Slow Rust Blued a FEG Hi Power. Now the Safety is hard to disengage.

C

candlejackstraw

New member
So I did my first slow rust bluing project. I used Laurel Mountain Forge, as recommended in another thread. Great product. I had a great time with the process and plan on doing it again to a FN Hi Power. However...

When I was reassembling the firearm, I noticed that some things were tighter, harder to reassemble.
1. The trigger pin was incredibly tight. I actually had to run a small round file through the hole to reinstall it. I had done trigger work on it in the past, and did not have the sort of difficulty I had today.
2. The slide release was also harder to reinsert.

3. The safety, the main reason for this thread, is now difficult to disengage. I know the small safety on the HP arent desirable, and are difficult to begin with, but i have to grab the firearm with my right hand and push down with my left thumb to disengage it. Engaging it isnt too bad. I actually did not reblue the safety.

Can anyone shed any light on the changing of tolerances after slow rust bluing? Will this go away as the bluing "breaks in?" (as i type this and fiddle with it, it does seem to be getting easier)

Also, as an added bonus, reinstalling the hammer and spring was absurdly difficult. I could not install the hammer and safety and then guide the attached spring into place. My FN has no trouble with this. Is this a property of FEG hi powers? Should I order a new hammer and spring from the Browning Company and just install that one?

Thank you in advance for your replies and insight.
 
I have never had anything even remotely like that happen with rust bluing. Parkerized parts, sometimes. You should not be getting a buildup, but I have never used Laurel mountain either.
 
It's according to how close the tolerances was, beforehand, for the fits of the blued components. Any bluing is a type of rust, and that will tighten fits.

As an example, I have reblued many model 12 Winchesters, and before the rebluing, one could hold the gun upright, mash the release button, and the gun would open itself under gravity. After rebluing, it would not, since the bolt ways, and the forearm rod, would be tight enough to not allow it. To get it to work this way, again, since the customers almost demanded it, I'd have to lightly polish the rod and the ways a small amount, that didn't show. All that did, was remove a small amount of the new bluing.

As long as the parts don't bind, then it will loosen up, but you'll have to keep working it, or polish the pieces where they rub, a small amount, with steel wool.
 
Since rust creates an oxide that physically occupies more space than the base metal did, any bluing can do that, but hot salt bluing is too thin to cause a problem. Rust bluing, however, can have enough build up to create a tight fit in close areas.

Plating, of course, is even worse; When nickel plating was common, factories took special care with close fitting parts (e.g., revolver sideplates) so as to leave room for the plating. That was the primary reason for the extra cost.

Jim
 
unfortunately I did a matte rust bluing, using denim to card like the laurel mountain website recommended. The one im working on today im using steel wool on, that should hopefully eliminate any issues. I'll letcha know
 
There must be something really different about that laurel mountain stuff. Matte finish? I always controlled the type of finish with the steel itself. I did an in the white AR barrel for someone and by leaving the finish rough, it came out matte black and matched the rest of the gun perfectly. That was with using steel wool to card. Sounds to me like you are leaving build up on the metal. Years ago I used a blue product from a very well known company. It was too weak and I guess it kind of acted like the stuff you are using. You had to repeat so many times it became more like a "Paint" build up instead of etching the dye into the steel. Let us know how it works out with steel wool.
 
So far it looks really light with steel wool. Looking at it you can tell it's steel, just a little darker. . When I used the denim it would take off the velvet, but leave it darker (black) (and matte ish). Do you think I should go back and steel wool the first one?
 
Are you using the finest steel wool? You do know you repeat the process many times to get it darker? Are you letting it get a nasty brown rust color before carding? If not humid, you sometimes have to let it sit for hours to let it rust up good. Do not go back in the bottle with a dirty swab. That can ruin the solution. Sounds like a poor quality solution to me.



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Yea. I've been doing a few applications and letting it sit outside for a few hours (I live in louisiana, super humid) maybe it's a poor solution :(
 
I usually let it sit a day between. It depends on the humidity and how aggressive the solution is. You can let it rust too long with some solutions. You have to find what works for what you are trying to do. Some of the weaker solutions require a mirror finish on the steel. You do not need a whole gun to experiment. I used to do small parts in a stainless bowel on a Coleman camp stove.
 
I let it sit for 3 to 6 hours between applications. maybe i could have let it sit longer.
Click to expand...
I'm doing a few tests on spare parts, before I commit to using the LMF solution on a Marlin lever gun project.

I get almost no discernible reaction, other than some immediate light straw streaks, until 4-6 hours after application. And, to get a good coat of rust, it's typically 12-24 hours.

Humidity in my basement (work location) has been 48-65%.

To speed up the process, and maybe even to get a more even rust, I should probably be using a rust cabinet.


And, as noted by other posters....
Steel wool will give you a better finish than denim (though still matte/satin). I tried the denim recommendation a few times (with different fabrics), and it just doesn't remove enough of the scale.
 
Yeah, you are on the right track. The rust should look like something you picked up out of a plowed field when you first start. Once it is about as blue as it will get, the yellow streaks will be all you get. Case hardened steels generally take longer to get full color.
 
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