Best cold blue?
-
Hey Guest, it looks like you haven't made your first post yet. Until you make an introduction thread, the rest of the site is locked to posting. Why not take a few minutes to say hi!
1 - 6 of 6 Posts
Joined
·
6,612 Posts
I had a good experience with Brownell's Oxpho-Blue.
i just used Mark Lee Express blue to do my flintlock furniture and lock...its essentially a rust blue...which is said to be more durable and protective than even factory bluing...
its fairly simple...finish to your desire...they say 320 grit is plenty...i didnt do much finish work because i didnt want a mirror finish...
after that degrease the items...i used simple green as the marker suggests...rinsed in a bucket with dawn and water...
then handle the parts with clean cotton gloves...i wore latex gloves underneath...dont wanna get grease or oils on the part or the finish wont take evenly..
from there you heat the part..i used a head gun...i found the best results when i swabbed the product on and it evaporated immediately...
as you swab the product on the heated part it rusts immediately..i almost left mine rusted..it was a very nice color..a maroon/purple/orange color...
once thats all done i re-heated and re-swabbed 2 more times...the instructions dont say to..but i read it elsewhere and feel like it saved me down the road...
once thats done the parts go into boiling distilled water for 15mins or so...distilled water is supposed to be best...
the rust...by some form of magic...turns black!!!
remove the parts and let them dry and cool...then card off the the scaling...i used blue "non-scratch" scotchbrite..i have a strong dislike for steel wool...and some steel wool is oiled which is bad for this process...
after carding, heat and reapply...i did this twice..then boil again...
i stopped there...i was satisfied with the color for my project...another application or 2 would likely left a very nice blue..especially if you did the prep work and sanded nicely prior to starting...
seems like a lot of work...but, if the gun is if any value and you want it to look good, and itll see any kind of use, it may be worth it....and really, its not nearly as bad as it sounds...ive never seen a true cold blue that worked well, looked good, was durable and protective...
for the barrel ive heard of 2 different methods...using burners or a fire and rain gutters...or boiling the water and hanging the barrel in a piece of PVC capped on one end...just make sure the water is good n hot and let the barrel suspend in it...
i didnt have to do my barrel..
once you like the color some say stop the reaction with a bath of baking soda water...i opted to grease it heavily and let it sit overnight...it was a bit messed to apply and clean off...but it turned out awesome IMO...
heres a few pics...i did the butt plate,lock,tang, trigger guard, toe plate and side plate...and i did it in a couple hours..
![]()
![]()
again...depending on the project maybe a bit too involved...but really i did all those parts in a couple hours...your refinishing a gun..so my guess is it may be worthwhile...
its fairly simple...finish to your desire...they say 320 grit is plenty...i didnt do much finish work because i didnt want a mirror finish...
after that degrease the items...i used simple green as the marker suggests...rinsed in a bucket with dawn and water...
then handle the parts with clean cotton gloves...i wore latex gloves underneath...dont wanna get grease or oils on the part or the finish wont take evenly..
from there you heat the part..i used a head gun...i found the best results when i swabbed the product on and it evaporated immediately...
as you swab the product on the heated part it rusts immediately..i almost left mine rusted..it was a very nice color..a maroon/purple/orange color...
once thats all done i re-heated and re-swabbed 2 more times...the instructions dont say to..but i read it elsewhere and feel like it saved me down the road...
once thats done the parts go into boiling distilled water for 15mins or so...distilled water is supposed to be best...
the rust...by some form of magic...turns black!!!
remove the parts and let them dry and cool...then card off the the scaling...i used blue "non-scratch" scotchbrite..i have a strong dislike for steel wool...and some steel wool is oiled which is bad for this process...
after carding, heat and reapply...i did this twice..then boil again...
i stopped there...i was satisfied with the color for my project...another application or 2 would likely left a very nice blue..especially if you did the prep work and sanded nicely prior to starting...
seems like a lot of work...but, if the gun is if any value and you want it to look good, and itll see any kind of use, it may be worth it....and really, its not nearly as bad as it sounds...ive never seen a true cold blue that worked well, looked good, was durable and protective...
for the barrel ive heard of 2 different methods...using burners or a fire and rain gutters...or boiling the water and hanging the barrel in a piece of PVC capped on one end...just make sure the water is good n hot and let the barrel suspend in it...
i didnt have to do my barrel..
once you like the color some say stop the reaction with a bath of baking soda water...i opted to grease it heavily and let it sit overnight...it was a bit messed to apply and clean off...but it turned out awesome IMO...
heres a few pics...i did the butt plate,lock,tang, trigger guard, toe plate and side plate...and i did it in a couple hours..
again...depending on the project maybe a bit too involved...but really i did all those parts in a couple hours...your refinishing a gun..so my guess is it may be worthwhile...
Joined
·
766 Posts
I had a rusty barrel on a H&R SB2 rifle. Used Wonder Blue. Followed the instructions (about 12 applications) and it came out great.
1 - 6 of 6 Posts
Join the discussion
