Question about lapping scope rings

T

tpcollins

New member
After lapping a set of steel rings, what do you do to any exposed metal inside the rings?

I’m not sure that cold bluing is all that good although my Kleenbore Black Magic is the best I’ve used.

I bought a used set of DD scope rings one time and now that I think of it, they make have been lapped because when I took them off to put a different scope on, the inside of the tops and bottoms were rusty. Thanks.
 
Use cold blue or one of those paint sticks that you can buy at most hardware stores. Just be aware of how much you apply, to much and you might have to lap them again.
 
Use Brownells Oxpho Blue or Van's gun blue. These products are not great about the depth of color (more charcoal gray than blue), but inside the scope rings, you don't care. Their advantage is they are a form of black phosphating, which is relatively easy on the steel and gives the best protection.

I once degreased a bunch of music wire and tried about a dozen different cold blues on them, rinsed them of but did not oil any of them, and then just let them sit out for about three months in my office. At the end of that time all except the two products I mentioned had developed rust. In one case, a product that is thankfully no longer available, very extreme rust knots on the surface.

So, use the Opho-Blue or Van's and then rinse thoroughly. Boiling hot distilled water for rinsing is best, as the heat and humidity tend to blue any free iron left exposed or in the phosphate surface. Then hose it with water-displacing oil or WD-40 to displace any remaining water, and then wipe it off. Apply a little wax. This should hold up pretty well.
 
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