I have an old '03 Springfield, sporterized, that I cold-blued 20 years ago. It still looks good.
The trick that I used was to heat the metal--but not with a torch.
The best way by far is to clean the part thoroughly first--then, get a pan big enough to hold the part. You're not going to actually put the part in it, just have it big enough to avoid surprises.
Clean the metal to be blued like this: first, clean with solvent, then degreaser. Now do whatever work that needs to be done. Make sure that your surface prep is up to snuff.
If you want a high gloss finish, it is best to strip the whole area to be done, and repolish. If you're doing this by hand, sand and buff all the way to crocus cloth. If you're doing this by machine, I highly recommend Brownell's Polish-O-Ray and 555 polishes. Start with the 400 grit, then go through the 555 black, gray and white polishes.
If you have never polished metal before, get some practice pieces before you do the actual gun. And, be advised that while loose cloth wheels will serve in a pinch, the best bet is a mix of the two, finishing with felt wheels on a proper buffer.
Of course, bead blasting or matte prep work is done before the bluing is applied.
After you have prepped the metal and done the surface work, fill your pan with water. Now, put it on a burner on high heat, until water is in a rolling boil. Suspend the work on some sturdy wire stock.
Get a bottle of denatured alcohol. Wet a clean cotton cloth with some of it, and give the metal a final wipe.
Now, immerse the work in the boiling water without touching the sides or bottom. Let it sit for a bit--the hottest it will get is 212 degrees--nowhere near hot enough to affect the heat treatment. Get your bluing chemical ready.
When you get the work out, dump any water out of the workpiece, and slap that bluing on. Don't panic--it will look like absolute crap with the first coat. Concentrate on total coverage.
Get yourself a paper bag, wad it up and give the work a good hard rub. Now, polish with four-ought steel wool. Done with the first coat? OK--back into the water dunk for the second coat.
You'll want about three coats with the hot water rinse, and one final coat without the rinse. Rub out well with the paper bags between coats.
When you get to the last coat, while polishing with the steel wool, you will notice that the gun now looks like black glass. Now, oil the finish with a good water displacing oil, set it to the side and don't touch it for about 3 days.
Rub down with a good oil cloth, reassemble, and the job's done. To me, there is nothing that can match the beauty of a blued steel piece that has been properly polished with a trued felt wheel.
The trick that I used was to heat the metal--but not with a torch.
The best way by far is to clean the part thoroughly first--then, get a pan big enough to hold the part. You're not going to actually put the part in it, just have it big enough to avoid surprises.
Clean the metal to be blued like this: first, clean with solvent, then degreaser. Now do whatever work that needs to be done. Make sure that your surface prep is up to snuff.
If you want a high gloss finish, it is best to strip the whole area to be done, and repolish. If you're doing this by hand, sand and buff all the way to crocus cloth. If you're doing this by machine, I highly recommend Brownell's Polish-O-Ray and 555 polishes. Start with the 400 grit, then go through the 555 black, gray and white polishes.
If you have never polished metal before, get some practice pieces before you do the actual gun. And, be advised that while loose cloth wheels will serve in a pinch, the best bet is a mix of the two, finishing with felt wheels on a proper buffer.
Of course, bead blasting or matte prep work is done before the bluing is applied.
After you have prepped the metal and done the surface work, fill your pan with water. Now, put it on a burner on high heat, until water is in a rolling boil. Suspend the work on some sturdy wire stock.
Get a bottle of denatured alcohol. Wet a clean cotton cloth with some of it, and give the metal a final wipe.
Now, immerse the work in the boiling water without touching the sides or bottom. Let it sit for a bit--the hottest it will get is 212 degrees--nowhere near hot enough to affect the heat treatment. Get your bluing chemical ready.
When you get the work out, dump any water out of the workpiece, and slap that bluing on. Don't panic--it will look like absolute crap with the first coat. Concentrate on total coverage.
Get yourself a paper bag, wad it up and give the work a good hard rub. Now, polish with four-ought steel wool. Done with the first coat? OK--back into the water dunk for the second coat.
You'll want about three coats with the hot water rinse, and one final coat without the rinse. Rub out well with the paper bags between coats.
When you get to the last coat, while polishing with the steel wool, you will notice that the gun now looks like black glass. Now, oil the finish with a good water displacing oil, set it to the side and don't touch it for about 3 days.
Rub down with a good oil cloth, reassemble, and the job's done. To me, there is nothing that can match the beauty of a blued steel piece that has been properly polished with a trued felt wheel.