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The practicality of bluing

TimFitz

By TimFitz
in Tools & Equipment

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TimFitz WRT Addict

TimFitz

Posted
Posted

My K&D staking set has no finish from removing the rust and grunge. I was wondering what The practicality of bluing was? Has anyone tried something like this. Any information would be greatly appreciated. I would prefer to do it myself.

Thanks

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Marc Distinguished Member

Marc

Posted
Posted

Assuming that the parts you want to blue are steel there are two approaches to bluing.

The first is heat which I would not recommend as you're going to need to get a lot of heat into it and the chances of warping or otherwise distorting it are high, let alone the risk of adversely affecting the hardness of the frame.

The second approach is to chemically blue it using a treatment that is applied to the surface. As a teenager I used to restore vintage air rifles and tried a number of the proprietary preparations with varying degrees of success. The most critical factor seemed to be degreasing and absolute cleanliness in order to avoid a blotchy and uneven finish, but if I got that right then the results were fairly good. You will need to ensure that the surface finish is even before you start though, either a really good mirror polish over the whole surface or an even grained or brushed finish as any variation will be very obvious in the finished item.

It has been a (very!!!) long time since I played those games though so I'm somewhat out of touch with brands that are available, your best bet might well be to browse a couple of gunsmithing forums and web sites to see what the current state of the technology is.

Also, it might be worth waiting to see if Geo has any input as I know that he has also had some gunsmithing experience.

Another alternative might be to use what I think is called black lead. I know nothing about it or how it works other than that it used to be used to keep cast iron stoves and fire places looking good.

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Geo Distinguished Member

Geo

Posted
Posted

As usual I agree with you Marc.  Preparation is everything, the polish, degreasing of the item and the careful even application of the blueing medium is all important.

I used to use a cold blue for re-touching  the finish on target firearms I worked on, it was quick and easy and gave a very acceptable result regarding appearance. This does not give a finish that is anywhere as durable as the original finish and will have to be re-applied now and again.

Here is the brand that I use. 

 

IMG_2802.JPG

If you decide to use this, remember to rinse all the blueing fluid of then blow dry.  Once dry, oil the surface to prevent corrosion.

  • Like 2
thessler Member

thessler

Posted
Posted

Tim

A process called rust bluing is the way to go. It's very easy and looks beautiful,  but it is a process that needs to be learned. Again google and u tube are good resources.

I do a lot of it, I have been restoring vintage firearms for a while now. I have a cottage on OAK Island and would be happy to walk you through it next time I'm down.

Tom

  • Like 1
Tmuir Distinguished Member

Tmuir

Posted
Posted

Chemical bluing is the way to go.

A couple of years back I was working on making John Wilding Foliot clock, attached is a photo showing one weight before chemical bluing and one after.

The bluing is still perfect on the weights.

I just visited a local gun shop and asked them for gun bluing chemical.

clock21.jpg

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