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2 blue or not 2 blue, thats the question?
Robin
Member Posts: 1,228 ✭✭✭✭✭
I started out cleaning a recently acquired older Browning A-5 standard weight 12 ga. It was beyond dirty and I found that the stock was poorly repaired and cracked again. So I ordered a replacment from Boyd's. As things went I ended up taking just about everything apart, removed all of the surface rust and lighty coated everything with Rem oil. Now I am thinking maybe I should send this to someone to be refinished. I have tried cold bluing at home before with fairly inconsistent results. I read the instructions, degreased, heated, wore gloves, etc. still the result was marginal. I am not sure I want to try again. Who can I send this to? If possible I would like to find someone in the Central-North Florida area. Thanks
Comments
As with most real craftsmen, he has plenty of work.
6 months and $300+, depending on prep work.
-I am getting ready to try (my first attempt to blue anything) fume blueing on an old gun that I have .
Fume blueing is a process where the gun parts are cleaned/degreased, etc. and hung in a "humidity cabinet" in which a small dish of acid is placed. The parts develop a coat of rust, which is scrubbed off with a soft wire brush or steel wool. The parts are boiled to darken/develop the color and the process repeated to deepen the result to the desired color. Various acids/acedic compounds supposedly deliver different colorations in the metal.
I made a quick and dirty humidity cabinet from a large cardboard appliance box. Two 60-watt light bulbs inside is the heat source. A large, deep plate of water (lots of surface area) is the source of humidity. Strips of wood laid across the outside top of the box will hold wires or string to suspend the parts inside. "Launch" is this weekend.
The process is labor-intensive, so you must have time to do it and I guess you have to WANT to do it as well. I'm doing it because I am interested and it sounds like fun. Also, this type of blueing may not be as enduring/wear-resistant as hot salts bluing; I don't know for sure about that.
R. H. Angier's Firearm Blueing and Browning is a useful book on this subject, but is not readily available as it is pretty old. Brownells used to sell it and may still have some copies.
Emmett
...PREP is 99.9% the process for a nice blue. I even changed out buffing wheels FIVE times w/each one marked so as to not get ANY grease/oil transfer to myraw steel. Did EVERYTHING right, still the best would rate no better than maybe 85% "good". Small parts USUALLY work very well...but Ive even had them not turn out to what I would term acceptable.
...IF the gun is a nice one and you want a GOOD job, pay the money for a professional hot blue job...or build your own tanks and burners and learn the hot blue process...[^]