the rust could do a lot of harm to the value. Use brass or copper wool (at the super market) and oil to clean the surface rust, then leave it alone.

Jim
 
Whatever you do:

After you're done, wax it a couple of times (coats) with Johnson's Paste Wax (yellow tin, non-abrasive) to protect the finish from coming off and the metal from rusting further.
 
I tried the Birchwood Casey kit on an old Turkish Mauser and I'm completely happy with it. I did a good bit of fine sanding and then to a buffing wheel to get a good finish before the bluing. Its been thru a full season in the woods and seams to be holding up just fine. Can't complain at all for $15., I will be using it again on another old rifle with no qualms. Good luck on your project
 
Cold Blue Winchester 94

Before you start, you might want to check the serial #. If it's between 2,770,000 and5,024,957 the receiver won't take the cold blue.
 
The best thing that I have found with the cold blue kits (I have done a few project mosin guns built from parts) is

1. Degrease as noted in previous posts.
2. have a tank of glass magic soapy water

After applying the blue and ruubbing with fine steel wool, dip it in the soapy water for a minute or two, then repeat. After about 5-6 times you get a nice dark black/blue. And it seems to hold up ok, not as well as the hot blue, but
it does just fine if you take care of the firearm.
 
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